IT suppliers and consultants are among the biggest entertainers
of senior UK government officials, an
official list published by the government reveals.
Fujitsu, EDS, KPMG, Ernst & Young, and
PricewaterhouseCoopers feature fairly prominently in the government
hospitality list for 2007.
Two out of nine invitations accepted by civil service head Gus
O'Donnell were from IT consultancies, including a dinner and visit
to the Chelsea Flower Show.
Fujitsu tops the IT industry league, accounting for 39 or more
than 2% of the 1,739 invitations declared by almost 200 civil
servants.
KPMG provided hospitality 35 times, followed by Ernst &
Young (22), PricewaterhouseCoopers (21), EDS (13) IBM (12) and
CapGemini (11).
HM Revenue & Customs had the most attention from the IT
industry, accepting more than 40 invitations from IT suppliers or
consultants in a year. Seven were from Fujitsu.
The government hospitality list was published by the Cabinet
Office for the first time yesterday as part of a plan to open up
the world of lobbying to public scrutiny.
The decision to accelerate the plan followed revelations in
January about Labour peers who allegedly offered to alter laws in
return for cash.