Qa Ltd And At&t Istel

EDM number 174 in 1991-92, proposed by Jeff Rooker on 14/11/1991.

That this House calls for a Department of Trade and Industry public inquiry into the take over of Qa Business Services Ltd, the former Management Services Division of the West Midlands Regional Health Authority by AT&T ISTEL, believing this to be thoroughly justified as Qa Ltd was making a surplus for the public sector before it was privatised in 1989 and that with the loss of 300 staff, the cutting of pension payments, the non-payment of salaries and being taken over debt free by AT&T ISTEL, the public purse has effectively been raided once again; judges that an in-depth inquiry is especially necessary as AT&T ISTEL was previously the successful in-house Computer Services Division of the Rover Group before being privatised at a knock down price, as already drawn to the attention of the House in the National Audit Office Report on the sale of Rover to British Aerospace, where it was disclosed that the then Rover stake in ISTEL was valued on the books at ú3 million, was estimated by Barings to have a realisable value of between ú8-ú10 million and that this stake was sold immediately by British Aerospace for ú39.1 million, thereby creating several millionaires overnight at the expense of the tax payer; and feels it must record its suspicion that Qa Business Services has been absorbed by such a company.

This motion has been signed by a total of 35 MPs.