HC Deb 17 July 1995 vol 263 cc939-41W
Mr. Milburn

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will indicate which five consultancy firms have received most contracts from his Department by(a) by number of contracts and (b) monetary value in the last five years for which figures are available. [33441]

Mr. Howard

Information on contracts that my Department has let to consultants in general for the period specified is not held centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. I am, however, able to provide information for contracts let to management consultants during the last two financial years. Information prior to 1993–94 is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

The five management consultancy firms that have received most contracts from my Department during the previous two financial years are as follows:

  • 1993–94
  • Coopers and Lybrand (x5) = 1st
  • PA Consulting (x5) = 1st
  • Price Waterhouse (x5) = 1st
  • L. Massey (x3) = 2nd
  • Vector Corporate Directions Limited (x3) = 2nd
  • 1994–95
  • 940
  • Coopers and Lybrand (x6) = 1st
  • Sema Group (x6) = 1st
  • Price Waterhouse (x4) = 2nd
  • Ernst and Young (x3) = 3rd
  • KPMG (x3) = 3rd
  • PA Consulting (x3) = 3rd

Information on the five management consultancies that have received the most contracts from my Department in monetary value for 1993–94 is not readily available, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The information for 1994–95, in monetary value order, is as follows:

1994–95

  1. 1. Sema Group
  2. 2. Coopers and Lybrand
  3. 3. Lazard Brothers
  4. 4. Price Waterhouse
  5. 5. Ernst and Young

Mr. Milburn

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many contracts his Department has had with consultants; and what has been the total cost in each of the last five years. [33567]

Mr. Howard

Information on contracts that my Department has let to consultants in general for the period specified is not held centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. I am, however, able to provide the number of contracts let to management consultancies, including the overall cost, during 1994–95. For information prior to 1994–95 I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Member for Bexhill and Battle (Mr. Wardle) on 23 March 1994,Official Report, column 223. The information for 1994–95 is as follows: During the 1994–95 financial year the Home Office let 72 contracts to management consultants at a total cost of £2,686,343.

Mr. Austin Mitchell

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many contracts and for what total sum were let out by his Department and agencies for which it is responsible to(a) Coopers and Lybrand and its subsidiaries, (b) Peat Marwick and its subsidiaries, (c) Ernst and Young and its subsidiaries, (d) Arthur Andersen and its subsidiaries, (e) Price Waterhouse and its subsidiaries, (f) Grant Thornton and its subsidiaries, (g) Stoy Hayward and its subsidiaries, (h) Robson Rhodes and its subsidiaries, and (i) Pannell and Kerr Foster and its subsidiaries for privatisation, market testing, management advice, accounting, audit, consultancy and other services in 1993–94 and 1994–95. [33914]

Mr. Howard

For the period specified, information on the number of contracts let to each listed company for the specified consultancies and the total sum paid to each company by my Department is as follows:

1994–95
Consultant Privatisation Market testing Management advice Accounting Audit Consultancy Other services Total sum
Coopers and Lybrand and Subsidiaries 1 4 2 £392,763
Peat Marwick and Subsidiaries 2 1 1 £62,102
Ernst and Young and Subsidiaries 1 1 1 1 £170,178
Arthur Andersen and Subsidiaries
Price Waterhouse and Subsidiaries 1 2 £265,000
Grant Thornton and Subsidiaries 1 1
Stoy Hayward and Subsidiaries
Robson Rhodes and Subsidiaries
Pannell Kerr Foster and Subsidiaries
1 Individual contract values are not given on the grounds of commercial confidentiality.

1993–94
Consultant Privatisation Market testing Management advice Accounting Audit Consultancy Other services Total sum
Coopers and Lybrand and Subsidiaries 1 3 1 £170,000
Peat Marwick and subsidiaries 1 1 £142,500
Ernst and Young and subsidiaries 1 1 £103,837
Arthur Andersen and subsidiaries
Price Waterhouse and subsidiaries 1 1 1 2 £329,071
Grant Thornton and subsidiaries
Stoy Hayward and subsidiaries
Robson Rhodes and subsidiaries 1 1 £20,610
Pannell Kerr Foster and subsidiaries