HC Deb 12 July 1995 vol 263 cc554-8W
Mr. Milburn

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department which firms of consultants employed by his Department over the last year have been paid more than £1,000 per day. [33868]

Mr. John M. Taylor

For the period 1 July 1994 to 30 June 1995, certain key elements of work completed under six external consultancy contracts were paid for at a daily rate exceeding £1,000.

The firms in question are:

  • Binder, Hamlyn and Fry
  • Ernst and Young
  • Kinsley Lord
  • KPMG
  • Office of Public Management
  • Price Waterhouse

Mr. Milburn

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much his Department and its agencies have spent on computer consultancy in each of the last five years; and what is the expected expenditure over the next five years. [33865]

Mr. Taylor

The chief executives of the Land Registry and the Public Records Office will respond on behalf of their agencies. The chief executives of the Public Trust Office and Court Service will also respond on behalf of their agencies for expenditure from 1 July 1994 and 3 April 1995 respectively. Expenditure on computer consultancy for the remainder of the Department for the 1994–95 financial year was £387,574—see footnote. The information for earlier years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Future expenditure on computer consultancy will be considered as the need arises.

Letter from Elizabeth Hallam Smith to Mr. Alan Milburn, dated 12 July 1995:

EXPENDITURE ON COMPUTER CONSULTANCY

I have been asked by the Lord Chancellor's Parliamentary Secretary, in the absence on leave of the Chief Executive of the Public Record Office, to reply to your question about expenditure on computer consultancy.

The Public Record Office has spent the following sums on computer consultancy over the last five years:

  • 1990–91: £45,743
  • 1991–92: £150,861
  • 1992–93: £442,151
  • 1993–94: £240,703
  • 1994–95: £63,325

Expected expenditure over the next five years is approximately £828,000.

Letter from Michael Huebner to Mr. Alan Milburn, dated 12 July 1995:

COMPUTER CONSULTANCY

The Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, has asked me to reply to the above Question concerning the cost of computer consultancy.

I should first explain that the Court Service became an Executive Agency on 3 April this year. Information about the amount spent in the last financial year will therefore be provided by the Parliamentary Secretary. I understand that figures for previous years are not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

The anticipated cost of computer consultancy for the Court Service in the current and following three financial years is as follows:

  • 1995–96: £707,544
  • 1996–97: £1,363,900
  • 1997–98: £1,264,900
  • 1998–99: £1,133,100

The requirements beyond these financial years are not yet known.

Letter from Julia C. Lomas to Mr. Alan Milburn, dated 12 July 1995:

The Parliamentary Secretary has asked me to reply to you as part of the Lord Chancellor's Department's response to your Parliamentary Question. listed on 7 July 1995, regarding the spending on computer consultancy in the last five years and the expected expenditure over the next five years.

The Public Trust Office has spent no money on computer consultancy in the last five years. This year, however, we intend carrying out an Information System Strategy Study with the aid of consultants although it is not possible to forecast expenditure on this study at this stage.

Letter from John Manthorpe to Mr. Alan Milburn, dated 12 July 1995:

I have been asked by the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department to reply to your recent question about the amount spent by this Agency on computer consultancy in the last five years, and the expected expenditure over the next five years. The details are as follows:-

  • 1990–91: £11,403
  • 1991–92: £40,803
  • 1992–93: £33,547
  • 1993–94: £29,023
  • 1994–95: £45,261

Expected Expenditure:

  • 1995–96: £151,000
  • 1996–97: £147,000
  • 1997–98: £150,000
  • 1998–99: £115,000
  • 1999–2000: £115,000

The increase in planned expenditure over previous years is due to three major new initiatives. These are the proposed outsourcing of the management of data communications for our Direct Access Service, the development of a business application for a National Land Information Service, and the development of a computer mapping system.

I do hope that this answers the points raised with the Parliamentary Secretary, but please contact me if I can be of any further assistance.

Mr. Milburn

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department which firms have won computer consultancy contracts from his Department and its agencies over the last five years; and what is the number of contracts per firm. [33897]

Mr. Taylor

The chief executives of the Land Registry and the Public Records Office will respond on behalf of their agencies. The chief executive of the Public Trust Office will also respond as appropriate on behalf of this agency for expenditure from 1 July 1994.

The firms which have been awarded computer consultancy contracts from the remainder of my Department during the 1994–95 financial year are shown on the table—see footnote.

Information for earlier financial year could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Name Number of contracts
Act Business Systems 1
Admiral Computing 3
AMTEC Consulting 1
W. S. Atkins Technology 1
Bull Information Systems 1
Class 1
CSS. Trident 1
Digital Equipment Co 1
Grasshopper Computers 1
Helistar 1
Hewlett Packard 1
Insight Computing 1
LBMS 1
MBA Consultants 2
Metron 1
Myriad Computer Services 9
Oracle Corporation 2
Parity 1
Parity Solutions 1
PC Associates 1
Property Logistics 1
Public Sector Software 1
Scoll 1

Includes the Court Service and, until 30 June 1994, the PTO.

Letter from John Manthorpe to Mr. Alan Milburn, dated 12 July 1995:

COMPUTER CONSULTANCY CONTRACTS

I have been asked by the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department to reply to your recent question about the firms which have won computer consultancy contracts from this Agency over the last five years, and the number of contracts per firm. The names of the firms or organisations awarded contracts during this period are given in alphabetical order, as follows:-

  • Belvedere Associates
  • CCTA
  • Dynamic Communications
  • IBM
  • Intergraph
  • Lasercom
  • Secure Information Systems Limited
  • Sun Accounts

Each of the firms listed was awarded one contract except for Dynamic Communications which was awarded two contracts of a total value of £3,031.

I do hope that this answers the points raised with the Parliamentary Secretary, but please contact me if I can be of any further assistance.

Letter from Julia C. Lomas to Mr. Alan Milburn, dated 12 July 1995:

The Parliamentary Secretary has asked me to reply to you as part of the Lord Chancellor's Department's response to your Parliamentary Question, listed on 7 July 1995, regarding the firms which have won computer consultancy contracts over the last five years.

The Public Trust Office has not awarded any computer consultancy contracts over the last five years.

Clwyd
Year Conservative Labour Liberal/Democrat Plaid Cymru Independent Not known Total
1989 11 7 4 3 0 0 25
1990 5 9 5 2 2 0 23
1991 4 8 0 2 3 0 17
1992 18 10 9 1 1 0 39
1993 11 6 7 0 0 0 24
1994 9 6 5 1 0 0 21
19951 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 No appointments yet made in 1995.
Dyfed
Year Conservative Labour Liberal/Democrat Plaid Cymru Independent Not known Total
1989 6 1 3 1 1 0 12
1990 3 3 4 0 0 3 13
1991 5 6 3 3 2 0 19
1992 6 2 3 0 5 0 16
1993 4 7 5 3 5 0 24
1994 1 4 2 1 4 0 12
19951 1 0 2 4 2 0 9
1 Additional appointments are expected in 1995.
Mid Glamorgan
Year Conservative Labour Liberal/Democrat Plaid Cymru Independent Not known Total
1989 3 7 2 0 2 0 14
1990 6 11 0 1 0 1 19
1991 6 13 0 0 6 0 25

Letter from Elizabeth Hallam Smith to Mr. Alan Milburn dated 12 July 1995:

COMPUTER CONSULTANCY CONTRACTS

I have been asked by the Lord Chancellor's Parliamentary Secretary, in the absence on leave of the Chief Executive of the Public Record Office, to reply to your question about computer consultancy contracts.

The following firms have won computer consultancy contracts from the Public Record Office over the last five years. The number of contracts won by each is stated in the second column:

Number
AXSIS 1
Cray (formerly Aims) 2
CIMTECH 1
Data Sciences 1
EFD 2
EOSYS 1
Ernst & Young 2
HEDRA 2
Portlock Communications 1
ROYBOT Ltd 2
SISL 2
Touche Ross 1
WS Atkins 1