§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) how many British companies tendered for the contract to clean British Heritage sites; [15891]
681W(2) what criteria were used in deciding which company should be awarded the contract for cleaning British Heritage sites; [15892]
(3) what is her Department's policy in respect of awarding contracts to foreign companies; [15894]
(4) to what extent the decision to award the contract to clean British Heritage sites to a French company was based on price considerations. [15890]
§ Mr. SproatThe hon. Member's questions appear to refer to the sale by English Heritage of its direct labour conservation and maintenance organisation, Historic Property Restoration—HPR. The proposal to privatise HPR was set out in the forward strategy published by English Heritage in 1992. This proposal to privatise was prompted by changes in the geographic pattern of HPR's workload. Direct employment cannot provide the required flexibility. In accordance with our obligations as a member of the European Union, the sale of HPR was advertised in theOfficial Journal of the European Communities. Five shortlisted companies were invited to tender. Only two did so—one British owned, one French owned. The tender submitted by the British-owned company was significantly less financially favourable than the tender from the French-owned company.
HPR has a work force skilled in building conservation which, in the private sector, will be able to bid for work from which it is statutorily excluded as a part of English Heritage. This will give the work force improved employment prospects. It is the intention to transfer staff under Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 provisions.