§ Mr. DonohoeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how much his Department will spend on Christmas trees and decorations this year; how many Christmas trees will be bought for his Department's headquarters; and what are the type and country of origin of the trees; [7557]
(2) how much his Department plans to spend on celebrating Christmas and the new year. [7581]
§ Sir Paul Beresford[holding answer 6 December 1996]: Total expenditure by my Department, including its agencies and the Health and Safety Commission and the Health and Safety Executive on Christmas trees and decorations is expected to be around £3,000. This includes one tree bought for the Department's headquarters building in Marsham street. It has not been possible to determine the type and country of origin of every tree, but all those can be verified, including the tree in Marsham street, an English spruce are British. Beyond that and official Christmas cards, the Department is not planning to spend any more money celebrating Christmas or the new year.