Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many consultants his Department has hired since 2016; and at what cost to the taxpayer.

The Department does not hold information on the number of consultants hired in any one year as this work is often commissioned as part of an outcomes based contract to ensure value for money.

The amount spent on consultants each year since 2016 is:

2016-17 - £49.59m

2017-18 - £55.22m