§ Mr. Marplesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what committee exists within his Department to coordinate procurement policies; what is its composition and terms of reference; and how often it meets.
§ Mr. CrossmanStores procurement policy is the responsibility of one branch and no standing committee is required.
§ Mr. Marplesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether manuals of procurement instructions and regulations are provided for procurement officers in his Department; and what arrangements are made to ensure compliance.
§ Mr. CrossmanInstructions giving procedures for the procurement of stores have been issued for use by all procurement officers. They are supplemented from time to time as required. A comprehensive manual of instructions is being prepared. Compliance is exercised through normal Departmental discipline.
§ Mr. Marplesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of procurement staff in his Department are late entrants into the Civil Service with more than one year's previous commercial experience of procurement.
§ Mr. CrossmanA few professional and technical staff fall within this category, otherwise none.
§ Mr. Marplesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the salaries of the most senior officer with full-time responsibility for procurement, and of those reporting directly to him.
§ Mr. CrossmanMost senior officers in my Department's Supply Division have 221W responsibilities extending beyond procurement but those largely so occupied are on scales rising to £4,950 and £4,000.
§ Mr. Marplesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average length of service in the procurement function of staff currently allotted to it.
§ Mr. CrossmanThe average length of service is seven years for the lay staff and 10 years for the professional and technical staff.
§ Mr. Marplesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services to what extent the same organisation and staff of his Department is required to handle negotiated procurement and competitive tendering; and what proportion of staff is allocated to each.
Administrative Staff Executive Staff Clerical Staff Professional and Technical Staff Hospital Supply Branch … … — 51 39 — Disablement Services Branch … … — 55 83 — Policy and Prices Branch … … 1 5 5 — Production Authority and Research Branch … 1 6 6 — Scientific and Technical Branch … … — — — 190 Because of extensive re-organisation it is not possible to give comparable figures for previous years.
§ Mr. Marplesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services to which professional institutes and institutions procurement staff belong; and how many of the staff belong to each of these professional bodies.
§ Mr. CrossmanFive members of the lay staff belong to the Institution of Purchasing and Supply; the technical staff generally belong to the appropriate professional bodies, e.g. the Institution of Electrical Engineers or the Pharmaceutical Society.