§ Mr. PicklesTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what discussions Ministers and officials of his Department have held with members of the review team evaluating the Right to Buy scheme; what was discussed; when they were; and who the participants were; [79590]
(2) when the review of the right to buy scheme will be published; [79602]
(3) what the estimated cost is of the evaluation of the right to buy scheme being undertaken by the review team; [79604]
(4) if he will publish the (a) names and (b) qualifications of the review team undertaking the evaluation of the right to buy scheme. [79603]
§ Mr. McNultyResearchers at Heriot-Watt University have been commissioned to investigate the scale, nature and impact of exploitation of the Right to Buy rules.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister research contracts are awarded through a standard procurement process, by competitive tender. The experience and skills of tenderers are assessed carefully as part of this process. This research project is subject to normal project management procedures and disciplines operated by professional and policy officials. It is subject to review by a stakeholder group drawn from housing practitioners and representatives of lending institutions and local government.
The cost of the project is £92,650, excluding VAT.
The results are expected by the end of this year, and will be published thereafter. It is standard practice for all Office of the Deputy Prime Minister research publications to include the names of the authors, and for any other researchers to be acknowledged.