§ Mr. RowlandsTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to her answer of 25 February,Official Report, column 494, about overriding the 120W accounting officer's objections, what were the circumstances concerned, the amount of public money involved, and in what way the Public Accounts Committee and hon. Members were informed.
§ Mr. JackThe Minister overruled the accounting officer's advice in February 1992 on a question of the location of the Ministry's divisional offices. The sum of public money involved was of the order of £70,000 per annum. This was a question of value for money, rather than of propriety or regularity, and it is standard Government procedure that such accounting officer memoranda are not automatically drawn to the attention of the Public Accounts Committee nor to that of the National Audit Office, unless they are conducting any relevant inquiry.