HC Deb 24 November 1999 vol 339 cc160-1W
Mr. Don Foster

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been spent by his Department on external consultants and advisers since May 1997 funded from (i) his Department' s programme provision and (ii) his Department's running costs. [99494]

Mr. Ingram

The expenditure on external consultants and advisers by Northern Ireland Departments and the Northern Ireland Office is not held in the format requested but is held under 11 specific categories. The breakdown of expenditure in the 1997–98 and 1998–99 financial years, in these categories is as follows:

Categories 1997–98 1998–99
1. Competition and Purchasing 1,119,223 800,845
2. Finance and Accountancy 880,169 1,522,867
3. Information and Control Systems 1,591,326 1,560,416
4. Management (Efficiency) 1,247,524 791,705
5. Management (Organisation and Planning) 244,236 570,911
6. Management (Personnel) 507,037 467,306
7. Marketing 729,411 907,320
8. Production Management 62,209 43,185
9. Research 990,544 1,866,529
10. Specific issues (Energy, Environment, Location/Relocation, Next Steps/GRI PFI Surveying/Valuing) 3,021,983 1,945,572
11. Capital Works Consultants 44,161 1,080
NIO1 472,000 813,000
Total 10,909,823 11,290,736
1The NIO do not provide a breakdown of their figures, and a System update since last PQ increased 1997–98 year by £54,339