§ Mr. Georgeasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many private security firms are employed by his Department or bodies associated with his Department; how many personnel are employed, at which locations, on what responsibilities and duties, and at what annual cost; what have been the comparable figures for each of the last three years; and what estimates he has made as to the likely figures for 1984.
§ Mr. YoungerIt is Government policy to contract out security guarding on non-sensitive sites when this is cost effective and makes good management sense. The information requested in respect of bodies associated with my Department is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. For the Scottish Office, Scottish Record Office, General Register Office for Scotland and the Departmen of the Registers of Scotland three private firms are employed with 15 persons, located at Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Greenock. The annual cost of these services is as follows:
£ 1980–81 93,071 1981–82 107,276 1982–83 117,251 1983–84 *124,322 1984–85 *127,152 * Estimated The work undertaken includes physical security of property and ships and the transit of cash.