To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent from the public purse on the protection of Salman Rushdie in each year (a) since the fatwa was announced and (b) since its removal. (145825)

It is our long established policy not to comment on protective security arrangements (and their associated costs) for any individual. This is because to do so could compromise the integrity of those arrangements and affect the security of the individuals concerned.