§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much has been spent in each of the past five years by his Department on work undertaken by contractors, showing what work is undertaken and in each case whether it was previously undertaken by permanent staff.
§ Mr. PortilloThe Department has some 1,360 budget holders who have delegated responsibility for getting work done within their allocated budget and for obtaining value for money. For some tasks this would involve the use of contractors. The detailed information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.