§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what are his estimates of the expenditure on all external consultants, including management consultants, for each year since 1992, in 1997 prices, for his Department and its agencies; and what estimate he has made of the quantified annual cost savings achieved by this. [10412]
§ Ms JowellEstimates for expenditure on all external consultants for the Department of Health and its agencies, in 1997 prices, are as follows:
608W
Year £ million 1992–93 24.194 1993–94 20.468 1994–95 21.926 1995–96 21.132 1996–971 15.789 1 Information for 1996–97 includes a figure of £2.194 million for NHS Regional Offices which were established in 1996–97. The Department does not hold information centrally on savings which are a direct consequence of external consultants' activity.