To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2007, Official Report, column 1031W, on departmental mobile telephones, what central controls his Department maintains on the (a) purchase and (b) reasons for purchase of mobile telephones. (179641)

Under the Defence Fixed Telecommunication Services agreement managed by Director General Information Systems and Services, the Defence Fixed Network Integrated Project Team provide a central procurement route for the procurement of mobile phones and other Global System Mobile (GSM) devices to MOD users, and records are kept of the total number of active GSM connections and billing data.

Justification of purchase and use of mobile phones within MOD is a local decision and no records are held centrally.