§ Mr. ByersTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many civil servants in his department or its agencies are presently working on matters related to the Scott772W inquiry; if dedicated units have been established; and what is the estimated cost to date of civil servants dealing with matters relating to the Scott inquiry. [30293]
§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke[holding answer 22 June 1995]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply which my right hon. Friend the Paymaster General gave him on 18 May 1994, Official Report, columns 481–82. Costs incurred by the Treasury since then have been very small.
There are presently six staff of HM Customs and Excise dedicated to working on matters related to the Scott inquiry. The total staffing cost of the Department's Scott liaison unit is now estimated to be around £612,000 to date. This figure does not include the personal costs of current and former Customs and Excise officials who have been asked to give written and/or oral evidence to the Scott inquiry.