Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2023 to Question 148569, on Department for Business and Trade: Consultants, what the cost to the public purse of spending on external consultants by (a) the Intellectual Property Office and (b) the Met Office was in (i) 2020, (ii) 2021 and (iii) 2022; and whether any of that spending related to the preparation of funding bids to (A) her predecessor Departments and (B) HM Treasury.
The expenditure on external consultants by The Met Office and the Intellectual Property Office is provided below. In line with the Cabinet Office’s control framework for consultancy and professional services, these figures include some expenditure on professional services for the purposes of delivery or implementation to fill skills gaps, not just advisory work.
Figures for The Met Office
Year | Total Consultancy Expenditure | Expenditure on preparation of funding bids |
2020 | £758,000 | £0 |
2021 | £50,000 | £0 |
2022 | £306,000 | £0 |
Figures for Intellectual Property Office
Year | Total Consultancy Expenditure | Expenditure on preparation of funding bids |
2020 | £0 | £0 |
2021 | £29,000 | £0 |
2022 | £198,000 | £0 |