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Christmas

Volume 469: debated on Tuesday 11 December 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department and its agencies have spent on Christmas (a) cards, (b) parties and (c) decorations in each of the last five years. (171431)

The Department has spent the following on official Christmas cards since 2002:

Cost (£)

2002

1,243.15

2003

2,689

2004

3,480

2005

2,854

2006

3,001.92

All expenditure incurred in the purchase and postage of official Christmas cards is made in accordance with the Department’s guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in “Government Accounting”.

The Department has spent the following on Christmas trees and tree decorations:

Cost (£)

2002

2,987.64

2003

3,082.51

2004

3,390.69

2005

3,546.38

2006

1,997.50

The Department has not spent anything on Christmas parties in each of the last five years. Information about what agencies spend on these items is not held centrally.