HC Deb 28 June 1990 vol 175 cc298-9W
Mr. Michael

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give full details of the requirements he has placed on district health authorities in Wales in respect of drawing up a register of their capital assets.

Mr. Grist

District health authorities in Wales were asked to compile capital asset registers by 31 March 1990. The registers contain details of those assets managed or owned by each authority, including land and buildings, which individually have a value of £1,000 or above or in the case of groups of related assets with individual values of less than £1,000 exceed £250 and are collectively worth more than £1,000. The format of asset registers has not been prescribed but they should contain as a minimum:

  1. 1. Asset identification and description.
  2. 2. Asset location.
  3. 3. Date of acquisition.
  4. 4. Method of acquisition.
  5. 5. Initial capital expenditure.
  6. 6. Expected replacement cost.
  7. 7. Expected date of replacement (or end of life).

Authorities may, however, wish to include additional information for their own asset management purposes. A comprehensive asset register will enable managers to undertake effective management and utilisation of capital assets as well as providing the basis for capital charging.

No standard computerised recording system has been prescribed for maintaining and updating asset registers, but most authorities in Wales are using variants of the works information and management system—WIMS.