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Oral answer to question provided on Wednesday, 21 March 2012 in the House of Commons, by Lord Maude of Horsham (Conservative), Cabinet Office.

Policy Advice (Outsourcing)

Answer: Not only will we, but we have. We have more than halved—I stress, more than halved—the cost of consultancy to the taxpayer. Under the previous Government, such money was spent incontinently, and the result was bad value for money and the serious undermining of the self-esteem of professional civil servants, who like being asked to do difficult things and are very good at doing them.

This is an answer to the Oral question asked on Wednesday, 21 March 2012 by Baroness Keeley (Labour).

Question: The Cabinet Office spent almost £120,000 in one day in August last year on consultancy, and McKinsey & Company is reported to have earned almost £14 million from Government health policy since the election. Outsourcing policy advice is costly and can lead to conflicts of interest, so will Conservative Ministers stick to their pledge in their manifesto to reduce the amount of consultancy?

Secondary information

Type: Oral answer to question
Reference: 542 c775-6
Session: 2010-12
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Subjects: Consultants Policy
Link: View this Oral answer to question on www.publications.parliament.uk