Press briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Third Sector Speech, Trident, World Cup Tickets, and Grace and Favour homes
Third Sector Speech
The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) previewed the Prime Minister’s speech that he would give to the Future Services Network conference tomorrow. The Prime Minister and other ministers would focus on how the third sector, otherwise know as the voluntary sector, could work with government to deliver more customer based public services. The summit would address how the Government could insure public, private and voluntary sectors were able to learn to be the best service providers, how service provision could be shaped more towards individuals and the communities that use them, and how to develop and celebrate innovative methods of delivery. The Prime Minister would say:
"The influence which the voluntary or third sector has had on our economy and our public services over the past decade has been one of the most profound and lasting changes in society. The private sector has learned the value of being rooted in a community and of developing genuine programmes to support corporate social responsibility, while the public sector has learned the critical importance of understanding customers.
"When cooperation works it can be very powerful but if there are barriers which prevent this collaboration we will remove them, if there are rules that prevent private and third sector bodies bidding fairly against the public sector we will change them, if there is bureaucracy which inhibits the ingenuity of people with a public service ethos we will dismantle it. It is only if we do this that we will get to the root of some of the intractable problems we confront.
"It seems clear to me that partnerships between commercial companies, third sector organisations, and the public service will more and more be the way that we deliver better focussed and more cost effective public services."
The Prime Minister would also announce a review of community equipment, including wheelchairs, hand-rails and walking aids which would be led by the Department of Health. That was aimed to allow the voluntary sector to play a bigger role in a market which was worth an estimated £220million, both in delivering the services and informing their design. In the year 2004/05 it was estimated some 479,000 adults received equipment and adaptations from social services, so it was clearly a big market. The important thing was to have a tripartite approach which was voluntary sector, public sector and private sector working together and allowing the best people to bid successfully to provide the equipment. It didn’t mean it had to be voluntary sector but they could compete on equal terms. Asked if that applied if someone wanted to open up a hospital or a school the PMOS said that in terms of those processes, in other fields it was already known that the independent sector had been involved, resulting in real improvements for patients, for example in independent treatment centres. The important thing was that the service that was delivered was free at the point of delivery, as the Prime Minister reiterated at PMQs today, but that the best and most cost effective way of providing the service was found.
Trident
Asked for the Prime Minister’s view concerning a replacement for the Trident nuclear defence programme following the questions raised at PMQs earlier, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister would express that view at the appropriate time. He hadn’t said anything more today than he had said in the past. Put to him that as a multi-lateralist he wouldn’t get rid of Trident unilaterally, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister believed in maintaining the UK’s defence. In terms of Trident we would talk about that at the appropriate time. Put to him that the Prime Minister had implied there would be a decision by the House of Commons, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister had said there would be a proper discussion. The point he was making was that this was not something we were suddenly going to announce.
World Cup Tickets
Asked if the securing of tickets for 350 school children disappointed by fraudulent tickets at the World Cup in Germany was down to Richard Caborn’s charm and diplomacy, the PMOS said that it was down to a team effort including DCMS in which Richard Caborn played a very important part. So had Sepp Blatter and his team at FIFA and the Premier League as well. This was genuinely something which DCMS had been working round the clock on and we were very grateful to them, as well as FIFA and the Premier League. Asked what role the Prime Minister played, the PMOS said that, if he could put it this way, the Prime Minister had given a lead on Radio Five which DCMS had no doubt been happy to follow.
Grace and Favour Homes
Asked if there had been any developments on Grace and Favour homes for ministers, the PMOS referred journalists to his previous answer on the subject. Put to him that it was a matter of public record when these homes were occupied, the PMOS said that we would of course tell people when that happy event arose. Asked if it would be resolved before recess, the PMOS said that it was not a matter that he sensed was top of people’s agenda. Asked if it was possible that some of these homes might be sold off the PMOS said that he had genuinely meant it when he said previously that discussions would continue and we would let people know the outcome of those discussions.
Asked if the Prime Minister met the costs of entertaining private guests at his residency, the PMOS said that all ministers complied with the relevant rules on these matters.
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