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Christmas

Volume 470: debated on Wednesday 23 January 2008

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department and its agencies have spent on Christmas (a) cards, (b) parties and (c) decorations in each of the last five years. (171440)

The information requested is as follows.

(a) The costs for Christmas cards over the last five years are as follows:

Home Office

£

2003

1

2004

1

2005

1

2006

14,354.98

2007

4,724.72 (including BIA)

1 No information held centrally

Border and Immigration Agency Information concerning the cost of Christmas cards for previous years is not known centrally and would be available only at disproportionate cost.

Identity and Passport Service

£

2003

1

2004

1

2005

1,280

2006

1,030

2007 to date

1,000

1 No information held centrally

Criminal Records Bureau

£

2003

558.32

2004

786.14

2005

679.59

2006

578.38

2007

757.76

(b) There are no figures relating to Christmas parties—any parties attended are entirely at the cost of the staff member / individual.

(c) The costs for Christmas decorations over the last five years are as follows:

Home Office

£

2003

1

2004

1

2005

2 1,250

2006

2 550

2007

3 no cost

1 no information held centrally

2 at 2 Marsham street

3 at 2 Marsham street—they were provided on a complementary basis from our property services company Ecovert FM

Border and Immigration Agency / Criminal Records Bureau

Information concerning the cost of decorations to the Border and Immigration Agency and Criminal Records Bureau over the past five years is not known centrally and would be available only at disproportionate cost.

Identity and Passport Service

Spend on decorations during the last five years is unavailable but it has been a nominal amount.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her Department’s policy is on the selection of (a) real and (b) artificial Christmas trees for her Department’s festive decorations; and how real trees are disposed of. (173526)

The Home Office believes that marking Christmas is important. The Department does not have a central policy on the selection of Christmas trees. Arrangements for purchasing both real and artificial trees are made locally. In terms of disposal, procedures vary according to the waste contract in operation at particular buildings but at our London headquarters building in 2 Marsham street, for example, the trees are chipped and added to a composting facility for later re-use.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on (a) Christmas cards and (b) postage of Christmas cards in 2007. (176918)

The Home Office believes that marking Christmas is important.

(a) Spend on Christmas Cards in 2007 is as follows:

The Home Office (including Border and Immigration Agency)—£4,724.72

Identity and Passport Service—£1,000 to date

Criminal Records Bureau—£757.76

(b) Spend on postage of Christmas cards is not separated from spend of all Home Office mail and is therefore not calculable.