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DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Executive Agencies (Contracts)

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what guidelines he has issued on the vetting of private companies tendering for contracts with a next steps agency. [20190]

Mr. Willets: The principles to be followed are laid out clearly in "The Government's Guide to market Testing", paragraphs 6.14 and 6.27, and guidance note No. 40, paragraphs 10.2 and 15.2, issued by Her Majesty's Treasury's central unit on procurement. The guidelines for next steps agencies are the same as those for the rest of central Government. "The Government's Guide to Market Testing" is available in the Library of the House. I am arranging for copies of the CUP guidance note No. 40 to be placed in the Library of the House.

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what vetting procedures are employed to verify the credentials of private companies tendering for contracts with next steps agencies. [20193]

Mr. Willetts: Departments and agencies act in accordance with the guidelines laid out in "The Government's Guide to Market Testing", paragraphs 6.14 and 6.27 and the central unit on procurement's guidance note No. 40, paragraphs 10.2 and 15.2.

In compiling a shortlist, Departments and agencies check companies' capacity and competence for performing the work, their experience in similar work and their financial status. Further checks are made when

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evaluating bids on companies' organisation and personnel policies, their technical status, their existing commitments and their financial status, including, creditworthiness, and details of any holding/guarantor companies providing financial backing.

"The Government's Guide to Market Testing" is available in the Library of the House. I am arranging for copies of the CUP guidance note No. 40 to be placed in the Library of the House.

"Competing for Quality" Review

Mr. Mudie: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the "Competing for Quality" review will be published. [20450]

Mr. Willetts: It is anticipated that the review will be finished shortly and the results will be published as soon as possible thereafter.

Civil Servants (Stress-related Illness)

Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the number of civil servants who have left the service (a) by age, (b) by gender and (c) by Department on grounds of stress-related illness in the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [20333]

Mr. Willetts: Stress is rarely cited as a specific cause of ill health retirement, but conditions which may be precipitated or exacerbated by stress fall into the International Classification of Diseases categories for neurotic disorders. The data available relate to civil servants who have retired on grounds of ill health because of neurotic disorders in the calendar years 1993 and 1994, the data for 1995 are currently being analysed.

There were 3,731 ill health retirements from the civil service in 1993, 2,208 male and 1,523 female. There were 4,169 ill health retirements in 1994, 2,346 male and 1,823 female.

Table 1 shows the total number of ill health retirements classified as being due to neurotic disorders, broken down by age at retirement and gender. It further shows these ill health retirements as a percentage of the total number of ill health retirement certificates issued in the year.

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Table 1

	1993		1994
Age	Male	Female	Male	Female
<40	34	54	58	71
40-49	85	55	105	68
50-59	98	93	123	94
60+	15	7	12	2
Total	232	209	298	235
As percentage of all IHR's	10.5	13.7	12.7	12.9

Tables 2a and 2b, respectively, show for 1993 and 1994 the retirement rate from neurotic disorders in the larger Departments and in the civil service as a whole, as a percentage of staff in post.

Table 2a: 1993

Department	Staff in post	Neurotic disorder IHR's	Percentage IHR rate
Ministry of Defence	129,225	56	0.04
DSS Group	84,824	71	0.08
Inland Revenue	66,521	55	0.08
Employment Group	52,408	50	0.1
Home Office Prison Service	38,527	48	0.12
Her Majesty's Customs and Excise	25,137	34	0.14
Others	157,570	127	0.09
All civil service	554,212	441	0.08

Table 2b: 1994

Department	Staff in post	Neurotic disorder IHR's	Percentage IHR rate
Ministry of Defence	121,552	91	0.07
DSS Group	87,122	83	0.1
Inland Revenue	62,374	63	0.1
Employment Group	49,289	27	0.06
Home Office Prison Service	38,003	61	0.16
Her Majesty's Customs and Excise	25,115	50	0.2
Others	149,895	158	0.11
All civil service	533,350	533	0.1

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