HC Deb 03 June 1991 vol 192 c16W
Mr. Straw

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Blackburn of 22 May, on what date Mr. Revere received the commission; and what date it was discovered; on what date it was repaid; and what was the amount.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

As noted in the Department's appropriation accounts for 1989–90 and the Comptroller and Auditor General's report on those accounts, a deposit of £250,000 was paid by the Department to the City Technology College Trust on 20 June 1989 and the balance of £2.25 million was paid on 7 September 1989. On 8 December 1989 the CTC Trust informed the Department that, on subsequent checking of the invoices on 6 December, it had noted anomalies in the stamp duty bills and errors in the claim for legal costs. Further inquiries confirmed that South Weald Properties had purchased the site at a price of £2.3 million and transferred it to the trust for £2.5 million. After adjustments to reflect legal costs, a net recovery of £225,600 was remitted to the Department —£224,600 on 13 December 1989 and £999 on 14 June 1990.