Government Efficiency: Sir Philip Greens’ Report

Lord Campbell-Savours Excerpts

Thursday 14th October 2010 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke]

My Lords—

[Lord Campbell-Savours]

My Lords—

[Lord Sugar]

My Lords, using his own words, Sir Philip says that his findings are nothing more than “common sense”, and I absolutely agree with him. He has produced a very good report in the short period of time he had to do it in. But does not the noble Lord agree that it is time to centralise buying and to bring in some kind of head honcho from the private sector who knows what they are doing and pay them the right amount of money, which they would be paid in a large organisation? If you do that, you will end up paying someone a rather exorbitant amount of money that is many multiples of what the Prime Minister earns. However, Sir Philip did admit, in another of his famous statements in the report, that if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. [Laughter.]

A noble Lord: You’re fired!