To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which companies were used by his Department for providing temporary staff in each of the last five years; and what the value of contracts with each such company was in each of those years. (229088)

Since 2005 the Department for International Development (DFID) has predominantly used only three agency suppliers: Margaret Hodge, Josephine Sammons and Manpower for temporary staff. DFID also has delegated authority to appoint professional and specialist staff from specialist suppliers, and in these cases the costs are not registered centrally.

A management fee is included in the salary costs for each person supplied by the three agencies, but it is not possible to disaggregate the management fees from the total amount charged by the agencies or to apportion the total amount paid without incurring disproportionate costs.

The following table shows the total costs paid in the last three financial years to the three suppliers managed centrally. Figures for earlier financial years are not available.