Mr. SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what assessment she has made of the proposals for the future administration of Apsley House by(a) English Heritage and (b) an independent trust; [107670]
(2) what the (a) rules, (b) content and (c) dates were of the competition between agencies for the future management of Apsley House. [107671]
§ Tessa JowellInitial expressions of interest in the future management of Apsley House were invited in "Government Opportunities" on 15 March 2002, for which a closing date of 12 April 2002 was set. English Heritage and the Wellington Museum Trust expressed interest and both were subsequently invited on 11 October 2002 to satisfy a number of pre-qualification criteria by 15 November 2002.
A tender evaluation panel with independent external expertise considered the responses from both parties in December 2002. My Department has been in detailed 349W discussions with them since then, and a final decision will be taken soon on the shape of future management arrangements.