§ Mr. Hastingsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he intends to take to ensure that the direct labour departments of local authorities compete on the same basis as outside contractors.
§ Mr. FreesonI propose that there should be powers enabling regulations to be made prescribing the arrangements under which local authority direct labour organisations may be awarded work.
§ Mr. Hastingsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he intends to take to ensure that direct labour departments are fully and openly accountable to ratepayers.
§ Mr. FreesonLocal authorities are already fully accountable in relation to the activities of their direct labour organisations, and their accounts are subject to audit and open to inspection. To enable the financial effects of these activities to be more easily identified I propose to require the details to be kept in separate accounts.
§ Mr. Hastingsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will ensure that genuinely independent inspection of work is carried out so that the results of direct labour operations are judged by the same standards as those of outside contractors.
§ Mr. FreesonThe inspection of work carried out by local authority direct 43W labour organisations is one of the matters I am considering in relation to the operation of these organisations.
§ Mr. Michael Morrisasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the passenger transport executives which employ direct labour departments, giving in each case the number of manual and non-manual staff employed.
§ Mr. William RodgersI have been asked to reply.
I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave to him today.