HC Deb 23 May 1994 vol 244 cc74-5W
Mr. Campbell-Savours

To ask the President of the Board of Trade on what date Stoy Hayward Consulting was given copies of documentation on the privatisation of(a) the Insolvency Service and (b) all other Government services.

Mr. Heseltine

Stoy Hayward carried out a study of the potential for involving the private sector more in the mechanical, processing tasks of official receivers following an invitation to bid issued in July 1993. Its remit did not extend to any other Government services.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when reports on the privatisation of the Insolvency Service were made available by his Department to Ian Greer Associates.

Mr. Heseltine

Stoy Hayward produced a report relating to the Insolvency Service. My Department did not make this available to Ian Greer Associates. A summary of the report was supplied to Insolvency Service staff and trade unions and was placed in the Libraries of both Houses. It has also been made available for public inspection in the DTI's Library.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions have taken place between Ministers and representatives of Ian Greer Associates on the question of the privatisation of the Insolvency Service and other Government services.

Mr. Heseltine

No discussions have taken place between Ministers in the DTI and representatives of Ian Greer Associates on the question of private sector involvement in the work of the Insolvency Service. Nor, as far as I am aware, have any such discussions taken place in relation to any other Government services.

Mr. Fraser

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will now place in the Library the consultants' report on the privatisation of the Insolvency Service.

Mr. Heseltine

The purpose of Stoy Hayward's study was to examine the ways in which official receivers may concentrate more on their investigatory role by involving the private sector to a greater extent in the mechanical processing work in insolvencies. I do not propose to place the full consultants' report in the Library of the House. The summary already in the Library of the House has been agreed by Stoy Hayward as a fair reflection of its report.

Mr. Flynn

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list all those organisations(a) inside and (b) outside Government that have had sight of his Department's report on the future of the Insolvency Service.

Mr. Heseltine

[holding answer 18 May 1994]: The full report of Stoy Hayward's work on the potential for involving the private sector more in the mechanical, processing tasks of official receivers was seen by DTI Ministers and their immediate staff; relevant Insolvency Service and DTI officials; members of the agency steering board; and relevant Ministers and officials in the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys and HM Treasury.

A summary of the report was placed in the Libraries of both Houses and also in DTI's library for inspection.