§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will oblige health authorities to itemise separately in their accounts the amount spent on management consultancy;
(2) what is his Department's estimate for the total amount spent by health authorities on management consultancies for the last full year for which an estimate is available.
§ Mr. DorrellThe employment of management consultants is a matter for individual health authorities. Information on the expenditure incurred or on which to base an estimate of the total involved is not routinely collected centrally.
We do not intend to oblige health authorities to itemise separately any such information in their accounts as the amount paid to individual consultants is subject to commercial confidentiality.