HC Deb 11 March 1993 vol 220 cc691-2W
Mr. McAllion

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list all those services or functions that have been contracted out from' -his Department since November 1991 without market testing an in-house bid against external competition with, in each instance, the successful contractor and the reasons for the decision to exclude an in-house bid.

Mr. Burt

The following services have been contracted out without market testing an in-house bid:

Service Contractor
Benefits Agency
Travel services to the Department Wagons-Lite
Child Support Agency
Customer Services Training Coopers and Lybrand
Specialist Interviewing Skills Relate
Facilities Management Dudley Centre Procord Ltd
Facilities Management Falkirk Centre Drake and Scull Technical Services
Security and Reception Dudley Centre Security Express Guards
Security and Reception Falkirk Centre Centuryan Security Ltd
Catering Dudley Centre Gardener Merchant
Day Care Nursery Dudley Centre Kinderquest Ltd
Day Care Nursery Hastings Centre Kinderquest Ltd
Typing and Secretarial Falkirk Centre Manpower PLC
Messenger/Telephonists Falkirk Centre Manpower PLC

No in-house bid was invited for Benefits Agency travel services because the few clerical staff involved could not provide the professional, accredited, national travel service to the Department for which tenders were being sought.

The child support agency, which will be operational from April 1993, is a completely new agency and services have been contracted out where in-house operations did not exist. Customer services training was contracted out because limited capacity was available in-house to develop and deliver the service required in the time available.