HC Deb 28 June 1995 vol 262 cc665-6W
Mr. McNamara

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 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. [29417]

Mr. Howard

In the Prison Service, three new-built prisons and half the prisoner escort services have been contracted out to the private sector without an in-house bid since 1992 under the "Competing for Quality" initiative. This reflected a policy decision that such activities should in future be carried out by the private sector and consequently in-house bids were not invited. In-house bids were not prevented by any absence of expertise. The Prison Service intends to pursue this policy by contracting out further new-build prisons and the four remaining geographical areas of prisoner escort services; again in-house bids will not be invited.

Estate management in the Forensic Science Service has been contracted out to the private sector without an in-house bid. No such bid for this work was made, but, if one had been, it would have been considered on the same basis as bids from external contractors.

The United Kingdom Passport Agency has invited outline proposals from service providers, including travel agents, banks and the Post Office with a view to these outlets receiving and checking completed passport applications. The aim is to enhance customer choice and convenience.

As I announced in response to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge (Sir M. Shersby) on 8 February, Official Report, columns 254–55, a decision about the future management of the police national computer will be taken about the middle of 1996 when the likely nature, size and scope of the proposed new computer system is clearer.

Elsewhere in the Home Office, activities reviewed under the "Competing for Quality" initiative have been contracted out to the private sector only where an external bidder has won in competition with the in-house team. "Competing for Quality" reviews are in progress or are planned across a range of functions, but there are at present no plans to contract out any further functions of the non-prisons Home Office without the in-house team having had the opportunity to bid for the work against the private sector.