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Capita Managed Services

Mr. Morgan: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the implications of the late filing of annual accounts of Capita Managed Services Ltd. for the suitability of that company as the sole bidder for the Companies House central inquiry unit and postal search section in Cardiff. [19783]

Mr. Oppenheim [holding answer 8 March 1996]: According to Companies House records, the most recent accounts, for the period to 31 December 1994, were filed by the deadline. Accounts for 1995 do not have to be filed until 31 October 1996.

Mr. Morgan: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the (a) facilities management consortia, (b) private finance initiative bids, (c) management buy-out consortia, (d) contractorisation schemes and (e) market-testing schemes in his Department in respect of which (i) Capita Managed Services and (ii) Lusis Business Solutions are currently involved in bidding. [19910]

Mr. Oppenheim [holding answer 8 March 1996]: Those activities within my Department in respect of which (i) Capita Managed Services and (ii) Lusis Business Solutions are currently involved in bidding are as follows:

(a) Facilities management consortia:


(i) None


(ii) None


(b) Private Finance Initiative:


(i) None


(ii) None


(c) Management Buyout Consortia:


(i) None


(ii) None


(d) Contractorisation schemes:


(i) Companies House (Cardiff)


Central Enquiry Unit and Postal


Search Services

12 Mar 1996 : Column: 526

(ii) None


(e) Market Testing schemes:


(i) None


(ii) None

Mr. Morgan: To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what assessment he has made of the implications of the resignation of the chairman of Capita Managed Services Ltd. on the suitability of Capita Managed Services as the sole bidder of the central inquiry unit and postal search sections of Companies House; [19781]

(2) what assessment he has made of the implications of the resignation of John Jasper as chairman of Capita Managed Services Ltd. for that company's status as the sole bidder for the central inquiry unit and postal search sections at Companies House, Cardiff; and if he will make a statement. [19784]

Mr. Oppenheim [holding answers 8 March 1996]: I have not yet taken a decision about whether to award a contract for the running of the central enquiry unit and postal search accounts service at Companies House, Cardiff. Mr. Jasper has no current involvement in the running of Capita Managed Services Ltd.

Electrical Goods

Mr. William O'Brien: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he has received an interim report from the Monopolies and Mergers Commission on the activities of suppliers of electrical goods; and if he will make a statement. [20083]

Mr. John M. Taylor [holding answer 11 March 1996]: I have not received an interim report from the Monopolies and Mergers Commission. The MMC has until 31 October 1996 to report.

Mr. William O'Brien: To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he expects the Monopolies and Mergers Commission to report on the retail pricing of certain types of electrical goods; and if he will make a statement. [20007]

Mr. John M. Taylor [holding answer 11 March 1996]: My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade announced on 14 February that he has given the Monopolies and Mergers Commission until 31 October 1996 to report on the monopolies references on the supply of eight categories of electrical goods.

Scientists and Engineers

Mr. Ingram: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many professional scientists and engineers of each category were employed at each grade in the headquarters division of his Department in each year from 1991 to the current year. [19797]

Mr. John M. Taylor [holding answer 11 March 1996]: The information requested is shown in the table.

	1 January 1991	1 January 1992	1 January 1993	1 January 1994	1 January 1995	1 January 1996
Science group
Assistant Scientific Officer	1	1	0	0	0	0
Scientific Officer	11	6	8	7	7	8
Higher Scientific Officer	16	14	22	23	23	22
Higher Scientific Officer (Development)	1	2	7	10	10	9
Senior Scientific Officer	38	28	34	33	33	33
Professional and technical group
Professional and Technology Officer	1	3	3	3	3	1
Higher Professional and Technology Officer	13	12	13	18	13	13
Senior Professional and Technology Officer	30	32	35	38	37	32
Totals	111	98	122	132	126	118

12 Mar 1996 : Column: 527

12 Mar 1996 : Column: 527

The figures exclude executive agencies and regional offices, and those specialist grades which are unique to this Department.

Birds Eye Wall's

Mr. Nigel Griffiths: To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what factors will be taken into account in assessing the public interest in arriving at the decision over proceedings against Birds Eye Wall's under section 93B of the Fair Trading Act 1973 for knowingly or recklessly providing misleading information to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in its recent inquiry into ice cream exclusivity; [19582]

(2) when he expects to make a decision on proceedings against Birds Eye Wall's under section 93B of the Fair Trading Act for knowingly or recklessly providing misleading information to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in its recent inquiry into ice cream exclusivity. [19581]

(3) what account will be taken of the integrity of the processes of competitive regulation in the decision on proceedings against Birds Eye Wall's under section 93B of the Fair Trading Act 1973 for knowingly or recklessly providing misleading information to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in its recent inquiry into ice cream exclusivity. [19583]

Mr. John M. Taylor [holding answer 11 March 1996]: It is not the practice of the Department to comment publicly on individual cases under consideration. Any decisions which need to be taken will be announced in due course.

Computer Disc Theft

Dr. John Cunningham: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what responsibility he had for the decision not to prosecute the person against whom sufficient evidence had been accumulated to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for alleged theft of a DTI computer disk and blackmail. [20052]

Mr. John M. Taylor [holding answer 11 March 1996]: No DTI computer disk has been stolen in the incident referred to by the hon. Member. The President had no responsibility for the decision not to prosecute for the misuse of information held by the Treasury Solicitor.

12 Mar 1996 : Column: 528

Insolvency Service

Mrs. Roche: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the cost to public funds of the proposed contracting out of insolvency casework as broken down into (a) the pre-feasibility study, (b) the feasibility study, (c) the 1995 advertisements, (d) the handling of the 149 expressions of interest, (e) the requirements scoping document, (f) the sifting of the 91 initial proposals, (g) the negotiations with 34 companies, (h) the invitation to tender, (i) the identification of three tenders offering value for money and (j) the stringent technical and financial evaluation; and what was the total cost of this exercise. [19584]

Mr. Phillip Oppenheim [holding answer 11 March 1996]: The cost of the pre-feasibility and feasibility studies into the scope for private sector involvement in the work of official receivers was £65,251 and £61,500 --excluding VAT--respectively.

The costs of the contracting out exercise undertaken by the Insolvency Service, in the period beginning October 1994 when the Government announced their intention to pursue the preferred option identified by the then consultants to the announcement on 28 February 1996 of the outcome was £2,288,594. This figure could be broken down into the areas specified only at disproportionate cost.

As a result of the drive for greater efficiency implemented during the period of the contracting-out exercise, the service will achieve a reduction this financial year of 3 per cent. in the unit costs of bankruptcy and company liquidations.

I expect to announce shortly the targets which I have set for the Insolvency Service in 1996-97, which will look to the service to delivery substantial further savings above that level.

Structural Funds

Dr. Michael Clark: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if there will be a revision of the areas eligible for grant from the EU structural funds under objective 2. [9379]

Mr. Eggar: [pursuant to his reply, 11 January 1996, Official Report, co. 293]:

On 8 March, the Commission announced that member states' total populations eligible for objective 2 grant will remain unchanged.

12 Mar 1996 : Column: 529

This is welcome news for the United Kingdom, preserving our national share of the total population in objective 2 areas, which is the largest of all member states. It follows strong representations made by the Government to the Commission and reflects the consensus at the meeting of EC Ministers in Madrid on 1 December in favour of complete continuity between the current list and the new list of areas.

The Commission is, however, inviting member states, if they wish, to make in the near future proposals for marginal additions to the list, to be balanced by proposed deletions of areas of equal population. I have considered carefully the question of proposing marginal changes to the list of UK objective 2 areas.

The programmes for current eligible areas have been running for less than 18 months. This is insufficient time to address the long-term structural problems which led to their designation under objective 2. I have had some representations in favour of additions to the list, and some in favour of no change, but only one proposing deletions, in a different part of the country from the proposer. I therefore do not intend to put forward any proposals for changes in the UK list. The list of eligible British areas will therefore remain unchanged.

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