§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department has spent on (a) office furniture, (b) carpets and curtains and (c) office decorating in each of the last five years.
§ Mr. HurdBefore 1 April 1983, the Department's office accommodation was provided as an allied service and the costs were borne by the Property Services Agency (PSA) of the Department of the Environment. Almost all decorating continues to be arranged by the PSA as part of its responsibility for maintaining the civil estate. Departments fund the PSA for this and other works services by the payment of an annual accommodation charge for each of its occupations; decorating costs are not separately identified.
The amounts spent by the Department in 1983–84 and 1984–85 on office furniture, carpets and curtains (and other associated services such as porterage) were £699,341 and £1,509,815 respectively. A further breakdown of these figures could not be provided except at disproportionate cost. These figures do not include the offices element of expenditure at prisons and other specialised Home Office outstations, separate information about which is not readily available.