HC Deb 29 March 2004 vol 419 cc1154-5W
Mr. Cousins

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what secondments(a) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Deloitte & Touche, (c) Ernst & Young and (d) KPMG have made to the Office since 2001; for what (i) periods and (ii) tasks the secondments were made; whether secondments of staff from the Office have been made to those firms: and for what (A) periods and (B) tasks. [156926]

Mr. Alexander

The Government are committed to developing a modern, flexible, outward-focused civil service that works in partnership with all sectors of society. Interchange is a key tool in meeting that commitment. Secondments are encouraged as part of the interchange programme, which promotes the exchange of people and good practice between the civil service and other organisations. Before an interchange can occur all parties must be satisfied that no conflict of interest arises. In all cases agreement is reached with the parent organisation on the salary reimbursed by the Cabinet Office to ensure it falls in the civil service pay range appropriate to the post.

The following table gives the number of secondees from 2001 from each of the organisations named in the question.

Seconded from (i) period of secondment (months) Management Unit
(a) PricewaterhouseCoopers 12 Performance and Innovation Unit
(3 individuals) 12 Performance and Innovation Unit
11 Prime Minister's Delivery Unit
(b) Deloitte & Touche 6 Office of Public Service Reform
(2 individuals) 12 Shareholder Executive
(c) Ernst & Young n/a n/a
(nil)
(d) KPMG 17 Performance and Innovation Unit
(4 individuals) 16 Office of the e-Envoy
14 Office of the e-Envoy
24 Prime Minister's Delivery Unit
Seconded to (A)Period of secondment (months)
(a) PricewaterhouseCoopers (nil) n/a
(b) Deloitte & Touche (1 individual) 24
(c) Ernst & Young (nil) n/a
(d) KPMG (nil) n/a