§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total external spend by her Department was on Private Finance Initiative consultants in each of the last four years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PFI consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by her Department over this period; and if she will make a statement. [31043]
§ Dr. HowellsThe Department for Culture, Media and Sport's total external spend on PFI consultants was: 1998—£27,000; 1999—£45,992; 2000—£20,247; and 2001—£25,759. All of this was incurred by the Royal Parks Agency, which used four consultancy firms. The information relating to the number of full-time equivalent consultants, billed consultancy days and the implied average cost of each consultant could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.