§ Sir Hector MonroTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will provide a timetable for the implementation of competitive tendering procedures for individual local government services in the phasing programme.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonMy right hon. and learned Friend has now considered the responses to the consultation paper on implementation of competition for Scottish local authority services issued in November. He has decided to confirm the proposal of a phased introduction of competition by local authorities with authorities split into groups and each group taking the activities covered by the Act in a different order. The groups of authorities will be the same as set out in the consultation paper. The date by which authorities will have had to have exposed their first activities to competition will be set at 1 August 1989, to allow adequate time for all stages of the competitive process to be completed.
Two other changes to the implementation proposals have been made which will help ensure efficient implementation of the competition process. These take account of the fact that a decision on the possibility of adding sport and leisure management to the list of defined activities has not yet been taken, and therefore, if this activity is added by order, some delay in implementing competition for it is inevitable.
My right hon. and learned Friend has decided to confirm the £100,000 de minimis level below which authorities' services would be exempt from competition. He has considered very carefully the position of the islands councils, but has concluded that no form of exemption is to be given to them at this stage. Their position will, however, be carefully monitored through a research project which will evaluate the effect of competition.
These decisions are described fully in letters which are today being sent to all affected authorities and other bodies covered by part I of the Act and copies of which have been placed in the Library.