To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much was paid in consultancy fees by his Department in each year since 1997. (172083)

Expenditure on consultancy fees incurred in my Department in each year since 1997-98 can be found in the following table.

The increased costs in 2005-06 relate mainly to expenditure on shared services feasibility work, SCOPE cross-departmental information strategy, development of the Government Gateway and departmental capability reviews.