To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which external consultants were used by each Northern Ireland Government Department and its associated agencies in each of the past six years; and what the (a) hourly rate and (b) overall cost was in each case. (128028)

The information requested is not held centrally in the format requested. However, I refer the hon. Lady to the reply I gave the hon. Member for South Down (Mr. McGrady) on 19 February 2007, Official Report, column 555W, which contains information on the overall expenditure on consultants by each Northern Ireland Department over the last five years.

I have also placed in the Library a list of the recipients of consultancy fees paid by each of the 11 Departments of the Northern Ireland Administration and the Northern Ireland Office (excluding agencies and non-departmental public bodies) in respect of the years 2002-03 to 2004-05.