§ 10. Mr. Lawrenceasked the Secretary of State for Employment what progress has been made in the privatisation of the Professional and Executive Recruitment Service.
§ Mr. WaddingtonThe Manpower Services Commission will be moving Professional and Executive Recruitment on to a fully commercial basis from April next year.
§ Mr. LawrenceI thank my hon. and learned Friend for that most encouraging answer. What cost will be spared to the public sector by this privatisation, which, incidentally, will remove an area of unfair competition from the private sector?
§ Mr. WaddingtonI should make it plain that this first step is not privatisation. PER will be put on a fully commercial basis and will therefore cover its own cost, which means a saving of £5 million. We shall be better able to see the scope for privatisation when we have seen how able it is to operate on a commercial basis.
§ Mr. Philip HollandI welcome the progress currently being made. Does my hon. and learned Friend have it in mind to remove further functions from that outsized quango, the Manpower Services Commission?
§ Mr. WaddingtonThat goes very wide of the question that I am currently answering. I think that I would be wise to stick to PER.