§ Mr. FlightTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost was to his Department of mobile phones supplied to Ministers and officials in each year since 1997. [123146]
§ Maria EagleThe purchase cost of mobile telephone equipment is charged to an account code that includes the cost of all telecommunication equipment up to 547W £2,000, e.g. faxes, dictaphones etc. Mobile phone purchase costs could not be separately identified without incurring disproportionate costs. However, the running costs for departmental mobile phones is separately identified and these details are as follows.
Department of Social Security £000 1997–98 1,330 1998–99 1,213 1999–2000 1,447 2000–01 1,344
Department for Work and Pensions £000 2001–02 3,223 2002–03 3,369 The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001 and brought together the former Department of Social Security and parts of the former Department for Education and Employment.
Telephone calls made using privately owned mobile phones, but subsequently reclaimed, are charged to an account code which also includes call charges relating to land lines. To separately identify mobile calls would mean investigating all expenses claim forms for the last six years. This exercise could not be completed without incurring disproportionate costs.