§ Mr. MilburnTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what monitoring takes place by her Department of the use of external consultants by non-departmental public bodies. [16760]
§ Mr. Robin SquireNon-departmental public bodies sponsored by the Department for Education and Employment operate within the terms of financial memoranda agreed with the Department.
These require NDPBs to establish an internal audit service whose role is to provide assurance on the control arrangements to the accounting officer of the NDPB. This assurance is provided through the implementation of a risk-based audit plan.
Each plan identifies a cyclical programme of reviews designed, over time, to subject the full range of running cost expenditure to system audit. This process reviews those systems that control the use of external consultants. The frequency and depth of review would depend on the perceived degree of "risk" of the various arrangements within the particular organisation.
The Department's own internal audit division ensures that the overall service provided by the internal audit provider to the NDPB is of appropriate quality.
Additionally, NDPBs are aware of the Cabinet Office report on the Government's use of external consultants and have been given copies of the Department's guidance on best practice in the use of external consultants.