Highways Agency - Safe roads, Reliable journeys, Informed travellers

2000

Question 21/7/2000 - Matthew Taylor (Liberal democrat, Truro and St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the estimated rate of return on capital is to the contractors under the PFI contracts for roads.

Answer - Keith Hill (Labour, Streatham): The internal rates of return for the eight trunk road DBFO projects in England were estimated at the time of contract award to lie between 9.5 and 13.9 per cent.

Question 28/7/2000 - Matthew Taylor (Liberal democrat, Truro and St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 21 July 2000 on PFI, if he will list the rate of return for each of the eight trunk road DBFO projects; and if he will make a statement.

Answer - Keith Hill (Labour, Streatham): No. This information is commercially confidential.

Question 30/11/00 - Nigel Waterson (Conservative, Eastbourne): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much compensation has been agreed for contractors in respect of the postponement of the original Polegate Bypass project.

Answer - Keith Hill (Labour, Streatham): I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Tim Matthews, to write to the honourable member.

Letter from Tim Matthews to Nigel Waterson, dated 30 November 2000:

The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Keith Hill, has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the original Polegate Bypass.

When my predecessor wrote to you on 11 November last year, interim on account payments totalling £5 million (including VAT) had been paid to those who submitted tenders for the cancelled Weald and Downlard DBFO project. This included the Polegate Bypass scheme, among others. Since then, a further £51,000 has been paid following the receipt of additional supporting evidence provided by the claimants.