§ Lord Lyellasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will make an announcement about the selection of contractors to carry out the garden and landscape maintenance work in the Royal Parks.
§ Baroness BlatchWe have selected the following contractors to carry out the garden and landscape maintenance work in the Royal Parks from 1st March 1992.
Royal Park Contractor St. James's Park and the Green Park Glendale Industries Ltd. Kensington Gardens and Brompton Cemetery Brophy PLC Hyde Park Serco Ltd. Regents Park and Primrose Hill Tyler Environmental Services Ltd. Richmond Park Glendale Industries Ltd. Bushy Park Glendale Industries Ltd. Greenwich Park Turfsoil Ltd. After careful consideration of the tenders and some post-tender negotiations we are satisfied that the successful contractors will be able to provide the quality of work which we require. To meet that requirement we have chosen not to accept the lowest tender in some cases. Although the contract specification lays down higher standards than are currently achieved in the Parks in some respects, the work will be carried out at less cost. Higher quality at lower cost is what this exercise is all about.
The successful contractors have started to conduct interviews with all staff currently employed in the parks who have applied for jobs with them. They will be required to employ apprentices in the parks who 35WA will receive their college training on a specially designed course with their tuition fees being paid for by the Department of the Environment.
In addition we have decided to transfer responsibility for much of the day to day management of the parks from the Marsham Street headquarters of the Department of the Environment to the superintendents in the parks. With contracting out the number of civil servants retained at headquarters committed to the scrutiny of the parks will be reduced from 35 to 12. We have decided that the parks should be run by a chief executive and have arranged to recruit one by open competition.