§ Mr. ByersTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the total cost to date to consultants for advice relating to the provisions contained within the Jobseekers Act 1995; and what is the estimate of the final costs. [38178]
§ Mr. ForthTo date, the jobseeker's allowance implementation project has spent £979,000 on private sector consultancy support. It is anticipated that a further £1,168,000 will be spent on this item through existing contracts. The implementation project is currently considering tenders for management consultancy support after October 1995. At this state there is no firm figure for the costs of this additional support.