To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 1 April 2009, Official Report, column 1264W, on immigration: manpower, how much of the £6.7 million paid by her Department to private companies for the period 2007-08 was allocated to (a) staffing and (b) other costs. (269748)

Payments made to third party suppliers for goods and services provided are not, with the exception of agency staff costs, recorded in the accounts as staff or pay costs. They are classified as either non-pay or capital expenditure. The £6.7 million paid to French private companies in 2007-08 is recorded as:

(i) Non pay - £6.6 million

(ii) Capital - £0.1 million