§ Mr. Prescottasked the Secretary of State for Employment what publicly-owned assets are in use at the Fort William underwater training centre; and what is their value.
§ Mr. Jim LesterI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that all the initial fixed assets of the underwater training centre have been financed entirely by MSC at a cost of £1.5 million, and are legally charged in favour of the Commission. These assets consist of classrooms and administrative buildings, and the full range of equipment needed to run both basic air and mixed gas diving courses. The disposable value of the assets cannot be estimated with any precision due to the unique nature of the enterprise; but the book value in the centre's commercial accounts was £867,000 at 31 March 1980.
§ Mr. Prescottasked the Secretary of State for Employment what public grants have been given to the Fort William underwater training centre for each of the years since its establishment.
§ Mr. Jim LesterI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the following MSC grants have been made available to the underwater training centre since its establishment:
Financial Year Amount £ 1975–76 979,305 1976–77 333,804 1977–78 85,057 1978–79 65,000 1979–80 104,000 1980–81 (to date) 11,543
§ Mr. Prescottasked the Secretary of State for Employment what role his Department has in the awarding of contracts for the Fort William underwater training centre; when they were issued; and if he will make a statement about its future use.
§ Mr. Jim LesterI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that, after consulting my Department and the Treasury, the MSC decided in 1975 to award the project management contract to Shenley Trust Limited. This was a248W five-year contract which expired in 1979 and was then placed with Shenley Trust Services Limited. Subsequent decisions concerning the commissioning of the deep diving system, and the leases and service agreement, were made by the project manager in 1975 with MSC agreement. The day-to-day running of the centre and any contractual arrangements this entails are decided by the project management whose operational plans and budgets are controlled by the MSC through its representation on the centre's board of control. Discussions with the industry on the future of the centre are continuing and I hope to be able to make a statement shortly.
§ Mr. Prescottasked the Secretary of State for Employment with which organisations he has had discussions about the future of the underwater training centre at Fort William.
§ Mr. Jim LesterBoth my Department and the Department of Energy have held discussions with the offshore industry about the future of the underwater training centre. These discussions have involved representatives of the Association of Offshore Diving Contractors, the United Kingdom Offshore Operators Association and other interested parties. In addition, the Manpower Services Commission has consulted a wide range of interests about the future of the centre.