§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was of the Department's 2001 staff Christmas Party; and how many people attended. [61668]
§ Beverley HughesPublic funds are not normally used to pay for entertainment of civil servants in the Department. Staff Christmas parties in 2001 funded by staff themselves have not been included in this answer. We have identified a small number of events, held in December 2001, to recognise the contribution of staff and extend hospitality to non-civil servants who contributed to the delivery of the Department's objectives during the course of the year, which were part funded by the Department and its operational agencies. The total cost of these was £7,645 attended by 1163 people. We have not trawled the 136 prisons or all Immigration and Nationality Directorate units and to do so could only be done at a disproportionate cost.