Oral Answers to Questions

David Amess Excerpts

Wednesday 24th November 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman. I call Mr David Amess.

[Mr David Amess (Southend West) (Con)]

6. What estimate he has made of the change in his Department’s spending on consultancy between 2009-10 and 2010-11.

[The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General (Mr Francis Maude)]

The Government have cut the previous Government’s profligate spending on consultancy. In the first six months of this financial year, consulting spend by the Cabinet Office fell by 42% compared with the trajectory for the previous year. In the first six months of this year, consulting spend right across central Government fell by £350 million—or more than 50%, so it has more than halved—compared with the same period last year.

[Mr Amess]

The whole House should welcome that news. Will my right hon. Friend confirm that proper processes were proceeded with on the procurement of the DLA Piper contract?

[Mr Maude]

I can only assume that the proper processes were followed, because this happened under the previous Government, when the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Hodge Hill (Mr Byrne) was Minister for the Cabinet Office. Any suggestions of a conflict of interest arising from the position of the Deputy Prime Minister’s wife are wholly misplaced, because the contract was placed before he was anywhere near government.