Written question asked by Steve Barclay (Conservative) on Monday, 14 March 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 17 March 2011. It was answered by Robert Neill (Conservative) on Friday, 18 March 2011 on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Departmental Public Bodies

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information on costs including (a) consultancy, (b) interims, (c) professional services, (d) legal fees and (e) advertising and marketing incurred by public bodies sponsored by his Department is collected centrally.

Answer: [holding answer 17 March 2011]: The Department's Finance Division do not currently collect data, at the level requested, from public bodies sponsored by the Department. However from 2011-12 under the new 'Single Administration budget' public bodies sponsored by the Department will be required to provide monthly monitoring information at a more detailed level.However, information on purchasing including (a) consultancy, (b) interims, (c) professional services, (d) legal fees and (e) advertising and marketing incurred by public bodies sponsored by this Department is collected centrally by the Department for the annual Public Sector Procurement Expenditure Survey (PSPES).Spending over £500 on goods and services is published online by my Department and its arm's length bodies, as part of the new Government's transparency initiative.

Secondary information