HC Deb 15 February 1993 vol 219 cc102-3W
Mr. McAllion

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all the market tests that have taken place in his Department since November 1991; whether the result was the maintenance of in-house provision or whether the service was contracted out; what was the name of the successful contractor where appropriate; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Howard

None of the projects in my Department's market testing programme which involves exposing in-house functions to competition has yet reached the stage where a contract or service level agreement has been awarded.

Mr. McAllion

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many staff in his Department are assigned to the market testing programme; how much the programme has cost his Department since November 1991; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Howard

There are six staff in my Department directly assigned to the market testing programme.

From November 1991 to end December 1992, the total cost of the programme amounted to £650,480.