The Government have stated their intention to realise £16 billion in asset disposals over the period 2011-14 and will publish further details of opportunities to commercialise business assets in the coming weeks.
One of this Department's key investment strategies during the 2004 Spending Review period was to reduce asset ownership and to contract for key services. The successful implementation of that strategy resulted in a greatly reduced asset base.
The DWP does not own any land or property. Asset transfer has already been completed through a PFI contract known as PRIME, returning exchequer receipts of £250m in 1998 and £100 million in 2003 when the Department outsourced its estate. This arrangement covers the majority of property occupied by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (a Crown non-departmental public body). There is currently no intention to sell any of the Commission's assets during the years in question.
Planned asset sales for the Health and Safety Executive (a Crown non-departmental public body) are outlined in the following table:
2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 NBV Sales NBV Sales NBV Sales NBV Sales NBV Sales Vehicles1 235 262 362 362 347 347 277 277 362 362 Land2 5 1 10 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Vehicle sales are mainly related to the Health and Safety Executive's Private User Scheme which provides vehicles on a three year contract for staff travelling in excess of 5,000 business miles per annum on a shared cost basis and will occur over the course of the year as individual vehicles are replaced. 2 The land transactions relate to some very minor works at the Health and Safety Laboratory in Buxton mainly around improving access to the site. The timing of these transactions depends on a number of factors but should take place by March 2010 and April 2010 respectively.
The DWP disposed of the majority of its vehicle fleet in August 2007. The Department's IS/IT and telephony requirements were outsourced to EDS (now part of Hewlett Packard) and BT in 2005.
Leasehold improvements to Jobcentre Plus sites are classed as assets but cannot be disposed of independently so the impact on value is negligible, as the assets themselves (the buildings) are not owned by the Department.