§ Mr. BowisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science, pursuant to his statement on the future of further education 21 March,Official Report, columns 432–448, whether local' authorities will be required to seek his consent for contracts exposed to competitive tendering arrangements under the Local Government Act 1988.
§ Mr. EggarNo. The application of compulsory competitive tendering to contracts affecting further education and sixth form colleges remains that described in DES circulars 7/88 and 9/88, copies of which are in the Library.