Dame Margaret Hodge expressed concern at the levels of spending by Dfid on firms which have no track record in development

Britain’s big four accountancy firms have been paid more than half a billion pounds in fees by government departments over the past three years, including £220 million from the aid budget.

In the past year PwC, KMPG, Deloitte and Ernst and Young were paid £95 million by the Department for International Development (Dfid), an increase of 60 per cent on 2013. The big four’s pay cheque accounts for 1 per cent of Dfid’s aid budget.

The figures were uncovered by the former chairwoman of the public accounts committee, Dame Margaret Hodge, through parliamentary questions to government departments which revealed the following about spending over the past three years.

● PwC has been paid £242 million, KMPG £165 million, Deloitte £119 million and Ernst and Young