§ Mr. Clifton-BrownTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will announce his decisions on the extension of compulsory competitive tendering to local authorities' security work, management of on-street parking and vehicle management.
§ Mr. BaldryMy Department received 90 responses to the consultation paper issued on 16 November 1993 from local authorities and other interested parties. We are considering carefully the comments made. I expect to lay the necessary draft statutory instruments before the House shortly.
It is widely accepted that competition is the best guarantee of value for money in public service provision. I am keen to see local authorities press ahead with competitive tendering for these services as soon as possible. Neverthless, I recognise that they must be allowed adequate time to prepare for tendering and to conduct a fair and even-handed competition.
We would expect the tendering process to take up to 12 months, and authorities will need a little time to prepare for market testing once the statutory instruments have come into force. The date originally proposed for vehicle management in England, 1 April 1995, would not allow authorities adequate time and I have therefore decided to defer the start date for this work until 1 October 1995. This brings vehicle management into line with security work, where I intend the start date to remain 1 October 1995. After this date, the in-house team will not be able to carry out this work unless they have won it in competition. I anticipate that authorities will begin inviting tenders in the autumn of this year. As I told the House on 15 December, Official Report, columns 734–35, CCT for all new services will be introduced in shire areas following the local government review.
My hon. Friend the Minister for Transport in London has today made a separate announcement about the implementation timetable for CCT for the management of on-street parking services.