§ Mr. Meacherasked the Prime Minister what has been the cost of running No. 10 Downing street each year since 1979, both in current and constant prices; what has been the percentage increase annually in real terms; and what has been the annual cost since 1979 in foreign visits, entertainment, and allowances for accommodation.
§ The Prime Minister[pursuant to her reply, 8 April 1986, c. 5]: It is not possible without disproportionate expense to isolate all the costs of running No. 10 Downing street from Chequers. The costs of the Prime Minister's Office in the last six years are as follows:
Total costs Year Current prices £ Constant prices (1984–85) £ Year-on-year percentage variation £ £ 1979–80 1,409,101 2,144,750 1980–81 1,744,824 2,236,954 4.3 1981–82 2,415,301 2,815,036 25.8 1982–83 2,699,752 2,940,906 4.5 1983–84 3,026,042 3,155,414 7.3 1984–85 3,648,073 3,648,073 15.6 *1985–86 4,146,721 3,949,258 8.3 * (Provisional). The annual cost since 1979 of foreign visits, entertainment and accommodation allowances in respect of No. 10 Downing street is as follows:
Foreign visits Year Current prices £ Constant prices (1984–85) £ Year-on-year percentage variation £ £ 1979–80 151,864 231,148 1980–81 133,206 170,777 -26.1 1981–82 556,000 648,019 279.5 1982–83 523,587 570,356 -12.0 1983–84 216,146 225,387 -60.5 1984–85 414,259 414,259 83.8 *1985–86 458,688 436,846 5.5 * (Provisional). See Notes 2 and 3(i) below.
Entertainment Year Current prices £ Constant prices (1984–85) £ Year-on-year percentage variation £ £ 1979–80 12,546 19,096 1980–81 17,649 22,627 18.5 1981–82 15,684 18,280 -19.2 1982–83 13,773 15,009 -17.9 1983–84 13,837 14,429 -3.9 1984–85 23,104 23,104 60.1 *1985–86 31,443 29,950 29.6 * (Provisional). See Note 2 below.
113W
Accommodation Year Current prices £ Constant prices (1984–85) £ Year-on-year percentage variation £ £ 1983–84 505,230 526,830 1984–85 506,787 506,787 -3.8 *1985–86 525,598 500,570 -1.2 * (Provisional). See Note 3(ii) below.
Notes:
1. Salaries and wages, notional pension liability and administration costs and the grant-in-aid to the Chequers Trust are included. The salary of the Prime Minister and the cost of messengerial and cleaning services are excluded.
2. Billing delays prevent some costs from being shown in the financial year in which the goods and services were provided. The above figures, therefore, do not necessarily reflect when the expenditure was actually incurred.
3. The basis for the total costs changed in (i) 1981–82 when charging by Ministry of Defence for its aircraft was introduced; (ii) 1983–84, when the Property Services Agency introduced charging for buildings and services; and (iii) 1984–85, when Ministry of Defence introduced charging for the service staff at Chequers.
4. Following the abolition of the CPRS, the policy unit in the Prime Minister's Office was strengthened by four staff. In the last full year of its existence (1982–83) CPRS employed 35 people and cost £1,109,000 (£1,208,061 at 1984–85 prices). Thus, while the cost of the Prime Minister's Office increased as a result of the abolition of the CPRS, substantial net overall savings were made.