To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to her answer of 11 July 2005, Official Report, column 664W, on the Government wine cellar, how many bottles of wine are held in the Government wine cellar; what the latest estimate is of the value of the collection; how much was spent on the Government wine cellar in 2005-06; how many staff work in the wine cellar; what their salaries are; and under what circumstances Ministers have access to the wine cellar. (83668)

As has been made clear in the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bath (Mr. Foster) today (UIN 82816) the Government Hospitality wine cellar contains just over 36,500 bottles. The most recent valuation, at the end of March 2006, placed on the stock is £674,000. In 2005-06, Government Hospitality spent a little over £95,000 on new stock for the cellar. The cellar is administered by Government Hospitality, under the guidance of the Government Hospitality Advisory Committee for the Purchase of Wine. Three civil servants assist in the administration of the cellar, among other duties. Ministers do not have access to the cellar; wines from the cellar are supplied to events hosted by Ministers as part of the service offered by Government Hospitality.