§ Mr. James Hillasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will reconsider the policy of requiring all public sector and local authorities to seek tenders from the construction industry on a firm price basis regardless of the duration of the building contract.
§ Mr. AmeryThe pre-requisites for a firm price tender are that the project should be thoroughly preplanned and the construction period no more than two years. I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of my statement of 17th March, 1971, to the National Consultative Council for the Building and Civil Engineering Industries. In this I explained why the Government decided to retain the firm price tendering policy but offered to re32W view the situation if circumstances showed this to be necessary. I have nothing to add to this statement.