To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 5 May 2009, Official Report, column 56W, on Royal Mail, how much he estimates will be charged in fees by (a) UBS, (b) Freshfields and (c) Deloitte for advising on the proposed part-privatisation of Royal Mail. (275089)

The work on the partnership deal for Royal Mail is ongoing. It would not be appropriate to give an estimate of the overall cost of advisers’ fees at this stage, as this remains subject to a range of variable factors. These include the length of the process, number of interested parties and the final shape of any partnership agreement.

Government will, of course, make the overall expenditure on advisers available once the deal has been completed and the costs are known.