DEFRA will submit a business case to the Office of Government Commerce in the autumn for the outsourcing of up to 1,000 professionally qualified IT specialist and support staff.

But the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) has criticised the proposals. Geoff Lewtas, PCS senior national officer, said: “DEFRA is determined to sell off its skilled and dedicated IT staff to the private sector. This is no way to reward civil servants who chose to apply their skills in public service rather than chase big IT money.”

The department already employs a number of IT contractors from a preferred supplier list of private staffing companies. But if the proposals are approved, civil servants with ‘old’ IT skills will be forced to accept lower paid jobs, or risk redundancy. Agencies on the preferred supplier list would also lose business.

Managing director of IT recruitment firm Nesco Group Steve Bowyer said: “Outsourcing public sector departments removes choice. If government departments end up being run by the top five outsourcing firms, it could significantly reduce the number of openings available to individual agencies.”