§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff who have in the past been employed in the market testing unit at the Home Office and who were involved in the commissioning of the Coopers and Lybrand study of 1992 into businesses suitable for market testing now work for Coopers and Lybrand; and when those appointments were referred to the Permanent Secretary.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeWe are aware of only one, whose appointment was referred under the normal procedures to my right hon. and learned Friend in October 1992. The civil service cannot apply blanket bans of the subsequent620W employment of people who leave the civil service but if the hon. Member is seeking to imply that there was anything irregular or unusual in this case I strongly refute that implication.
§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration he has given since 3 February to whether the 1993–94 market testing programme should continue in its originally planned form.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeA provisional Home Office market testing programme for 1993–94 has been drawn up. Once the details have been finalised, we will make an announcement in the summer.
§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the provisional market testing list for the period September 1993 to March 1995; and what is the current annual cost of each function.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeNo. I intend to announce in the summer the Home Office programme for the period October 1993 to September 1994.
§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps will be taken to ensure that operation and financial matters of any function will remain accountable to Parliament in the event of the contracting out of any Home Office function during the market testing period September 1993 to March 1995.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeSubject to respect for commercial confidentiality, contracting out does not affect accountability to Parliament for services provided by the Home Office.
§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultation there has been with Home Office unions since the market testing initiative of January 1992; whether the Home Office has published a code of practice on market testing consultation; and whether the first draft of any such document has been issued to the staff associations.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThere have been consultations with Home Office unions, including a meeting of the market testing sub-committee of the Home Office departmental Whitley Council. A draft code of practice has been produced and consultation with the unions continues.
§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effect of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 on the Home Office functions that are to be market tested during 1993–94.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeWe consult Home Office legal advisers as necessary about the application of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981.
§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a comprehensive list of all Home Office functions which will be market tested during 1993 and 1994; and if he will give details of the savings he expects to make or has set as a target.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeWe have drawn up a provisional Home Office market testing programme for 1993–94, but I 621W propose to consider it further before finalising it. The functions being market tested to 30 September 1993 were published on 25 November 1992 in the "Citizen's Charter First Report: 1992".