§ Mr. John Wattsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the value of contracts placed by his Department with small businesses in each of the financial years since 1978–79; and what percentage of total expenditure on purchase of goods and services those amounts represented.
§ Sir George YoungFurther to my reply of 18 April at column509, I regret that the Department does not keep records in the way requested. In 1984–85 PSA spent £682 million on maintenance work, a large part of which will have been carried out by small local firms, and £968 million on new construction, for which tender lists are weighted in favour of local firms for the smaller contracts. Such firms will also often act as subcontractors on the larger contracts. In the same year, The Crown Suppliers purchased approximately £180 million of goods and services, excluding fuel, of which approximately 15 per cent. was thought to have been awarded to contractors employing fewer than 100 people.