HL Deb 25 November 2002 vol 641 cc19-20WA
Baroness Anelay of St Johns

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What was the total expenditure incurred by the Home Office on work carried out by consultants during the financial years 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–1 and 2001–02. [HL85]

Lord Filkin

The available information held by the Home Office on total expenditure incurred by the department for work carried out by consultants during the financial years 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01 and 2001–02 is as follows:

1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02
£7,627,016 £4,588,445 £10,302,672 £27,877,286 £21,147,058

The increase in expenditure on consultancy in 2000–01 is primarily due to costs incurred on the Home Office modernisation programme, in particular information technology (IT) related consultancy.

The high spend figures for 2001–02 include the cost of setting up the National Probation Directorate and various consultancies on IT business change.