§ Mr. DonohoeTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his answer of 11 May,Official Report, column 166, how much his Department has spent 415W on private investigation services during the last two years; if he will list those companies which have been employed by his Department during this period; what safeguards his Department took to ensure that these agencies were members of the Association of British Investigators; and what guidelines are currently in operation within his Department as regards this matter.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythIn the last two years, the Employment Service has twice instructed solicitors to use private investigation services as detailed in the previous answer of 11 May 1994,Official Report, column 166. In the first case, the cost to the ES from the private solicitor was £75. In the second case, the ES has not yet been billed by the Treasury Solicitor; the cost is estimated to be £100.
In both cases the solicitors who engaged the investigation agencies were responsible for ensuring that they were reputable.