§ Mr. Tony LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the effects of the acquired rights directive on(a) services which his Departments contracts out and(b)services which he plans to contract out in the future; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GoodladThe Foreign and Commonwealth Office is fully aware of its obligation to take account of the effects of the Transfer of Undertaking (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 (TUPE), the British law based on the acquired rights directive, and of the directive itself, when contracting out any services, but the detailed implications have to be assessed in each particular case; it is not possible to generalise.