HC Deb 26 May 1994 vol 244 c324W
Mr. Campbell-Savours

To ask the President of the Board of Trade on what dates representatives of his Department met representatives of Stoy Hayward to discuss matters relating to official receivers.

Mr. Heseltine

In the course of both the first study carried out by them and the current feasibility study, Stoy Hayward will have been in almost daily contact with representatives of my Department, principally with officials in the Insolvency Service.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 23 May,Official Report, columns 74–75, on what dates representatives of his Department met representatives of Ian Greer Associates and discussed the subject of private sector involvement in the work of the Insolvency Service.

Mr. Heseltine

No such meetings have taken place.

Mr. Soley

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the remit given by his Department to the Stoy Hayward options consultancy currently being undertaken into the Insolvency Service.

Mr. Heseltine

[holding answer 25 May 1994]: The first study undertaken by Stoy Hayward considered the ways in which official receivers could concentrate more on their investigatory role by involving the private sector more in the mechanical processing work in insolvencies. A summary of Stoy Haywards report was placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The remit for the feasibility study now in progress was to carry out a more detailed analysis of the costs, benefits and value for money of options identified in the earlier work.

Mr. Soley

To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he has decided to privatise the Insolvency Service.

Mr. Heseltine

[holding answer 25 May 1994]: No. We are examining ways in which the private sector can play a larger part than it already does in delivering the services of the Insolvency Service.