§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Prime Minister if she will list all privatisations that have taken place in the National Health Service, showing the number of people employed in each at the time of transfer of the work involved to the private sector; if she will give such information as she has as to similar privatisations by local authorities; and if she will give the total of all people employed in the private sector following privatisations, including the privatisations referred to in her answer of 16 January, Official Report, column 5.
§ The Prime MinisterThere are no plans to transfer responsibility for any part of the National Health Service to the private sector, and therefore no privatisation as such. All health authorities have been asked to test the cost effectiveness of their support services by putting them to competitive tender, including in-house tenders. Authorities will be able to use savings made to increase the amount and quality of patient care that they can provide. Detailed information on the number of contracts let and the people employed at the time work is transferred is not held centrally.
No systematic information is collected centrally about the extent of contracting out by local authorities, but up-to-date information on such matters will be found in such publications as "Contract Services" and "Public Services Review". No information is available on the manpower aspects.
The number of persons employed at the time of the privatisation of major non-civil service bodies, was 134,509. In addition 11,646 civil service jobs have been transferred to the private sector through privatisation and contracting out. Current employment in companies which have been privatised is a matter for the individual managements.