Common Purpose expenditure

Dear Sir or Madam,

Please supply in detail, total expenditure by the Army on Common
Purpose courses from 1997 to date. Please also supply a copy of the
invoice for each Common Purpose course paid for by the Army.

Common Purpose is the training organisation of that
name: http://www.commonpurpose.org/home.aspx

Yours faithfully,

Mr S. McCaw

Dear Sir or Madam,

A response was due by 16/3/09, please review your systems to ensure
future requests are dealt with within the time limits allowed by
law.

I have come accross some figures quoted in parliment, perhaps you
could confirm these as correct?

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much
his Department paid to Common Purpose in each of the last five
years; for what purpose; and what the outcome of the expenditure
was. [145342]
Derek Twigg: Sums paid to Common Purpose UK in each of the last
complete five financial years, inclusive of VAT, are as follows:
Amount (£)
2002-03 56,576.25
2003-04 66,716.50
2004-05 42,958.00
2005-06 58,456.27
2006-07 83,817.89

These payments covered the cost of participation by MOD staff in
Common Purpose UK’s training and education programmes. Programmes
of this nature help to develop leadership skills, to gain
understanding about broader aspects of government and to share
experience with and learn from participants from both the private
and public sectors.

Question dated: 26 Jun 2007 : Column 664W of Hansard.

I must say I was supprised to learn of this excessive expenditure
on questionable training, but would appreciate it if you could
clarify if this money was spent on Army personnel, or MOD staff
solely? I would have expected the British Army to be capable of
their own leadership training and not having to rely on a charity
(which charges vast sums of money for each course) to provide such
training. I am disapointed at the gross waste of taxpayers
resources by the MOD, which could better have been spent on
equipment for the forces.

I question what benefit this "charity" known as "Common Purpose"
provide to the public. Charging commercial rates for courses puts
the services out of reach of the majority of the population. As the
charity create "leaders of the future" and train them to "lead
outwith their authority", it would suggest that some form of
clandestine elitist network is being created. Applicants are
"selected" for the courses, and "graduates" are assisted in finding
new jobs (expanding the clandestine network further) to the
detriment of the rest of the public.

Would you be so knind to explain to me what the public benefit is
in paying hundreds of thousands of pounds to this "charity"?

Yours sincerely,

S.McCaw