§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list those parts of his Department or departmental agencies which were privatised without an in-house bid; if he will indicate the expertise which was absent in his Department or departmental agencies which prevented an in-house bid taking place; which future parts of his Department or departmental agencies he intends to privatise; and which of them do not have the necessary in-house expertise to mount an in-house bid. [29425]
§ Mr. LangIt is my aim to ensure that the services undertaken by my Department and its agencies are provided and managed so as to give better service to the public in Scotland and optimum value for money to the taxpayer. That is the policy which underpins the decisions70W I have taken to contract out strategically certain services provided by my Department and its agencies. The broad reasons for contracting out without an in-house bid are set out in Taking Forward Continuity and Change—Cm 2748. These include, for example, when my Department judges that the private sector is better equipped to deliver a specific service, has a better understanding of market needs or a greater capacity to invest in new technology. A strategic decision to contract out might also be taken where an activity may be relatively small in size and peripheral to a department's core functions.
No parts of my Department or departmental agencies were privatised without an in-house bid. The following activities within my Department and its agencies have been strategically contracted out without an in-house bid since April 1992.
- Activities Strategically Contracted Out
- Marine Laboratory Estate Management
- Maintenance of New National Health Service Radio Systems
- Superannuation Services
- Audit of NHS Boards
- Animal House, Scottish Agricultural Science Agency
- Facilities Management at Victoria Quay1
- Audit of 1st Wave NHS Trusts
- Audit of 2nd Wave NHS Trusts
- Audit of 3rd Wave NHS Trusts
- Data Preparation Services
- Historic Scotland Patrolmen at Edinburgh Castle
- Prison-based education, Scottish Prison Service
- Scottish Office Pensions Agency Pensions Administration System
- Security at Scottish Agricultural Science Agency
- Publications distribution and sales
- Additional typing services
- Mainframe Applications Support
My Department and its agencies have not yet identified any activities for future privatisation or contracting out without an in-house bid.