§ Barbara FollettTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to update the National Asset Register. [6186]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithAn updated and improved National Asset Register has today been laid before Parliament, providing for the first time a comprehensive list and valuation of all assets owned by central Government Departments, their executive agencies and 385W sponsored bodies and the devolved Administrations. Copies of the register are available in the Vote Office and the Libraries of both Houses; it can also be accessed on the internet at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk.
The total value of the assets listed in the register was £274 billion at the end of 1999–2000. The register is a useful tool in the management of these public assets and details changes in asset holdings since 1997. It shows that in 1999–2000 alone £1.3 billion worth of surplus assets were disposed of, unlocking resources that can be used more productively elsewhere.