John Hayes (Shadow Minister, Innovation, Universities and Skills; South Holland & The Deepings, Conservative)

To ask the Minister for the Olympics how much has been spent on consultants in preparation for the 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell (Minister of State (the Olympics and London (Paymaster General)), Cabinet Office; Dulwich & West Norwood, Labour)

To date the total cost incurred for consultants employed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in preparation for the 2012 Olympics is £2,400,115. The total expenditure on consultants by the former Olympic Programme Support Unit (OPSU) is £1,167,447. The functions of OPSU were transferred to the DCMS on 14 September 2007.

In my previous answer to Hugh Robertson dated 16 October 2007, Hansard, column 977W, I stated that £50,494,000 had been spent on consultancies providing core services by the Olympic Delivery Authority in 2006-07. In the financial year 2007-08, to date, a further £94,272,290 has been spent on similar work, central to the delivery of facilities and infrastructure for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This reflects the increasing pace of the project.

Around £100 million of the total figure relates to contracts with three companies (EDAW, Ove Arup and Atkins) which have been integral in the start-up and development of the ODA, and in delivering the key milestones around planning and preparing the park to enable the programme to be on track and hitting milestones. They have therefore been important partners in the delivery programme.

All ODA expenditure on consultants is within the baseline budget announced in December 2007. This budget was subject to a process of rigorous review to ensure that it was fully aligned with scope, programme and risks, and is subject to monthly monitoring by the Government Olympic Executive.