Written question asked by Tim J Smith (Conservative), in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 16 January 1997. It was answered by Lord Freeman on Thursday, 16 January 1997 on behalf of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

Question: If he will comment on the progress of the sale of custody services.

Answer: Mr. Tim Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the progress of the sale of custody services. [11693] Mr. Freeman: I have decided that Apax Partners and Co., the proposed acquire of the support services division of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, should be granted exclusive access to further information about custody services, with a view to its supporting a final bid for the business. Three other indicative offers were submitted, but I considered these to be unacceptable as they did not meet the objectives for sale. The bid for custody services will be compared with the option of retaining the business in the public sector.

Secondary information