§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he has taken to ensure that, when putting contracts out to tender, his Department includes on the tender list companies which have acquired the BS5750 quality assurance standard.
§ Mr. BaldryMy Department fully recognises the value of BS5750 as a quality assurance standard but it does not126W make this, as a matter of course, a prerequisite for tendering in order to allow small firms, for which the cost of certification can represent a burden, the opportunity to compete.