To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on (a) the purchase of and (b) bills for (i) BlackBerrys and (ii) other mobile telephones for (A) Ministers, (B) special advisers and (C) civil servants in his Department in each year since 2005. (268250)

The amount expended by the MOD on Blackberrys and mobile telephones, in each financial year since 2005, is shown in the following table.

It represents the combined spend on devices (Blackberrys and mobile telephones), accessories, rental charges and usage charges for all MOD users including Ministers, special advisers, civil servants and members of the armed forces. It has not been possible to identify separately the costs for Blackberrys and mobile telephones, or to show separately the costs for each group due to the complexity of the management data and the form in which it is held. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.