§ Sir George YoungTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made in the privatisation of the Crown Suppliers.
§ Mr. ChopeIt is the Government's intention that the Crown Suppliers should be privatised in the first half of 347W 1990, and that parliamentary approval will be sought for the necessary arrangements for the transfer of the Crown Suppliers to the private sector. I expect to be able to launch a competition for the sale in the autumn.
We have taken a number of steps to move the Crown Suppliers towards a more commercial mode of operation, reorganising it on business lines, installing a new computer system and allowing it to begin to trade with the private sector. The board of the Crown Suppliers has recently been strengthened by the appointment of three non-executive members to add further private sector experience and particular skills in finance and marketing to the direction of the Crown Suppliers at a critical phase. They are Mr. Ralph Kaner, formerly international marketing director of Rowntree plc, Mr. David Pearl, chairman of London Securities plc, and Mr. Edward Stanger, formerly chairman of Ford and Weston Group plc.
Professional, technical and industrial grades will transfer to the purchaser by virtue of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 and benefit from the safeguards provided by them. However, in the particular circumstances of the Crown Suppliers' privatisation, consultations have been taking place with the trade unions about the details of a secondment scheme which I hope can be applied to the generalist staff of the Crown Suppliers, for whom we can expect to find alternative Civil Service posts if necessary.
Deloitte, Haskins and Sells has recently been appointed to act as reporting accountants for the sale, and Field. Fisher, Waterhouse as solicitors. They join Samuel Montagu and Co as the Government's advisers on the privatisation.