§ Mr. GrayTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, how many contracts the Lord Chancellor's Department has with consultants; what level of professional indemnity insurance is standard in contracts with small consultants; whether he can make exceptions to the level of professional indemnity insurance; and what recent discussions he has had with other Government Departments about the level of professional indemnity insurance. [50840]
§ Mr. WillsThe Lord Chancellor's Department currently has 67 contracts with consultants.
For the majority of these contracts, professional indemnity insurance is not required.
Where professional indemnity insurance is considered appropriate, eg for construction-related contracts, the nature and value of the contract will determine the level of insurance required, regardless of the size of the consultancy firm.
As with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of discussions that form part of the process of policy development and analysis.