To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what payments his Department has made to security firms for protection services since 1997; for what purposes each payment was made; which 20 businesses have been paid the greatest amount for such services in that period; and what the amount was in each case. (106003)

[holding answer 28 November 2006]: The Department does not hold central records of the payments that it has made to security firms for protection services since 1997, or of the 20 contractors that have been paid the greatest amount in that period. To obtain this information would incur disproportionate cost.

Information on the total spend with contractors for the last two financial years and the current financial year to date is in the table.

Ecovert FM Ltd is the Home Office headquarters private finance initiative contractor and provide a 24-hour, seven days a week security guarding service for 2 Marsham street via its sub-contractor First Security Group. The guarding costs are one element of the overall PFI bill and the figures in the table are estimated costs. Capita Business Services is the Criminal Records Bureau's public-private partnership contractor and provides a 24-hour, seven days a week security guarding service via their sub-contractor.

The remaining contractors provide 24-hour, seven days a week security guarding services for other Home Office and executive agency buildings. Security guarding services include protection from damage or distress caused by accident, fire, terrorist or criminal activity, protection of people, the premises and property and control of access and egress.

Physical security measures are provided to the Immigration and Nationality Directive estate and include the following elements: provision for intruder detection, closed circuit television, automatic access control and metal detection systems. These measures are provided by MOD Security Services Group and the annual cost for the last two years is £3 million per annum.