§ Mr. John GreenwayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what changes have been made to the membership of the advisory group overseeing the study into options for privatisation of the Building Research Establishment. [13224]
§ Mr. Robert B. JonesMr. Roger Courtney, chief executive of the Building Research Establishment invited the Department in mid-January to consider his position as a member of the advisory group which would shortly be asked for their guidance once consultants had completed their study of privatisation options. He indicated that he would wish to be able to participate in future management arrangements for BRE; this could include being involved in any proposal for a management and employee buy-out if Ministers, in the light of the consultants' report, decided that this was an option to be pursued. In those circumstances, he and the Department judged that he should not be privy to those parts of the consultants' report which contained commercial assessments as this could place him in an advantageous position compared with any other potential purchasers. Mr. Neil Milbank, deputy chief executive of BRE, who will retire during 1996 and will therefore not be involved in the future management of the establishment, has taken Mr. Courtney's place on the advisory group.