Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2023 to Question 133995 on Seaborne Freight, how much his Department spent in total on fees to commercial advisors for advice on the 2018-19 ferry contracts.

The potential value of the contracts entered into, which provided contingency arrangements for the transport of critical goods, was £102.5 million, including the subsequently cancelled Seaborne Freight contract. The total paid by the Department for Transport in fees to commercial advisers outside Government for advice on negotiating and terminating the 2018-19 ferry contracts was £2.1 million.