§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the functions of his Department that have been(a) market tested and (b) outsourced in each of the last five years, specifying the (i) money saving and (ii) percentage saving in each case. [42999]
§ Mr. MacShaneThe following FCO functions have been market tested and subsequently outsourced within the last five years:
- (i) London Press and Pictures Service (LPS), British Satellite News/London Radio Service (BSN/LRS) and British Information Services (BIS) Dispatch of Information Materials. All three services had been provided by the Central Office of Information (COI) and were outsourced in 1997 following a COI review which resulted in their no longer providing such services. Savings were as follows:
- LPS: £522,000—a 13.6 per cent. saving per annum
- BSN/LRS: £150,000—a 7 per cent. saving per annum
- BIS £397,000—a 35 per cent. saving per annum.
- (ii) Facilities management of the UK estate was outsourced in 1998 at a saving of £463,000 (30 per cent. per annum).
- (iii) Guarding services for the UK estate were outsourced in 1998 at a saving of £340,000 (11 per cent. per annum).