§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health when, and for what reason, the St. David"s Practice was508W awarded the Mead Webber contract by the Meat Hygiene Service; and how many other vets or vet practices were invited to bid for that contract. [122049]
§ Ms Stuart[holding answer 15 May 2000]: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that a tender valuation panel met on 16 March 2000 to consider tenders submitted for the provision of official veterinary surgeon services to the plant operated by Mead Webber Limited. All tenders were assessed against a range of pre-determined criteria including quality and price.
The panel awarded the contract to the St. David's Farm and Equine Veterinary Practice on the basis that it provided overall best value when evaluated against these criteria.
Nine other veterinary practices or veterinary surgeons were invited to tender for this particular contract.