§ Mr. John Marshallasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authorities have invited tenders for the following services (a) street cleansing, (b) refuse collection, (c) the provision of school meals; and what information he has on the outside tenders compared with those from in house direct labour organisations.
§ Mr. ChopeThe Department does not collect systematic data on these matters but much useful information can be found in the annual surveys of contracting out which have appeared in "Local Government Chronicle"; and in the newsletter "Public Service Review" published by the Public Service Research Centre.