§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many contracts over £92,500 have been let by his Department in the 1988–89 financial year and in the current financial year to date; how many of these were(a) automatically renewed and (b) open to competition through advertisement throughout the European Community.
§ Mrs. RumboldThe number of contracts awarded by the Department and covered by the provisions of the EC supplies directive, for which the current threshold is £92,000, was three in the 1988–89 financial year and one in the current financial year to date. Of these, two were awarded following advertisement in theOfficial Journal of the European Communities and two were considered to be exempt from advertising and may have been awarded to the previous supplier.