HC Deb 12 June 1990 vol 174 cc96-9W
Mr. Allen

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list the studies conducted inside the Cabinet Office and Prime Minister's offices by management consultants over the last 10 years, naming the consultancy, the cost, the subject and the outcome in each instance.

The Prime Minister

There has been no expenditure on management consultants by my office over the last 10 years. Until 1988–89 financial information about management consultancies engaged by the Cabinet Office was not identified separately from other types of consultancy. Expenditure on management consultants in that year and in 1989–90 was as follows:

£
1988–89 70,608
1989–90 51,500

Information on individual consultancies is available only from 1985 onwards. The management consultants employed by the Cabinet Office and the nature of their assignments are as follows:

Firm and Assignment

  • Chinal Management Services Ltd.
    • Specialised training.
  • Communication Audit
    • Review of written guidance to promotion boards.
  • Coopers and Lybrand Associates1
    1. (i)Management/Staff communications
    2. (ii) Policy work and the financial management initiative.
  • Diane Bailey Associates
    1. (i) Training material on staff appraisal: training workshops
    2. (ii) Trainers' resource pack on equal opportunities
    3. (iii) Specialised training.
  • Hay-MSL Management Consultants1
    1. (i) Evaluation of performance bonus experiment
    2. (ii) Means of assessing the potential and management development needs of staff at junior levels.
  • Business Research Unit
    • Evaluation of staff attitudes to the new staff appraisal system.
  • Keith Robertson
    • Consultancy for the 'Managing Absence' project.
  • Diane Bailey Associates
    • Survey on presentation of Occupation Welfare Service to management and staff in the Civil Service.
  • Institute of Manpower Studies
    • Advice on manpower planning and computers in personnel.
  • John Rowley
    • Production of guidelines for managers and trade unionists on job satisfaction projects and a summary of the guidelines for staff.
  • W. O'Keefe
    • Study of purchasing and stores activities.
  • Hay Management Consultants
    • A study of the feasibility of short service assignments in the Science Group.
  • Purchasing Index (UK) Ltd1
    • Development of the Central Unit of Purchasing Database.
  • Frank Griffiths Associates 1
    • Advice in connection with the Institute of Civil Engineers' review of conditions of contract.
  • R. W. White1
    • Review of arrangements for Purchasing and Supply Function in Government.
  • E. R. Farnbridge and C. Evans1
    • Review of Supply and Service Agreements between departments and the Central Purchasing Agencies.
  • D. F. Collins1
    • Advice on Written Guidance.
    98
  • Training Development Approaches Ltd
    • Design of manual in support of the Young People Programme.
  • Industrial Training Service Ltd
    • Production of a guide on conducting training needs analyses.
  • WRM Ltd
    • Training information and communications study.
  • PA Personnel Services
    • Analysis of Executive Officer and fast stream recruitments.
  • Imitax Ltd.
    • Workshops on job satisfaction employee involvement.
  • Imitax Ltd.
    • Local Office network conference.
  • Inbucon Management Consultants Ltd.
    • Case study on personnel and financial management.
  • Industrial Training Services Ltd.
    1. (i) Measuring training activity
    2. (ii) Specialised training.
  • Intra Systems Ltd. (1)
    • Pilot study on the use of interactive video.
  • KMG Thomson McLintock
    • Review of office automation pilot programme in a government department.
  • OD (Management Consultancy) Ltd.
    • Review of a productivity scheme.
  • PA Personnel Services Ltd.
    • Study of the provision of information advice and guidance on matters of employment law within the Civil Service.
  • Peter Saunders Associates
    • Self instruction package on Government Accounting.
  • Transform
    • Specialised training.
  • BGM Consultants Ltd.
    • Identification of core skills for the young people project.
  • Business Research Unit
    • Evaluation of staff appraisal scheme.
  • Centre for Training and Evaluation Studies
    • Evaluation of staff appraisal material.
  • Coopers and Lybrand Associates (1)
    • Development of policy evaluation.
  • Diane Bailey Associates
    1. (i) Training material on staff appraisal and training workshops
    2. (ii) Preparation of information pack on stress management.
    3. DWJ Consulting Services Ltd. (1)
      • Functions review of the Crown Suppliers.
    4. Ernst and Whinney
      • Specialised training.
    5. Frank Griffiths Associates Ltd.
      • Review of the purchasing and supply organisation in a government department.
    6. IMS
      1. (i) Study of mobility1
      2. (ii) Specialised training
      3. (iii) Advice on working patterns.
    7. Inbucon Management Consultants Ltd.
      • Preparation of a training package.
    8. Pergamon Infotech
      • Specialised training.
    9. Peat, Marwick Mitchell1
      • Development of policy evaluation.
    10. Psychometric Research and Development Ltd.
      • Analysis contributing to the Civil Service Commission review of executive officer recruitment.
    11. Systems Concepts Ltd.
      • Identification of information management needs.
    12. BGM Consultants
      • Identification of core skills in clerical grades.
    13. Diane Bailey Associates
      • Preparation of a Stress Management Training Pack. ITS Ltd.
    14. Guide to conducting Training Reviews.
      • Systems Concepts Ltd.
      • Training Information Communications Study—feasibility study.
    15. John Childs
      • Training Information Communications Study—customer needs survey.
      99
    16. Anne Hughes Hallet
      • Research on undergraduate attitudes to a career in Her Majesty's Tax Inspectorate.
    17. B. O'Connor
      • Selection procedure design (engineer recruitment).
    18. National Foundation for Educational Research
      • Aptitude test analysis.
    19. Centre for Training and Evaluation Studies
      • Evaluation of self instruction training package for the new staff appraisal system.
    20. Richard Williams
      • Equal Opportunities monitoring project.
    21. Questel Qualitive Studies Ltd.1
      • Audit of recruitment publicity.
    22. Anne Hughes Hallett1
      • Research into careers attitudes.
    23. Human Assets Ltd.
      • Study of Information Officers recruitment procedures.
    24. Equalities Associates
      • Guidelines for trainers on equal opportunities issues.
    25. Ashbridge Management College
      • Study of Women's National Commission.
    26. Coopers and Lybrand Associates
      • Pilot study on evaluation.
    27. National Children's Bureau
      • Advice on the London Childcare Project.
    28. Peter Williams Associates
      • Advice on the London Childcare Project.
    29. Price Waterhouse
      • Advice on performance indicators and management information systems.
    30. Shaista Faruqi
      • Design of recruitment monitoring system.

1Costs for these studies were shared with other Government Departments.