Management Consultants

HC Deb 02 June 1992 vol 208 cc531-2W

Mr. Dobson

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total sum paid out in fees by his Department to management consultants in 1979–80 and in each following year up to and including 1991–92; and what is his estimate for 1992–93.

Mr. Aitken

Fees paid to management consultants engaged centrally by the Ministry of Defence for the years 1984–85 to 1991–92 are as follows:

Financial year	£ million
1984–85	0.604
1985–86	1.787
1986–87	6.203
1987–88	5.140
1988–89	3.109
1989–90	5.292
1990–91	3.935
1991–92	5.700

Figures for earlier years cannot be produced without disproportionate cost and effort.

Under the Department's devolved management strategy, expenditure on management consultancy is now the responsibility of individual management areas. Plans are therefore not held centrally for 1992–93, but provisional forecasts indicate expenditure of about £6.8 million.