§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish estimates on the likely job losses or gains in the National Health Service that would result in(a) Wales and (b) the areas covered by the valleys initiative if the Government privatisation proposals are fully implemented.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerNo such estimates are available. District health authorities in Wales have been encouraged to introduce competitive tendering for certain ancillary services. This, however, is not a policy of privatisation. The object is to compare the efficiency of in-house teams with that of private contractors. Authorities are asked to place contracts with whoever provides the lowest acceptable tender. To date, most tenders have remained in-house.