asked the Lord President of the Council what estimate he has made of the total cost of postage for hon. Members' official letters in 1977–78.

A figure of £119,000 has been included in the 1977–78 House of Commons Estimates (Class XIII Vote 2) for the estimated cost of official paid envelopes supplied to Members. Provision has also been made for a further £51,000 in respect of certified postings—i.e., mail endorsed by the Speaker's frank—but it is not possible to determine what proportion of this is in respect of letters posted by Members.