HL Deb 15 November 2004 vol 666 cc121-3WA
Baroness Byford

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Whitty on 23 February (WA 37), whether the compiling of a central list of consultants and professional advisers has been completed; and how many consultants and professional advisers have been employed since 23 February. [HL4716]

Lord Whitty

The department has implemented an e-contracts database as part of its e-procurement strategy. That database has been live and available for use since 1 April 2004. The database is being rolled out across Defra and all contracts entered into by Defra will be recorded on it from the end of March 2005.

Consultancy expenditure is part of the department's expenditure on professional services. As part of its preparations and implementation of the Gershon value for money agenda in Defra, Pareto analysis of departmental expenditure on professional services is being undertaken currently, and will be complete later this year.

Once Ministers and senior officials have considered this analysis. I will let the noble Baroness have a copy of the analysis as early as possible in the New Year.

Baroness Byford

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Whitty on 23 February (WA 37), whether the absence of a central record of consultants employed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs represents adequate ministerial control; and how the department sets a budget in the absence of such information. [HL4717]

Lord Whitty

All public procurement on goods, services and works is subject to the requirements of government accounting; the treaty; the public procurement rules and the standards of numerous chartered professional bodies. The expenditure is subject to audit at several levels within and external to the department including Parliament itself.

The implementation of an e-contracts database by Defra will contribute further to existing measures and mechanisms of financial control and budgeting discipline and enable the department to address fully the Gershon value for money agenda with regard to departmental expenditure on professional services.

Financial budgeting within Defra allows provision for budget holders in budget bids to define and cost the use of professional services as one means of developing and delivering customer and service requirements.

Baroness Byford

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Whitty on 23 February (WA 37), whether the use of consultants by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is subject to external audit; and, if so, whether information given to auditors is available to Ministers. [HL4718]

Lord Whitty

All public expenditure on goods, services and works are subject to audit by departmental auditors, the National Audit Office, the European Commission's auditors and various other government and public bodies having regulatory and investigative functions connected with the probity and propriety of public expenditure.

Information given to auditors would be available to Ministers if required subject to consideration by Defra's Audit and Risk Committee, which is chaired by the Permanent Secretary as Defra's accounting officer.

Baroness Byford

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Whitty on 23 February (WA 37), what are (a) the maximum rate per day paid to consultants and advisers within the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; (b) the average rate per day paid to those consultants and advisers; and (c) the average rate per day paid to civil servants employed by the department. [HL4719]

Lord Whitty

The average rate per day paid to civil servants employed by the department is £75 per day if the average salary is divided by 365 days. The rate is £105 if the average salary is divided by the number of working days (including leave and public holidays for which civil servants are paid). These figures refer to permanent staff in core Defra only.

The maximum rate and average rate per day paid for externally provided professional services within the department are being calculated currently as part of a detailed analysis of expenditure on professional services, of which consultancy is a part. I will place the information in the Library of the House in due course.

Comparing rates for externally provided professional services with rates per day paid to civil servants is misleading as the professional services rates include a variety of overheads and the need to make a commercial return. Overheads in respect of directly employed staff are shown under other budget headings.

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