§ Mr. McAllionTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what meetings outside trust premises have been held between private companies tendering for the support services at the Victoria infirmary in Glasgow and staff who work for the Victoria infirmary trust; if the trust board was informed of such meetings; and what action the board has taken about them. [30132]
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§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe question concerns specific operational matters on which the chief executive of the trust is best placed to provide answers. Accordingly the hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. Small for details.
§ Mr. McAllionTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what opportunity was available to staff at the Victoria infirmary in Glasgow to make an in-house bid for the support services recently put out to competitive tender; if he will list those in attendance at the meeting where staff were informed of that opportunity; and if he will place in the Library(a) a copy of the minutes of the meeting and (b) all correspondence between the trust board and those private companies which indicated an interest in tendering for the services. [30131]
Lord James Douglas HamiltonI understand from the Victoria Infirmary NHS trust that, in addition to placing an advertisement in theOfficial Journal of the European Communities, a number of open meetings were held with staff to announce the trust's intention to invite tenders for specific contracts and to confirm that there was a potential for making an in-house bid. No record of staff who attended these open meetings was made, nor were minutes or notes taken. Correspondence between the trust and the private organisations expressing interest in this tender exercise is a matter of commercial confidence.