Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Barbara Follett, on 9 December 2009 (Official Report, Commons, col. 390W), what was the average purchase price, excluding value added tax, of a 500 sheet ream of white A4 80 gsm photocopier paper paid by (a) Buying Solutions, (b) Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, (c) the Valuation Office Agency, (d) the Government Actuary's Department, (e) the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt, (f) the National Audit Office, and (g) HM Treasury, in the latest period for which figures are available. [HL1029]
The National Audit Office is accountable directly to Parliament and is not the responsibility of HM Government.
The UK Debt Management Office (which carries out the functions of the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt) does not purchase white A4 80 gsm photocopier paper.
The table below summarises the information requested for the remaining organisations for an estimated average price paid in the latest complete year for which figures are available for a 500 sheet ream of this specification of paper.
Organisation Estimated average price paid in 2008-09 HM Treasury £1.71 Buying Solutions £2.23 HM Revenue and Customs £1.70 Valuation Office Agency £1.82 Government Actuary's Department £2.60
The cost of white A4 80 gsm photocopier paper will vary according to the finished quality. Each organisation may select different volumes and qualities of paper even where they are using the same Buying Solutions framework. The average price per organisation reflects these selections.