§ Mr. Michael Brownasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will be holding consultations with organisations representing widows and retirement pensioners prior to making his Budget statement.
§ Mr. Peter ReesI have no immediate plan to consult with widows and pensioners' organizations. I have received
198WPeople. As a result of this, revised guidance was issued to departmental purchasing officers in April this year. It has not been the practice to publish guidance of this sort since it is for internal use. As the hon. Gentleman knows, the basic aim of the priority suppliers scheme is to provide sheltered workshops with a fair opportunity to secure suitable Government orders. The latest guidance lays greater emphasis on the desirability of increasing the amount of work available on long-run contracts.