Post Office And Aldo Manta

EDM number 1640 in 1993-94, proposed by Peter Hain on 24/10/1994.

That this House notes that the Post Office Code of Conduct for the purchase of goods and services requires its purchasing to achieve value for money, and requires suppliers to have a track record, long term security, financial standing, stable ownership and brand leadership; notes that the Post Office has awarded an estimated ú7.5 million contract (No. 3094008) to Aldo Manta the trading name for Piriac Ltd. whose directors are Clive Sumner, a Lloyd's name with total losses estimated at ú500,000, and David Tapley, a Lloyd's name with total losses estimated at ú1,200,000, on disaster syndicates; notes that Aldo Manta has changed its name, ownership and structural details several times over the last few years; is concerned that the Post Office has awarded a contract in apparent breach of its own code of conduct to a company that does not have a track record or stable ownership, that the contract was not open to competition and that there is a dispute in the High Court regarding the intellectual property rights of the goods ordered; calls on the President of the Board of Trade to investigate this matter and explain what control his Department exercises over Post Office contracts and management, and when he will address the concerns expressed regarding Post Office contracting in a letter passed on to him from the Leader of the House, the Right Honourable Member for Braintree; and demands that Post Office privatisation must be halted until at least a proper inquiry has been held into this matter. (Relevant registered interest declared).

This motion has been signed by a total of 29 MPs.