To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much his Department spent on stationery provision in respect of paper items in each of the last five years. [8866]

The expenditure on stationery items over the last five years was as follows:

• 1992–93: £1.5 million
• 1993–94: £1.7 million
• 1994–95: £1.7 million
• 1995–96: £1.9 million
• 1996–97: £1.6 million

It is not possible to separate paper from non-paper stationery items in these figures, which do not include expenditure by the Government offices of the regions.