§ Baroness Anelay of St Johnsasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the passage of the Contracting Out (Functions in relation to Apsley House) Order 2002 in February, when they will announce the name of the body to which the management of Apsley House will be transferred; and whether a member (or members) of the Wellington family will be formally invited to be involved in the future management of the house. [HL82]
§ The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Baroness Blackstone)Following initial expressions of interest earlier this year, and a subsequent review of the procurement process by the Office of Government Commerce, we have invited interested parties to meet a number of essential pre-qualifying criteria. Responses were due by 15 November and are currently being evaluated. We will decide next steps in the light of that evaluation. We remain keen to see family involvement in the management of Apsley House in whatever management arrangements result fromthe competitive tendering exercise.