§ Mrs. EllmanTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what evidence was shown to English Partnerships to substantiate the claim by the Walton Group that they had paid their wholly owned subsidiary Todd and Benn Contractors £23,705,511 in relation to Exchange Flags in Liverpool; [138920]
(2) when the Walton Group presented the certificate to English Partnerships certifying that they had refurbished Exchange Flags in Liverpool; what work was specified in that certificate; and what the (a) names and (b) qualifications were of the persons who signed the certificate. [138921]
§ Keith HillUnder the terms of the City Grant Agreement dated 31 July 1992 between the Walton Group and the Secretary of State, each quarterly grant claim submitted by Walton Group was accompanied by a letter from an external auditor and were based on a valuation certificate given by an external Chartered Quantity Surveyor.
The auditor's letters certified that the Walton Group had maintained adequate records and received no other public sector support for the project, and that the claims were in accordance with the City Grant Agreement and Walton Group had defrayed expenditure to cover the qualifying costs incurred.
The last such claim submitted covered the quarter ending 31 May 1994. The accompanying auditor's letter certified that the Walton Group had defrayed expenditure to cover qualifying costs amounting to £23,705,511. It also listed various works that had been undertaken.
I will write to my hon. Friend with further details of this.