HC Deb 20 July 2001 vol 372 cc607-8W
Mr. Laws

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the economic penalties imposed on private sector firms in each of the last five years for failures to deliver in relation to key performance indicators in projects involving the private finance initiative; and if she will make a statement. [5727]

Ms Hewitt

In the past five years, no penalties have been imposed on private sector firms for failure to deliver in relation to key performance indicators in projects involving the private finance initiative.

Mr. Laws

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many PFI transactions have been overseen by her Department in each of the last 10 years; what her estimate is of the cost savings made in each of these transactions in comparison with the public sector alternative; what are the outstanding payments to be made in relation to these transactions for each of the next 15 years; and if she will make a statement. [5726]

Ms Hewitt

The Department of Trade and Industry has overseen six PFI projects in the last 10 years as follows:

  • The ELGAR IT Project;
  • The Radiocommunications Agency's Strategic IT Partnership;
  • The Rebuilding of the National Physical Laboratory at Teddington;
  • The Coal Authority's Data Project;
  • OST/EPSRC High Speed Computing Project; and the
  • OST/NERC Antarctic Supply Vessel.

RDA Board members
One NorthEast None
North West Development Agency Lord Terry Thomas of Macclesfield has announced his intention to retire from the board in March 2002
Yorkshire Forward Paul Shepherd resigned in 1999 and Sir Gareth Roberts resigned in 2002
Advantage West Midlands Edward Roberts CBE resigned in 2000 and Councillor Mike Bird resigned on 14 May 2001
East Midlands Development Agency None
East of England Development Agency Sal Brinton resigned on 7 June 2001, Peter Dawe announced on 12 July 2001 his intention to resign
London Development Agency None
SEEDA None
South West of England RDA Ewan Cameron resigned in 1999

The London Development Agency was established in 2000 and is the responsibility of the Mayor of London. Appointments to its board are made by him.

The devolved Administrations are responsible for development agencies outside England (e.g. Scottish Enterprise, Welsh Development Agency).

Mr. Gareth R. Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action each regional development agency is taking to encourage the growth of credit unions in their region. [5991]

Alan Johnson

I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible and place a copy of that letter in the Libraries of the House.

The estimated cost savings made in each of these transactions over the public sector alternative are as follows:

  • The Elgar IT Project: £20.5 million;
  • The Radiocommunications Agency's Strategic Partnership: Between £4.9 million and £8.00 million;
  • The Rebuilding of the National Physical Laboratory at Teddington: £4.3 million;
  • The Coal Authority's Data Project: Information not centrally available;
  • OST/EPSRC High Speed Computing Project: £13 million; and
  • OST/NERC Antarctic Supply Vessel: £4 million.

Published guidance on Public Sector Comparators notes that: Accounting Officers should not rely solely on a straight comparison of a PSC bid to its PSC, which should never be regarded as a pass/fail test but instead as a quantitative way of informing judgment.

(Treasury Taskforce Technical Note No. 5: How to construct a public sector comparator).

As agreed with the National Audit Office, payments to Contractors under PFI contracts are commercially confidential. Aggregate figures of estimated payments under all PH contracts for the years 2000–01 to 2025–26 were published in Table C18 of the Budget 2001 "Red Book".