§ 5. Mr. Boydenasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will make a statement on the results achieved by Circular 79 of 1967 advising local authorities on the shortcomings of open tendering.
§ Mr. FreesonThere has been a marked reduction in open competitive tendering since selective tendering was commended to authorities in 1964, and this has continued since the issue of Circular 79/67. By the second quarter of 1969 the proportion of dwellings covered by schemes placed in open competition was only 12.7 per cent.
§ Mr. BoydenWill my hon. Friend say how many local authorities are inhibited by their standing orders from undertaking tenders not in open competition?
§ Mr. FreesonThat information is not available to me, but I hope that the influence of the circular will continue and that the local authorities which are not operating this policy will increasingly switch over to what we have commended to them.