To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what volume of correspondence his Department sent (a) by Royal Mail and (b) by other commercial delivery services in each of the last five years; and what the reasons were for the use of other commercial delivery services. (150444)

The former Department for Education and Skills (DfES) sent, between 1 June 2006 and 31 May 2007, 1,472,641 items of correspondence from its Head Office post rooms via the Royal Mail. Volumes for the preceding four years could be supplied only at disproportionate cost. The former DfES did not use any other commercial delivery services for its correspondence.