§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what system his Department normally uses to distribute literature, including leaflets, application forms etc.; on what basis he decided to retain the services of Curzon Marketing to distribute housing benefit application forms; whether he has retained private firms in the past five years to perform similar services; and which other services he plans to contract out to private companies.
§ Mr. PortilloThe Department uses a variety of outlets in distributing its leaflets. These include social security offices, citizen's advice bureaux, the Post Office, local authorities, hospitals and doctors and dental surgeries as well as the Department's leaflet unit at Stanmore, Middlesex and commercial mailing contractors.
The Department may use an outside mailing contractor where large amounts of material need to be sent out quickly. The Department was satisfied that Curzon had the facilities to do the work at very short notice within the time required.
Seventeen different mailing contractors have been employed to undertake this type of work since 1986.
The Department is committed to a policy of securing value for money. It keeps the costs of all its services under regular review.
§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many contracts have been awarded by his Department, in each of the last five years, to Curzon Marketing; how many firms tendered for the contract for distributing application forms for help with housing benefit; whether the tenders submitted by Curzon 779W Marketing was the lowest submitted; and if he will place a copy of the contract awarded to Curzon Marketing in the Library.
§ Mr. PortilloContracts with Curzon Marketing have been awarded through the COI and through the Department. The number of contracts awarded to Curzon Marketing in each of the last five years is:
Year Number 1988–89 2 contracts 1987–88 7 contracts 1986–87 5 contracts 1985–86 1 contract 1984–85 0 contracts For the housing benefit campaign Curzon Marketing were approached to see if it could handle the distribution at very short notice as an addition to work it was already doing for the Department. The extra work was not separately tendered because it was urgent. It is not departmental practice to give information which is commercially confidential, and the contract cannot therefore be placed in the Library.
§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many application forms necessary for those claiming help over housing benefit loss have been issued to date by Curzon Marketing.
§ Mr. PortilloUp to 1 July, 800,000 copies of leaflet RR4 "Housing Benefit—New Rules" containing application forms have been sent out by Curzon Marketing.