(Return tabled) Question No. 39 Mr. Nathan Cullen: With respect to the procurement of Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) by the government over the last five years: (a) how many SUVs were purchased or leased on an annual basis; (b) what was the total government expenditure for the purchase or lease of such vehicles, on an annual basis; (c) what amount was spent by each department or agency; (d) how much was spent annually by each department or agency in the National Capital Region; (e) what was the breakdown by province; (f) which companies received government contracts with respect to the purchase or leasing of SUVs and what was the ann ...[+++]ual combined total of all contracts awarded to each company; and (g) what was the amount spent, on an annual basis, on the overall procurement of vehicles by the government and of this amount, how much was spent, on an annual basis in dollars and percentage, on SUVs?

(c) "Supply contracts" are contracts other than those referred to in (b) having as their object the purchase, lease, rental or hire-purchase, with or without the option to buy, of products.

When food aid is deemed to be the most appropriate tool, local purchase (i.e. purchase in the country of operation) or, secondarily, regional food purchases (i.e. procuring from neighbouring countries) are favoured, so as to maximise acceptability of food products, protect or support local markets, and reduce transportation costs and delivery timeframes.

Here are the proposed requirements that the expanded Agreement on Procurement would place on municipalities: publish notices of proposed procurement; publish procurement policies and procedures; by depositing copies, notify the WTO of procurement policies; publish notices of contract awards; include evaluation criteria in bid documents; and publish information on reasons for sole-source procurement.

It was decided that the buying-in price for the qualities eligible for intervention would be the weighted average of the market prices in the Member States or regions where beef is bought in, plus 2.5 % of the intervention price ; however, the buying-in price cannot be less than the highest average market price in the Member States or regions where buying-in takes place.

The main points of the new arrangements are as follows: A. Public intervention (a) price fixing by tendering, (b) activation of buying-in for an eligible quality in a Member State where: - the Community market price falls short of 88% of the intervention price, - the Member State's market price falls short of 84% of the intervention price, (c) a ceiling on quantities to be bought in set at 200 000 t, barring exceptional conditions to be determined by the Commission or where there is a significant fall in market prices (see also p. 4 of this memo), (d) the possibility that half-carcases may be bought in rather than fore-quarters and hind- ...[+++]quarters, (e) the private storage option to be retained (1) COM(88)529 final (2) COM(87)410 final. - 2 - B. The premium (a) The calf premium to be discontinued, (b) the variable slaughter premium to be discontinued, (c) an increase from 25 to 40 ECU/head in the suckler cow premium, (d) 10 ECU/head (rather than 20 ECU/head) of the additional premium in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Greece to be chargeable to the EAGGF, (e) increase from 25 to 40 ECU/head in the special premium for male bovine animals, increase in the maximum number of animals per farm from 50 to 75, extension of the special premium to Italy and the United Kingdom.