Government Office of the West Midlands

HC Deb 15 June 2004 vol 422 cc847-8W

Mr. Flight

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total expenditure on consultants and contractors for the Government Office of the West Midlands was in each year since 1997. [176900]

Yvette Cooper

Detailed expenditure of this type is no longer available for 1997–98. Also, expenditure on "contractors" is not recorded separately from a wide range of general administrative costs. "Consultants" costs are recorded under the heading of professional services for which total expenditure was as follows:

Professional Services
	£
1998–99	41,000
1999–2000	115,000
2000–01	119,000
2001–02	68,000
2002–03	58,000
2003–04	560,000

The 2003–04 data involves a change of definition and is not compatible with previous figures.