§ Sir N. Cooper-Keyasked the Postmaster-General whether the contract for a feasibility study at London Airport placed by his Department with the Planning Research Corporation of Los Angeles involves the expenditure of foreign currency what consideration he gave to the British companies capable of carrying out this work and what criteria are applied to orders of this kind.
§ Mr. Edward ShortThe contract is for an independent evaluation of the computer hardware and software needed to meet the requirements of the London Airport Cargo Scheme as specified by the National Data Processing Service. It does not involve the expenditure of foreign currency. The criterion in all these cases is to obtain the best value for money. In accordance with our usual practice we gave very careful consideration to British consultancy firms, but came to the conclusion the Planning Research Corporation were exceptionally well qualified by experience to undertake the study. A British firm is associated with Planning Research Corporation in the study.