§ Mr. Kirkwoodasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any plans to introduce legislation to oblige local authorities to put out to tender to private companies any of their social services provisions; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe consultation paper on competition in the provision of local authority services issued on 14 February 1985 by my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment, for Scotland and for Wales, recognised the need to provide in the proposed legislation for certain social services activities to be exempted. There has been no change in this view.