To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which services his Department has outsourced in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. (274449)

From information held centrally, the core-Department has outsourced in:

2004: IT service provision;

2005: Photo Library, and Landscape editorial and print;

2006: Recruitment and Statutory Notice Advertising, and Shared Central Stakeholder Database;

2007: Print Services; and

2009: Sustainable Built Environment and Workplace Solutions.

Outsourcing is one means of maximising value for money as a major business objective of all Government Departments. Best practice procurement in outsourcing is a central element in achieving this objective.