HC Deb 29 January 2003 vol 398 cc851-2W
Mr. Laws

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much(a) his Department and (b) each agency and non-departmental public body spent on external consultancy in each year from 1995–96 to 2002–03 (planned); and if he will make a statement. [92226]

Mr. Alexander

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given in another place to the noble Baroness Wilcox by Lord Macdonald on 27 November 2002, Official Report; column WA42.

Expenditure by the Cabinet Office on external consultants is estimated to be £9,493,000 for 2002–03. The figures for the Central Office of Information (COI), the Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) and the only non-departmental public body sponsored by the Cabinet Office with such spend are as follows:

COI GCDA Committee on standards in public life
1997–98 66,395 n/a 0
1998–99 30,972 n/a 0
1999–2000 17,468 33,997 0
2000–01 48,980 21,715 0

COI GCDA Committee on standards in public life
2001–02 52,170 53,385 35,056
2002–031 18,886 58,000 7,400
1Estimated

The figures for earlier years, and those for GCDA for 1997–98 and 1998–99, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.