HC Deb 10 February 1995 vol 254 cc429-30W
Mr. Malcolm Bruce

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are his latest estimates of the expenditure on all external consultants, including management consultants, for each year since 1987, in 1994 prices, for his Department and its agencies; and what are the quantified annual cost savings which such expenditure has resulted in.

Mr. Ian Taylor

[holding answer 9 February 1995]: Disaggregated information on the basis requested is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the then Under-Secretary of State for Industry and Consumer Affairs on 13 March 1990, Official Report, column 173, which showed the fees paid by the Department of Trade and Industry for general consultancies in the years 1984 to 1989, and to the answer given by my hon. Friend the then Under-Secretary of State for Consumer Affairs on 1 May 1991, Official Report, columns 219–20,which gave the corresponding figures for 1989–90 and 1990–91. Since 1986–87, programme-related consultancy work has been funded from within programme budgets. The fees for general consultancy work for the years 1990–91 to 1993–94 are given in the following table:

Year £000
1990–91 3,139
1991–92 3,490
1992–93 3,171
1993–94 4,774