To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on management consultants by (a) the Department of Health and (b) National Health Service regions and districts in England in each of the 10 years 1979–89; and what quality controls were used by (a) the Department of Health and (b) the National Health Service to ensure that these expenditures are good value for money.

We cannot apportion expenditure between the Departments of Health and Social Security prior to 1985–86. The estimated expenditure for each succeeding financial year from 1985–86 on fees and expenses for management consultants on health matters is as follows:

	£ million
1985–86	0·479
1986–87	2·103
1987–88	1·244
1988–89	1·584
1989–90	4·870

The figures are approximate since expenditure up to and including the 1988–89 year was from a joint health and social security budget. In some cases expenditure has been apportioned where consultants have been engaged on both health and social security matters. The figures also include social services consultancy and some computer consultancy where these cannot be identified separately.The figure for 1989–90 is estimated expenditure.The Department of health controls and monitors the use of management consultants in line with the requirements laid down from time to time by the Treasury.The employment of management consultants by the NHS is a matter for individual health authorities. Their accounts do not separately identify any expenditure incurred.