Contracts (Hansard, 11 April 2002)

§ Ms Hewitt

Information from the Department's systems indicate that contracts let by core DTI to PWC Consulting or PricewaterhouseCoopers are as follows:

PricewaterhouseCoopers
	No. contracts	Total value £
1 April 1999 to 31 March 2000	9	354,657
1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001	16	636,623
1 April 2001 to 4 January 2002	13	870,199

Contracts let by core DTI to Ernst & Young are as follows:

Ernst & Young
	No. contracts	Total value £
1 April 1999 to 31 March 2000	3	407,165
1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001	58	829,043
1 April 2001 to 4 January 2002	10	879,679

532W

Contracts let by core DTI to Deloitte & Touche are as follows:

Deloitte & Touche
	No. contracts	Total value £
1 April 1999 to 31 March 2000	6	1,265, 252
1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001	6	1,839,428
1 April 2001 to 4 January 2002	4	4,489,189

Contracts let by core DTI to KPMG Touche are as follows:

KPMG
	No. contracts	Total value £
1 April 1999 to 31 March 2000	1	11,642
1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001	4	30,009
1 April 2001 to 4 January 2002	3	92,131

Information is not held centrally for the earlier years and could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.

For contracts let to Andersen I would refer to the answer given to the hon. Member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr on 11 February 2002, Official Report, column 62W where exceptionally information was given for earlier years.

The Department's Executive Agencies will be responding separately.

Letter from Dr. J. W. Llewellyn to Mr. Don Foster, dated 11 April 2002: The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply on behalf of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) to your question about the number and value of consutlancy services commissioned by NWML in recent years in respect of PWC Consulting or PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst and Yong, Deloitte Touche, KPMG and Andersen. NWML has not engaged any of these organisations during the period specified.

Letter from David Irwin to Mr. Don Foster, dated 11 April 2002: I set out below details of contracts issued by the Small Business Service since its inception on 3 April 2000, together with its predecessor directorates, to two of the companies listed in your question to Mrs. Hewitt.

Company	Financial Year	Number of contracts	Value (£)
KPMG	1997–98	1	19,387
	1998–99	1	254,232
	2001–02	Secondee	35,000
Ernst & Young	1997–98	2	75,719

No contracts were issued to PWC Consulting or PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte & Touche, or Andersen.

Letter from Chris de Grouchy to Mr. Don Foster, dated 11 April 2002: In the absence of the Chief Executive, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply on behalf of the Radiocommunications Agency to your Parliamentary Question about contracts let to various companies. In 1999–2000 the Agency let one contract to KPMG. Remuneration for the work amounted to £1,522,460 ex-VAT.

533W

Letter from Dr. Roger Heathcote to Mr. Don Foster, dated 11 April 2002: You tabled a Parliamentary Question on 4 February 2002 to Patricia Hewitt, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, concerning how many contracts were let by her Department and agencies for which she is responsible to (a) PWC Consulting or PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Ernst & Young, (c) Deloitte & Touche, (d) KPMG and (e) Andersen for consultancy services for the financial years (i) 1997–98, (ii) 1998–99, (iii) 1999–2000, (iv) 2000–01 and (v) 2001 to the latest date for which figures are available, indicating the remuneration made in each case. The Employment Tribunals Service awarded one contract Lo Deloitte & Touche for (iv) 2000–01 and (v) 2001 to the latest date for which figures are available. The remuneration made was is follows: Financial year 2000–01 payment of £21,319.20 was made on 22 February 2001; Financial year 2001–02 payment of £10,184.90 was made on 12 April 2001; and Financial year 2001–02 payment of £21,576.53 was made on 19 July 2001. The Employment Tribunals Service awarded this contract to Deloitte & Touche as a result of a competitive tender. The contract was funded from the Civil Service Reform Fund and both the work and payment spanned the financial years 2000–01 and 2001–02.

Letter from John Holden to Mr. Don Foster, dated 11 April 2002: I refer to your written Parliamentary Question 2001/2674 I have been asked to respond for Companies House. A contract was let to PricewaterhouseCoopers in June 1998, via a mini-competition using SCAT suppliers, for consultancy advice related to procurement of a Millennium-compliant accounti ig system, at a cost of £127K.

Letter from Desmond Flynn to Mr. Don Foster, dated 11 April 2002: The Secretary of State has asked me to respond to your question as to how many contracts were let by The Insolvency Service to (a) PWC Consulting or PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Ernst & Young, (c) Deloitte & Touche, (d) KPMG and (e) Andersen tor consultancy services for the financial years (i) 1997–98, (ii) 1998–99, (iii) 1999–00, (iv) 2000–01 and (v) 2001 to the latest date for which figures are available, indicating the remuneration made in each case. The Insolvency Service has had no consultancy contracts with these firms during the specified years.

Letter from Alison Brimelow to Mr. Don Foster, dated 11 April 2002: I am replying on behalf of the Patent Office to your Parliamentary Question 2674 to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry relating to contracts let to PWC Consulting or PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, Deloitte & Touche, KPMG and Andersen for consultancy services for each of the financial years from 1997 to 2001. No contracts have been let by the Patent Office to any of the above for consultancy services in any of the financial years from 1997 to 2001.