To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has spent on consultancy fees related to the e-Borders project. (195135)

The e-Borders programme has spent £36 million on consultancy fees since the inception of the pilot project for e-Borders in 2004.

Prior to contract award the expenditure on procurement was £31.4 million, and on Project Semaphore was an additional £4.6 million. Post contract award (14 November 2007) the cost of consultancy services has been substantially reduced to just £1 million.