§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the cost to date and the expected future cost of his Department's market-testing programme; how many staff are engaged full-time in work relating to market testing; which firms of consultants have been used in connection with the market-testing programme; and how they were selected.
§ Mr. EggarThe cost to date of my Department's market-testing programme is some £1,050,000. This covers direct staff costs and consultants brought in to add private sector skills. Future costs cannot be gauged at this time as details of the forward programme are not yet available. Eight staff are engaged full time on market testing.
Firms of consultants which have been used in connection with the market testing programme are: Capita, Coopers and Lybrand, Ernst and Young, Grosvenor consultancy services, KPMG Peat Marwick, Lamb Associates, MM Consulting, PA Consulting, Pannell Kerr Forster Associates, Price Waterhouse, Shreeveport, SRU Ltd., and Stoker Associates. They were all selected by competitive tender.