§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment further to his reply of 14 December 1989,Official Report, column 751, if he will name the seven accountancy firms engaged by his Department; what payments were made to them in 1988 and 1989; and what factors are taken into account in assessing firms' suitability to provide advice.
Mr. PattenThe seven accounting firms engaged by my Department during 1989–90 were, Spicer and Oppenheim, Price Waterhouse, Coopers and Lybrand, Deloitte Haskins and Sells, Peat, Marwick, McLintock, Touche Ross and Paul Anthony. It is not our policy to comment on aspects of individual contracts. As far as the suitability of these firms to provide advice, I can do no better than refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 December 1989.