To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the likely monetary value of payments by HM Revenue and Customs to private sector debt collection agencies calculated as a proportion of recovered debt in each of the next five years.

Contractual arrangements have not yet been finalised for years beyond 2010-11.

During 2010-11 HMRC will use the services of four private sector debt collection agencies (DCAs) drawn from an existing Government framework contract. The agencies will be paid on a commission basis but actual commission rates are commercially confidential.