Cayce Pollard

Email [email address]

Our reference: FOICR 9032/08

14 November 2008

Dear Sir/Madam,

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST

I am sorry that you have not had an earlier reply to your email of 26 February in which you ask for information on the expenditure on the National identity Scheme and the names of the three companies who have received most payment.

I am now pleased to be able to disclose the information that you requested .

Please could you tell us the total expenditure to date on management consultants in connection with the national identity card scheme and list the three companies that have received the most money.

Since the merger of the Home Office Identity Cards Programme and the UK Passport Service to create the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) on the 1^st April 2006, projects to deliver passports including facial images and fingerprints, identity cards and other improvements have been necessarily combined. As much of the technology and operational processes needed to implement identity cards is also required for the implementation of these new passports, this is the most cost-effective way to deliver these initiatives.

Much of the work conducted by IPS cannot be categorised, both financially and operationally, as contributing towards either the introduction of passports facial images and fingerprints or identity cards alone. The work is accounted for as future development projects and the cost of external consultancy and contracted staff attributed to these projects for 2006-07 was £21.4m. The costs for external consultancy alone for the 2007-08 year were £18.8m.

The management consultancy and contractor firms used by IPS as a whole over the last two years, the following have received the most money:

Capita Resourcing Ltd

Parity Resources

PA Consulting

However if you are dissatisfied with this response you may request an independent internal review of any aspect of our handling of your application by submitting your complaint to the address below and quote reference 9032/08

Information Rights Team
Information and Record Management Service
Home Office
4th Floor, Seacole Building
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF

Email: [email address]

During the internal review the department's handling of your information request will be reassessed by members of staff who were not involved in providing you with this response.

Should you remain dissatisfied after this internal review, you will have a right of complaint to the Information Commissioner as established by section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act.

In keeping with the spirit and effect of the Freedom of Information Act, all information is assumed to be releasable to the public unless exempt. The department therefore, will be simultaneously releasing to the public the information you requested together with any related information that will provide a key to its wider context.

I hope that you find this information of interest, and would like to assure you that you have been supplied with all relevant information that the Identity and Passport Service holds.

Yours faithfully,

On behalf of James Hall, Chief Executive

Identity and Passport Service

Passport Adviceline: 0300 222 0000 (24 hours a day, seven days a week).

Email us at [email address]. Visit our website at www.ips.gov.uk.

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Headquarters

Parliamentary & Correspondence Management Team

8^th Floor, Globe House

89 Eccleston Square

London

SW1V 1PN

Tel (0300) 222 0000

Fax (0870) 336 9175

Email [email address]

Web www.ips.gov.uk