§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the President of the Board of Trade when his Department was first approached under aid and trade provisions for support for the Pergau dam; by which firm he was approached; and if he will set out, the dates of each step in the main sequence of events in his Department's consideration of the application.
§ Mr. NeedhamAccording to DTI records, DTI officials were in frequent discussions during the summer of 1988 with Balfour Beatty and GEC about the Ulu Jelai hydro-electric project, which these two companies had formed a consortium to pursue, and for which they had applied for ATP in July 1988. On 20 September representatives of these companies expressed to DTI officials their interest in Pergau and GEC indicated that it was intending to apply for ATP for that project, rather than for Ulu Jelai. Subsequently a formal application for ATP dated 11 November was submitted by Balfour Beatty on behalf of the United Kingdom consortium. The industrial and commercial benefits that ATP support would bring to the United Kingdom were then assessed by DTI officials. Following approval by the then Minister for Trade on 20 January the ATP case paper was circulated to other Government Departments for consideration on 24 January 1989.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the dates and give the actual changes that occurred in the costs of the Pergau dam project and the detailed reasons that were given for the changes in costs.
§ Mr. NeedhamA formal ATP application with a contract value of £315 million was lodged by Balfour Beatty on behalf of the United Kingdom consortium on 11 November 1988. On 3 March 1989 the United Kingdom consortium submitted a revised price of £316 million broken down by its various elements. No reason was given for the increase but it was known that the United Kingdom consortium had been working on its price since November 1988. Information on the further price rises to £397 million and £417 million respectively is contained in the National Audit Office report on the Pergau hydro-electric project, dated 22 October 1993. Copies of this are available in the Library of the House.