§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the cost to date and the expected future cost of her Department's market-testing programme; how many staff are engaged full time in work relating to market testing; which firms of consultants have been used in connection with the market-testing programme; and how they were selected.
§ Mr. JackThe cost to date of the Department's market testing programme is estimated to be some £1,120,000 including external consultancy support. Plans for the future are still under consideration.
The number of full-time staff in the market testing unit is currently 17. But a further 175 staff in various other parts of the Department have contributed to the programme either in the identification of candidates for market testing or in the actual conduct of tests arid the activities associated with them.
The following firms of consultants have been used by the Department as part of its market testing programme since November 1991:
- Amtec Consulting;
- Capita Management Consultancy;
- Coopers and Lybrand;
- Ernst and Young;
34 - Gould Consultants;
- lioskyns Group;
- Leopold Joseph and Sons Ltd.
In addition, a number of self-employed purchasing specialists have been used by the Department. Consultancy services have been acquired in full accordance with the purchasing principles laid down in chapter 31 of "Government Accounting."