To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much his Department has spent on (a) consultancy fees and (b) other aspects of the Intercity Express programme to date. (301245)

From 2005 to October 2009, the Department for Transport has spent £21 million on the Intercity Express Programme. This resource has included financial, procurement, programme management, technical, legal, industry, business case and other specialist advice required to ensure the successful delivery of a project of the scale of the Intercity Express Programme. This figure should be considered in the context of the Intercity Express Programme contract value of £7.5 billion.