Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much clinical commissioning groups spent on consultancy services in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15 to date.

Consultancy spend figures are available in NHS England’s annual accounts for 2013/14 which can be found at:

http://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/nhs-comm-board-ann-rep-1314.pdf

2014-15 accounts will be published in due course.

In 2013/14 the total spend by commissioning support units (CSUs) on consultancy support amounted to £41.5 million, which was 5% of CSU total income of £808 million. Data for 2014/15 is not yet available as final accounts are currently being prepared.