HC Deb 07 February 1995 vol 254 cc144-5W
Mr. Nigel Griffiths

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he intends to publish the responses of official receivers to the consultation on the affirmative order to enable the work of the Insolvency Service to be contracted out; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Jonathan Evans

I would propose to publish a digest of official receivers' responses to the current consultation by laying copies in the Library of the House before seeking parliamentary approval to any draft enabling order.

Mr. Nigel Griffiths

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will estimate the amount spent annually on mechanical processing work in the Insolvency Service.

Mr. Jonathan Evans

In its report, Stoy Hayward estimated that, based on costs and the average staff in post for 1993–94, the contracting-out of administrative work would open up some £24 million of official receivers' work to competition.

This figure will vary with changing case loads and changes in the level of the Insolvency Service's staffing.

Mr. Nigel Griffiths

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps he has taken to recover the working papers of Stoy Hayward Consultants on the Insolvency Service and to ensure that Stoy Hayward Insolvency Co. has not been passed copies.

Mr. Jonathan Evans

No steps have been taken to recover Stoy Hayward's working papers.

All information obtained by Stoy Hayward Consulting as part of its work for the Insolvency Service is subject to its undertaking as to its confidentiality.

Mr. Nigel Griffiths

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what fee is being paid to Shreeveport Consultants for drawing up the specification for contracting out the Insolvency Service.

Mr. Jonathan Evans

The total contract price for drawing up a specification, bid documentation and evaluation criteria was agreed with Shreeveport Ltd. at £126,900, including VAT.

Mr. Nigel Griffiths

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish details of the grades of the staff identified as surplus to the Insolvency Service by Stoy Hayward as option 1 of its recommendations.

Mr. Jonathan Evans

Stoy Hayward identified £24 million of administrative case work which could be exposed to competition if a decision were made to contract out. It did not identify the staff undertaking such work as surplus as it recognised that there would be a need for contract management and supervision and that contracting out would offer the possibility of increased concentration on the official receivers' investigative role.