§ 77. Mr. Callaghanasked the Minister of Transport what tenders were submitted for the supply of ancillary wire ropes for the Severn Bridge; what recommendations on the award of the contract was made to him by the consulting engineers; and if it was on his decision that the tender was awarded to an Edinburgh firm.
§ Mr. MarplesThree tenders, identical in price, were submitted. No recommendation was made by the consulting engineers that the order for the ropes, other than the suspender ropes, should be awarded to a particular firm. The answer to the last part of the Question is "Yes, Sir".
§ 78. Mr. Callaghanasked the Minister of Transport why he placed the contract for the supply of ancillary wire ropes for the Severn Bridge with an Edinburgh firm, in view of the facts that unemployment is at a higher level in Cardiff and that a competitive tender was submitted by a Cardiff firm.
§ Mr. MarplesThere being nothing to choose between the three tenders on grounds of price or technical merit, I decided, in view of the level of unemployment in Scotland as a whole, that the order should be placed there.