§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what studies his Department has(a) undertaken,(b) commissioned and (c) reviewed on the efficiency of the Private Finance Initiative; and if he will make a statement. [120925]
§ Mr. Andrew Smith[holding answer 5 May 2000]: The Treasury has commissioned two reports on PFI, focusing on the efficiency of the PFI process. These were the first and second reviews of PFI Policy undertaken by Sir Malcolm Bates in the Spring/Summer of 1997 and in the Spring/Summer of 1999. These were published respectively on 23 June 1997 and on 22 July 1999.
In June 1999, the Treasury Taskforce commissioned Arthur Andersen to undertake a study of value for money in a range of operational PFI projects. The results of the findings were published on 17 January 2000 in "Value for Money Drivers in the Private Finance Initiative".
Copies of all these reports were placed in the Library of the House.
The Treasury has also published Public Private Partnerships: The Government's Approach on 15 March 2000.