Following a machinery of government change the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills was formed in June 2009. The following figures relate to the Departments before the merger.
The number of hotel room nights booked by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform was:
2007/08: 10,104
2008/09: 11,258.
The number of hotel room nights booked by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was:
June 2007 to March 2008: 1,455
200809: 2,497.
All expenditure incurred is in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety. Hotel accommodation is provided through a cross-Government hotel booking agent, contracts awarded by Buying Solutions. Records of fees paid are not centrally recorded and to provide this information would entail disproportionate cost.
I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service, Companies House, the National Measurement Office and the Intellectual Property Office and they will respond to you directly.
Letter from Peter Mason, dated 21 December 2009:
I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 16 December 2009, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Information on the number of hotel room nights that have been booked by officials is not held centrally and to do so would incur disproportionate costs. The National Measurement Office has not spent any monies on fees of third party agents in relation to booking hotel accommodation since 2007.
Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 8 January 2010:
I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 16 December 2009, UIN 309232, to the Minister of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Since 2007 Companies House has not paid any fees to third party agents in relation to booking hotel accommodation. Details of the number of hotel room nights booked by officials are not recorded.
Letter from Sean Dennehey, dated 21 December 2009:
I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 16 December 2009, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The Intellectual Property Office staff book hotel rooms individually within guidelines, as such the information on number of nights is not held centrally and is not available in the current timescales. The Office does use an approved third party to arrange some accommodation but no fees are paid for the service.
Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 21 December 2009:
The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question, how many hotel room nights were booked by officials in (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in each year since 2007; and how much (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies have spent on fees of third party agents in relation to booking hotel accommodation in each such year.
The Insolvency Service uses Hotelsmart as a booking agent.
The numbers of rooms booked were:
2007: 4,907
2008: 6,432
2009 to 16 December 2009: 5,768.
There are no fees paid to Hotelsmart.