Departmental Mobile Phones

Mr. Graham Stuart
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) mobile telephones and (b) BlackBerrys have been provided to (i) Ministers and (ii) special advisers in his Department in 2009-10 to date; and at what cost to the public purse.

Mr. Bob Ainsworth
In financial year 2009-10 to date, Ministers have been provided with one mobile phone at a cost of £155, and special advisers with one BlackBerry at a cost of £50. All expenditure is in line with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.