§ Mr. Peter AtkinsonTo ask the Attorney-General what plans his Department has to place some of the legal work it currently performs out to competitive tendering; and in what areas.
§ The Attorney-GeneralI refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Brent, South (Mr. Boateng) on 8 July 1994,Official Report, column 337, I have no present plans for competitive tendering of legal work in the Crown Prosecution Service and the Serious Fraud Office but this is one of the possibilities to be considered in the prior options studies. The legal services provided by the Treasury Solicitor's Department are subject to market testing by client departments. In such cases the Treasury Solicitor may participate in competitive tendering for work that was previously placed with him.