§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 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; and how many of these were(a) automatically renewed and (b) open to competition by advertisement throughout the European Community.
823W
§ Mr. CopeThe number of contracts awarded by Northern Ireland Departments and covered by the provisions of the EC supplies directive, for which the current threshold is £92,000, was 23 in the 1988–89 financial year and 26 in the current financial year to date. Of these 11 were awarded following advertisement in the EC journal and 38 were considered to be exempt from advertising and may have been awarded to the previous supplier.