§ Mr. HawkinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimates he has made of the savings at current prices achieved in each year since the introduction of compulsory competitive tendering for local government services as a result of such tendering. [11303]
§ Mr. RaynsfordResearch commissioned by the Department has looked at both the financial and service quality impact of CCT on blue-collar services covered by the Local Government Act 1988. This has shown average annual savings on contract prices of blue-collar services of 6 per cent. for the first round of tendering under the Act, and 9 per cent. for the second round. It also shows that the savings have been accompanied by only minor improvements in service standards, and that more attention needs to be given to the development of local performance indicators.
Other research, commissioned outside the Department, suggests a wide variation on estimates of savings depending upon the way in which social costs and benefits are treated.