§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Lord President of the Council what has been the total number of written questions tabled in the 1989–90 Session; what estimate he has for the cost of replying to them; and what were the comparable figures in the previous Session.
§ Sir Geoffrey HoweThe total number of written questions tabled in Sessions 1988–89 and 1989–90 are 39,540 and 41,371 respectively. Estimates of the average costs of preparing answers and of printing questions and answers are not prepared on a regular basis; the latest figures available are £53 and £38 respectively. These would indicate that the total cost of replying to written questions in the current Session is in the order of £3.7 million.