§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of staging the Trooping of the Colour in 2003. [176285]
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§ Mr. IngramThe additional cost of the Trooping of the Colour 2003 including all rehearsals, the General Officer Commanding's review, the Colonel's review and The Queen's Birthday Parade was £22,500. This can be attributed to the hiring of vehicles required to transport the participating troops to and from central London. Other minor costs, such as dry cleaning, communications and rations may also have been incurred, but these cannot be separated from general expenditure for similar purposes made throughout the year. The cost of seating spectators in 2003 amounted to some £141,000, which was recovered from the sale of tickets for the event. The Metropolitan Police and Westminster City Council may also have incurred costs, but my Department has no visibility of the extent of these.