§ Mr. BettsTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how much capital expenditure is forecast to be included in the private finance initiative for the current financial year and the next five financial years; [3834]
(2) if he will list for each scheme so far agreed under the private finance initiative (a) capital and (b) revenue costs to public funds (i) under the PFI and (ii) estimated to have been incurred had the scheme been funded wholly within the public sector. [3808]
§ Mr. WattsThe amounts and timing of capital expenditure on PFI projects are subject to competition. Our current estimate for 1995–96 is around £330 million; estimates for the next three years are given in the "Financial Statement and Budget Report" 1996–97; no estimate of such capital expenditure has been made beyond the survey years.
As to public sector contributions to PFI transport schemes, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answers I gave to him on 28 June at column 262 and 7 November at column 265. Financial details of individual schemes, including the level of on-going revenue payments from the public sector to the private sector over the contract period, are commercially confidential. The Department applies a value-for-money test to all its procurement decisions, including procurement under the private finance initiative.