To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the cost to date and the expected future cost of his Department's market-testing programme; how many staff are engaged full time in work relating to market testing; which firms of consultants have been used in connection with the market-testing programme; and how they were selected.

Some £200,000 has been spent to date on implementing the 1993–94 programme and it is estimated that a further £100,000 will be spent. This includes the cost of support for the in-house teams and other consultancy work. It does not include the cost of the in-house teams themselves. Work on market testing is combined with other duties and no staff are engaged full time on this work. The firms of consultants so far used are Touche Ross, Prime Strategy Consultants and Ernst and Young. They have all been selected after a competitive tendering exercise.