HC Deb 16 July 1993 vol 228 cc696-7W
Mr. Flynn

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answers of 7 June,Official Report, column 32 and 25 June, Official Report, column 325, how many projects are covered by the £13.5 million expected cost of the market-testing programme for 1993–94; to what services they relate; how much is to be spent on each project; and how much will be paid to outside consultants for each project.

Mr. Hague

The expected cost of £13.5 million was broadly estimated for the financial year 1993–;94. At present there is a total of some 50 individual projects and they relate to the following services:

  • Accommodation and Office Services
  • Archival Storage
  • Audit
  • Catering
  • Customer Services
  • Data Entry
  • Debt Recovery
  • Fraud
  • Legal Services
  • Medical Services
  • Personnel
  • Printing
  • Publishing
  • Recruitment
  • 697
  • Storage and Distribution
  • Training
  • Video Production

The individual projects will be subject to a market test through the tendering of some 93 separate contracts/ service level agreements.

It is not possible to state the level of expenditure on individual projects as this largely depends on each project's needs, which are dictated by the scale and complexity revealed by the market testing process.

While there is an anticipated need for some external consultancy, it is not possible to determine the level of expenditure of individual projects.