HC Deb 01 March 2004 vol 418 cc637-9W
Sue Doughty

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he, will make a statement on the management agreement and associated fees between Actis and CDC. [156399]

Hilary Benn

The management agreement will be a five year commercial contract between CDC Group plc and Actis. The contract will set out the amounts that CDC shall commit to each of Actis's regional and sectoral funds, the minimum service levels that Actis shall provide (for example in terms of overseas office coverage), the management fees to be charged and all the detailed provisions necessary to this complex transaction.

Actis's management fees will be determined as a percentage of the capital committed to each of the new funds that it is establishing. The percentages will vary from fund to fund, depending on the management services to be provided and the market norms (where these exist). The total sum of the management fees has been calculated to equate to the anticipated total operating costs of Actis on an approximately breakeven basis over the first five years. The CDC Board has taken independent expert advice on the fee levels appropriate in the circumstances.

Sue Doughty

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the(a) valuation and (b) organisational arrangements of Actis. [156401]

Hilary Benn

Actis will be a limited liability partnership between its management and staff, and the Government. Management and staff will have a 60 per cent. controlling interest, providing independence of ownership and investment decision taking. However, under clawback arrangements, over the first 10 years 80 per cent. of any profits and proceeds from a sale of Actis would accrue to the Government.

The board of CDC Group plc has an obligation to obtain full value for the sale of any part of CDC. The Independent Committee of the CDC board instructed KPMG to value the new company, as well as the interest to be acquired by management and staff.

Taking into account the clawback arrangements and other obligations to Government, KPMG's opinion was that the market value of the 60 per cent. interest in Actis to be sold to management and staff was some £338,000 to £408,000. The Independent Committee recommended that management and staff should pay £373,000, the midpoint figure, which I have accepted. The Shareholder Executive and our financial advisers have endorsed the valuation process and the NAO has been kept informed about this and other aspects of the CDC reorganisation.

Actis will have a supervisory board, and the Government will retain the right to veto on the choice of chairman and two non-executive directors. Corporate governance arrangements will be in accordance with best practice for a public limited company. The other details of the organisation of Actis will be set down in the Partnership Agreement.

Gregory Barker

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much is being spent on the refurbishment of the office space of(a) CDC and (b) Actis; and how much is being spent on office space used by the chief executive of each. [157841]

Hilary Benn

Expenditure over the last four months on the preparation of new offices for CDC and Actis is estimated at £0.5 million and £4.9 million respectively. CDC, which now has a staff complement of about 20, moved to their new office in February. Actis, who employ some 150 staff in their UK headquarters, will move later this month.

The offices of the chief executives were part of the overall refurbishment work and were not separately costed.

Gregory Barker

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost of corporate entertaining by CDC was for the last seven years; and what the budget for corporate entertainment by(a) CDC and (b) Actis is for the next three years. [157842]

Hilary Benn

The information requested is not immediately available and will be provided shortly.

Gregory Barker

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the projected new investment in sub–Saharan Africa by CDC and Actis is in the next three years. [157843]

Hilary Benn

CDC is required by the Investment Policy to make 50 per cent. of its new investments in sub–Saharan Africa and South Asia. Under the management contract, CDC will be committing $250 million to Actis's Africa Fund 1 to be drawn–down for investment over the period to 2006. A further $100 million will be committed to the fund for 2005. Actis will launch an Africa Fund 2 in 2006 to which it is intended that CDC will commit $320 million alongside $160 million to be raised from third party investors.

In addition, some of the capital that CDC has committed to the Actis Power Fund and the Small and Medium Sized Enterprise (SME) Funds will also be invested in sub-Saharan Africa.

Gregory Barker

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the(a) salary and (b) bonus and options payments of the 12 highest paid employees of (a) CDC and (b) Actis will be in 2004. [157844]

Hilary Benn

Decisions on the 2004 salary and bonus levels for both CDC and Actis will be the responsibility of the Remuneration Committees of their respective boards, working within guidelines agreed with the Government.

Bonus payments are dependent on performance, both that of the individual and of the company. It has been agreed that total remuneration for achieving Business Plan targets should move towards the 60th percentile of the nearest equivalent industries.

Gregory Barker

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the(a) length and (b) terms of the contracts of the directors of Actis are. [157845]

Hilary Benn

These matter have not yet been finalised, but will follow best practice for corporate governance.