Private Detectives

Mr. Maude
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what use the Cabinet Office has made of (a) private investigators and (b) Risk Analysis UK Ltd. since May 2005.

Mr. Watson
Cabinet Office maintains a panel of independent investigators who can be called on to undertake internal investigations. The panel is made up of retired civil and Crown servants with investigation experience and retired senior police officers. The investigators are employed in a personal capacity to carry out investigations. No private companies are contracted to do this work. The Cabinet Office has never employed Risk Analysis UK Ltd.