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|1993-94 |1994-95 |1995-96
---------------------------------------------------------------
Core MAFF |10,288,234|7,161,186 |7,625,378
ADAS |985,845 |700,000 |700,000
Central Veterinary
Laboratory |463,037 |354,909 |350,000
Central Science
Laboratory |149,731 |195,861 |150,000
Veterinary
Medicines
Directorate |34,281 |12,704 |5,000
Pesticide Safety
Directorate |170,469 |89,572 |150,000
Meat Hygiene
Service |n/a |475,000 |434,000
Total |12,091,597|8,989,232 |9,414,378
Contracting Out
Mrs. Hodge: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) for each piece of work subject to a bidding process under the auspices of (a) his Ministry and (b) agencies for which his Ministry is responsible(i) where work was contracted out who the successful bidders were and (ii) which contracts were won by in-house bidders in (1) 1993 94, (2) 1994 95 and(3) 1995 96; [25549] (2) what work has been contracted out (a) by his Department and (b) by agencies for which his Department is responsible in (i) 1993 94 and (ii) 1994 95; and what is projected for 1995 96. [25547]
Mr. Waldegrave: My Department seeks to conduct its bidding processes in accordance with the consolidated guidelines for public purchasing policy laid down in chapter 31 of "Government Accounting". For the financial years 1993 94, 1994 95 and 1995 96 the information requested is as follows for the Ministry's market testing programme:
1993-94
|Successful bidders
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) Contracted-out work
Library Services (Books and |Dawson UK
Journals) |Swets UK
|Hammicks
|Blackwell
|National History Book Service
|Dillons
|Eastlake Information
General Recruitment (up to G7) |MSL Advertising
|PA Consulting
|Austin Knight
Research and Development |Whitbread Plc.
(Part) |Paterson Institute: Christie
| Hospital NHS
|Animal Health Trust
|A. E. Johnston
|Processors' and Growers'
| Research Organisation
|UMDS-Guys Hospital
|PE International
|Ashbourne Bio Sciences
|Cambridge Environmental
| Research Consultants
|RPS Clouston
|Land Research Associates
|W. S. Atkins
|Mylnefield Research Services
| Ltd.
Fisheries Protection: Surface |Royal Navy
Surveillance
Radionuclide Analysis |National Radiological Protection
| Board
(b) Work won by in-house bidders
Free Pollution Advice to |Agricultural Development and
Farmers | Advisory Service
1994-95
|Successful bidders
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) Contracted-out work
Inter-Despatch Service (IDS) |Security Facilities Executive
Term Commissions for |Jefferson Sheard
Architectural and Engineering |Rogers and Grundy
Design Services |Ferguson Bucknall Austin
|Lawrence Hewitt Partnership
Payroll and Associated Services |Chessington Computer Centre
Agronomic Evaluation of |Institute of Terrestrial Ecology
Set-Aside |(with British Trust for
|Ornithology and ADAS as
|sub-contractors)
Information Technology |Data Sciences
Outsourcing: MVS
(a) Work won by in-house bidders
In the 1994-95 market testing programme no contracts were won
by in-house bidders in the Ministry.
1995 96
To date no contracts have been awarded to either in-house bidders or external contractors in connection with the Ministry's market testing programme. It is not possible to predict in advance of recommendations following competition or efficiency review which services or functions will be contracted out.
Agency chief executives will reply separately to the hon. Member. Letter from J. M. Walsh to Ms Margaret Hodge, dated 25 May 1995: The Minister of Agriculture has asked me to reply direct to you in answer to your Parliamentary Question number 1291. In this you asked for information on what work has been contracted out in(i) 1993 94 and (ii) 1994 95; and what is projected for 1995 96.
ADAS was established as an Executive Agency in June 1992 and is jointly owned by MAFF and the Welsh Office.
ADAS operates as a commercial consultancy within the food, farming, land and leisure sectors. In-house facilities may not always be able to support the work of the Agency. In such cases additional support is sourced from outside the organisation. Typically, work in such areas as information technology, training, collaborative research, payroll and banking services, property and facilities management, document and promotional media creation and vehicle hire may be contracted out.
Column 315
Letter from G. K. Bruce to Ms Margaret Hodge, dated 8 June 1995: The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply, in respect of the Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD), to your questions about the contracting out of work and the bidding process which is employed.The Directorate has so far contracted out work on the evaluation of pesticides, IT consultancy and publications. The amount of work contracted out totalled £170,469 in 1993/94 and £89,572 in 1994/95. In 1995/96 the Directorate is likely to contract out approximately £150,000 worth of work.
The number of pieces of work subject to a bidding process was four in 1993/94 and four in 1994/95. The successful bidders over the two years were:
The Natural History Museum
Campden Food and Drink Research Association
ADAS
Central Science Laboratory
Severn Trent Laboratories
Desbrow, Thompson, Chaffe
All of these contracts were awarded to organisations outside PSD. It is anticipated that for 1995/96 the number of pieces of work which may be subject to a bidding process will be broadly similar to previous years.
Letter from P. I. Stanley to Ms Margaret Hodge, dated 27 May 1995:
Work subject to a bidding process and contracted out by MAFF and its agencies
The Central Science Laboratory (CSL) was first launched as an executive agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) in April 1992 and was re-launched as an enlarged agency two years later following its merger with the MAFF Food Science Laboratories.
CSL is currently located on five main sites in Berkshire, Hertfordshire, Surrey, Norfolk and Aberdeenshire with several smaller outstations throughout England. It is planned in the summer of 1996 to collocate the major part of CSL to a single site in Yorkshire where a new, purpose-built laboratory is at present under construction. CSL's market testing and contracting out strategy has been aimed at reviewing the wide range of services in connection with ensuring efficient and effective operation of the new laboratory at York.
You have asked two questions relating to the financial years 1993/94, 1994/95 and 1995/96; firstly about work that has been subject to a bidding process and secondly about work that has been contracted out. I can confirm that in 1993/94 and 1994/95 none of CSL's work was subject to a bidding process or contracted out. However, during the 1995/96 financial year, many support services including facilities management, security, catering, estate management, waste disposal, management of the day-care centre and fitness facilities and other services for the new laboratory at York will be subject to market testing and contracting out.
Letter from Guy Stapleton to Ms Margaret Hodge, dated 27 May 1995:
The Minister of Agriculture Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply for the Intervention Board to your Question about the outcome of market tests since 1993 94, as the matter is one within my operational responsibility.
Contracts were awarded as follows:
1993 94
Messengerial services, post-room services, word processing, reprographics and switchboard--in house team
Maintenance of Government-owned grain stores--Henry Boot Ltd Analysis of olive oil--Agricultural Development & Advisory Service
Analysis of exported products--Campden & Chorleywood Food Research Association
Internal audit services, Newcastle--in house team
Analysis of livestock products--Agricultural Development & Advisory Service
Column 316
1994 95Document handling & security services Newcastle--in house team Analysis of crops products--RHM Technology Ltd
1995 96
None to date.
Letter from Guy Stampleton to Ms Margaret Hodge, dated 27 May 1995:
The Minister of Agriculture Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply for the Intervention Board to your Question about work contracted out since 1993 94, as the matter is one within my operational responsibility.
New work strategically contracted out without an in-house bid: Contracts awarded
1993 94
Maintenance of Government owned grain stores
Supervision of intake of cereals into store
Analysis of sugar
Analysis of exported products
Analysis of olive oil
Analysis of livestock products
1994 95
Travel services
Banking
Accounting systems development
Analysis of crops products
Contracts projected
1995 96
Recruitment
Certification of accounts
Strategic contracting out only. The outcome of market tests cannot be anticipated.
Letter from J. M. Rutter to Ms Margaret Hodge, dated 23 May 1995:
The Minister has asked me to reply to your question about work which has been contracted out by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, as this is an operational matter for which I am responsible. Other than the work subject to a bidding process, about which I have written to you separately today in response to your specific Parliamentary Question, no other work has been contracted out by the Directorate in either 1993/94 or 1994/95, and none is projected for 1995/96.
Letter from J. M. Rutter to Ms Margaret Hodge, dated 23 May 1995:
The Minister has asked me to reply to your question about the outcome of work subjected to a bidding process by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, as this is an operational matter for which I am responsible.
In 1993 94, a contract for general office cleaning of the Directorate was awarded to Quality Assured Services. No contracts were awarded in 1994 95. but on 1 April 1995, a contract was awarded to the Analytical Chemistry Unit of the Central Veterinary Laboratory for the provision of analytical services required under the National Surveillance Scheme for residues in meat.
No in house bidders were involved in either of these contracts. Letter from J. M. Walsh to Ms Margaret Hodge, dated 25 May 1995:
The Minister of Agriculture has asked me to reply direct to you in answer to your Parliamentary Question number 1286. In this you asked for information on the work subject to a bidding process, where work was contracted out, who the successful bidders were and ii) which contracts were won by in-house 1) 1993 94 and 2) 1994 95 and 3) 1995 96.
ADAS was established as an Agency in June 1992 under the joint ownership of MAFF and the Welsh Office. As an Agency, ADAS is not involved in market testing except where it bids for work from other Government Departments.
Column 317
In respect of work (which has been interpreted as meaning the provision of works and services as distinct from goods and utilities) ADAS has the policy of subjecting to the bidding process a wide range of services. Thus far these include, collaborative research, consultancy, payroll and banking services, elements of laboratory analysis, areas of IT and telecommunications, and staff training. Some of the above have been contracted out to independent third party contractors throughout the period. Unfortunately, to provide greater detail would be disproportionate cost to this Agency.Staff
Ms Hodge: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what changes there have been in the number of staff employed by (a) the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and (b) agencies for which the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is responsible, listing the changes in the number of staff agency by agency in (i) 1993 94 and (ii) 1994 95; and what changes are projected for 1995 96; [25061]
(2) how many posts were lost in (a) the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and (b) agencies for which the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is responsible, listing the total lost posts agency by agency in (i) 1993 94 and (ii) 1994 95; and how many posts are proposed to be lost in 1995 96; [25081]
(3) what changes there have been in the number of staff in employment by grade in (a) his Ministry and (b) each agency for which his Ministry is responsible in (i) 1993 94 and (ii) 1994 95; and what are the projected figures for 1995 96; [25623]
(4) how many staff of (a) the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and (b) agencies for which MAFF is responsible, were employed on a casual or short-term basis in (i) 1993 94 and (ii) 1994 95; and what are the projected figures for 1995 96. [25489]
Mr. Waldegrave: Information on the number of casual staff employed in my Department in 1993 94, projected outturn for 1994 95, and plans for 1995 96 are published in my Department's annual report which is in the Library of the House. Separate information on posts is not available. No projections broken down by grade are available. I am asking the chief executives to reply for their agency.
Letter from Dr. J. M. Walsh to Ms Margaret Hodge, dated 25 May 1995 :
The Minister of Agriculture has asked me to reply direct to you in answer to your Parliamentary Question number 1272. In this you asked for information on how many posts were lost in (i) 1993 94 and (ii) 1994 95; and how many posts are proposed to be lost in 1995 96. ADAS was established in June 1992 as an Agency jointly owned by MAFF and the Welsh Office.
Compared with the previous year the number of posts lost, within the Agency was as follows:
1993 94: 121 posts
1994 95: 392 posts
There are no proposed figures for 1995 96.
Letter from Dr. J. M. Walsh to Ms Margaret Hodge, dated 25 May 1995 :
The Minister of Agriculture has asked me to reply direct to you in answer to your Parliamentary Question number 1271. In this you asked for information on what changes there have been in the number of staff employed in (i) 1993 94 and (ii) 1994 95; and what changes are projected for 1995 96.
ADAS was established as an Executive Agency in June 1992 and is jointly owned by MAFF and the Welsh Office.
Column 318
My answer to this Parliamentary Question is the same given to PQ numbers 1272 and 1279. We do not have projected figures for 1995 96. Letter from Guy Stapleton to Ms Margaret Hodge, dated May 1995 : The Minister of Agriculture Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply to your Question about changes in the number of staff employed by this Agency since 1993 94 as the matter is one within my operational responsibility.The average number of staff employed by the Agency was 983 in 1993 94, 973 in 1994 95, and is currently projected to be 991 in 1995 96.
Letter from Guy Stapleton to Ms Margaret Hodge, dated May 1995: The Minister of Agriculture Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply to your Question about the number of posts lost in this Agency since 1993 94 as the matter is one within my operational responsibility.
The Intervention Board does not operate a system of complemented posts. The Agency operates within the annual salary cost limits agreed with the Treasury which are within the running costs totals approved by Parliament. Salary budgets are delegated to line managers, who use an appropriate mix of permanent and casual staff and overtime to meet workloads. Staff year figures are given in the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food and the Intervention Board Departmental Report 1995 (CM 2803).
Letter from Dr. J. M. Rutter to Ms Margaret Hodge, dated 23 May 1995:
The Minister has asked me to reply to your question about changes in the number of staff employed by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, as this is an operational matter for which I am responsible.
This information is published in Annex 6 of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Departmental Report for 1995, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.
Letter from Dr. J. M. Rutter to Ms Margaret Hodge, dated 23 May 1995:
The Minister has asked me to reply to your question about the number of posts lost in the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, as this is an operational matter for which I am responsible.
No posts were lost in the Directorate in 1993/94 or 1994/95, nor are any proposed to be lost in 1995/96.
Letter from T. W. A. Little to Ms Margaret Hodge, dated May 1995:
The Minister has asked me to reply to your questions about the number of staff employed and posts lost at the Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL).
The average number of staff employed is as follows:
|Permanent|Casual
----------------------------------------
1993-94 |636 |30
1994-95 |621 |41
1995-96 |619 |44"
The 1995/96 figure is at 1 April 1995. However, you may be aware of the merger of the CVL with MAFF's Veterinary Investigation Service which was announced by the Minister on 4 May. This will result in an increase of approximately 300 in Agency staff numbers and a reduction in MAFF's.
The posts lost are as follows:
Number
-----------------------
1993/94 |7
1994/95 |5
1995/96 (estimate) |2
The figure for 1995/96
reflects losses
already agreed but
other posts may arise
during the course of
the year.
Letter from G. K. Bruce to Ms Margaret Hodge, dated 8 June 1995: The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply, in respect of the Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD), to a number of questions you have raised about appointments, staffing levels and retirements.
Information on the numbers of staff employed in the Agency in 1993 94, project outturn for 1994 95 and plans for 1995 96 are published in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food's Annual Report which is in the Library of the House. PSD's Annual Report and Accounts, which is also available in the Library of the House, gives the total number of staff employed in the Agency and provides a general breakdown between scientific and administrative staff. The number of staff who have left, or are projected to leave PSD under early retirement, voluntary redundancy, compulsory redundancy or on medical retirement are:
|1993/94|1994/95
--------------------------------------------------------
(i) Early Retirement |0 |1
(ii) Voluntary Redundancy |0 |6
(iii) Compulsory Redundancy |0 |7
(iv) Retired on Medical Grounds |0 |0
It is not possible to project the number of staff who will leave PSD in the current financial year through the Voluntary Early Retirement Scheme, redundancy or medical retirement.
Ms Hodge: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what changes there have been in the number of staff in employment by grade in (a) his Ministry and (b) each agency for which his Ministry is responsible in (i) 1993 94 and (ii) 1994 95; and what are the projected figures for 1995 96. [25623]
Mr. Waldegrave: Information on the numbers of staff employed in my Department in 1993 94, projected outturn for 1994 95, and plans for 1995 96 are published in my Department's annual report which is in the Library of the House. No projections broken down by grade are available. I am asking the chief executives to reply for their agency.
Letter from Dr. J. M. Rutter to Ms Margaret Hodge, dated 24 May 1995:
The Minister has asked me to reply to your question about the changes in staffing by grade at the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, as this is an operational matter for which I am responsible. The information you requested is set out in the attached table. Can I emphasise that the return is based on actual staff in post, both full time and part time, on 1 April for each of the financial years you identified. At 1 April 1995, some posts were vacant and the recruitment of replacements is being actively pursued.
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