HC Deb 20 April 1998 vol 310 cc544-6W
Mr. Gibb

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to her answer of 7 April 1998,Official Report, column 223–24, which of the contracts listed was awarded on the basis of a single tender. [39254]

Mr. Field

Three contracts were awarded on the basis of a single tenderMarket Opinion Research International—Attitudes to disability benefits. British Market Research Bureau International Limited—Attitudes towards housing benefits. Alan Hedges—Pensions and Retirement Planning.

The study on Invalidity Benefit and the Contributory Principle, being carried out by the Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP) at Loughborough University, forms part of a core-funded programme of work, which was itself competitively tendered.

The following were commissioned using the Central Office of Information's framework agreement with approved suppliers: Andrew Irving Associates—Counter fraud publicity One World—New Deal for Lone Parents: development of publicity work Navigator—Fraud: attitudes to national benefit fraud hotline publicity Reflexions—Fraud: reporting changes in circumstances Michael Herbert—Pensions: approaches to information material Cragg Ross Dawson—New Deal for Lone Parents Newsletter.

All other contracts were awarded following competitive tender exercises.