To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his estimate of the total cost for himself and other departmental Ministers for each year since 1991–92, including the current year of (a) overseas travel and accommodation expenses of Ministers and their advisers, (b) car and chauffeuring costs of Ministers, (c) ministerial security costs and (d) domestic travel and accommodation expenses of Ministers. [6382]
Details of overseas visits by Ministers in my Department were set out in the answer of 19 July given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Defence Procurement to the hon. Member for Knowsley North (Mr. Howarth), Official Report, columns 1369–75. The costs of visits overseas by Ministers falling to my Department since then, including the cost of officials where they can be identified, are as follows:
Secretary of State for Defence: | £64,830 |
Minister of State for the Armed Forces: | £95.228 |
Minister of State for Defence Procurement: | £26,359 |
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence: | £2.735 |
Secretary of State for Defence: | £17,670 |
Minister of State for the Armed Forces: | £14,702 |
Minister of State for Defence Procurement: | £8,362 |
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence: | £7,469 |
Note: Figures include overseas and domestic visits undertaken up to 20 December 1995.
The cost to my Department of ministerial security is not separately identifiable. Ministerial protection is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary.
Information on the cost of ministerial cars and chauffeurs was set out in the letter of 28 November 1995 from my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Defence Procurement to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Dr. Jones), a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his estimate of the cost of running his departmental office, and that of his predecessor, for each year since 1990–91 including the current year, broken down into (a) telephone bills, (b) total staff costs, (c) press and communications, (d) entertainment, (e) alcoholic drinks, (f) non-alcoholic drinks, (g) stationery, (h) office refurbishment and (i) other. [6381]
Details of the cost of running my right hon. Friend's departmental office are not held in a form which would allow them to he identified separately for each financial year since 1991–92. The costs which have been identified for the last and present financial years are as follows:
1994–95 £ | 1995–961 £ | |
Telephone | 1,757 | 1.083 |
Staff | 649,474 | 383,961 |
Newspapers (including periodicals) | 1,017 | 508 |
Stationery | 4,957 | 7.653 |
Entertainment (including alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks) | 1,911 | 461 |
1To 31 October 1995. |
- 1990–91: Nil
- 1991–92: £380
- 1992–93: £881
- 1993–94: Nil
- 1994–95: Nil
- 1995–96: Nil1
- 1to 31 October 1995.