One consultancy firm was paid £323million for its role in the UK's £37billion Covid-19 coronavirus test and trace programme, MPs have heard.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Shadow Cabinet Office minister Fleur Anderson said: "Last night we learned that as well as paying Deloitte £323m for their role in the Test and Trace system, they are even paid to draft Government ministers’ parliamentary answers defending the indefensible.
“From the start of this pandemic, the Government chose to use a centralised privatised approach to contact tracing through a handful of large companies rather than putting local public health teams in charge.
“While a growing number of councils have now had to establish their own systems on a shoe-string, it’s a completely different set of affairs for the expensive management consultancies.
“This is a Government which appears to have even outsourced itself. What will (Cabinet Office minister Julia Lopez) do to end this practice or do I need to write to Deloitte to find out?”
Ms Lopez responded: “I thank (Ms Anderson) for highlighting that interesting piece of information to me, it’s not something that I’m aware of. I appreciate the concerns that have been raised about the use of consultants in relation to some of the work that’s been done during the pandemic.
“I mean we had to surge our capacity very quickly, but I appreciate the concerns that have been raised about the cost of contracting.
"We have various things that we’re doing to improve the capability and expertise of the civil service, we’re looking at secondments for senior civil servants, we’re looking at having our own in-house consulting hub, but I’m very happy to look into this idea that consultants are drafting responses for ministers, it’s not something I’m aware of.”
