NAO and PAC

HC Deb 06 December 1993 vol 234 cc1-2W

Mr. Alan Williams

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many files marked "Not for National Audit Office eyes" are held by the Department; and how many are marked "Not for Public Accounts Committee eyes".

Mr. Sproat

My Department, which was established in April 1992, has not yet reviewed the full range of files inherited from former parent Departments and it is not possible to give a figure for those bearing a marking "Not for NAO eyes". Since April 1992 DNH has opened a very small number of new files with this marking.

The marking "Not for NAO eyes" is used in accordance with an agreement between the Treasury and the National Audit Office, under which documents relating to the handling of relations between Departments and the NAO and PAC are not automatically available to the NAO while they are current.

There is no marking "Nor for PAC eyes".