§ Baroness Blackstoneasked Her Majesty's Government:
(i) How much was the budget for the Know How Fund in (a) Russia (b) Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and (c) the rest of Central and Eastern Europe in 1992–93 and 1993–94; (ii) how much of this budget in each area was spent in 1992–93 and has been spent so far in 1993–94; and (iii) what is the average length of time between completion of a project memorandum and its approval and the signing of contracts for Know How funding in (a) Russia (b) Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia and (c) the rest of Central and Eastern Europe.
§ Baroness Chalker of WallaseyThe disbursements for the Know How Fund in 1992–93 were as follows:
£ '000 Russia 11,201 Hungary 5,741 Poland 10,553 The former Czechoslovakia 7,093 The rest of Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltic States and the former Soviet Union 12,661 The expenditure provision figure for the Know How Fund for 1993–94 is £ 63.086 million. Disbursement figures will not be known accurately until after the end of the Financial Year. Many projects are underway and payments will be processed during March. It is not our normal practice to release details of planned allocations for individual countries.
An average figure for the length of time between project approval and signing of contracts would be 92WA misleading. The interval varies widely depending on a range of factors including the type of contract, its complexity, and the responsiveness of the contractor during negotiations.