§ Mr. Tim SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many internal auditors are employed in his office and the departments for which he is responsible and at what cost; how many internal audit reports were produced in 1989; how many of these were drawn to the attention of a Minister in his Department; and what internal audit work is subcontracted to private firms and at what cost.
§ Mr. Cope[holding answer 7 March 1990]: The following information covers the Northern Ireland Office and the Police Authority (NI) as well as the six Northern Ireland Civil Service departmental internal audit groups. The full staffing complement at 1 March 1990 was 90. Departmental running costs for 1989–90 are £1,315,000.
There were 190 internal audit reports produced in 1989, of which one was brought to the attention of a Minister.
No internal audit work has been subcontracted to the private sector. However, one department has made extensive use of consultants in an advisory capacity at a cost of £54,000 in 1989.