§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) portable telephones, (b) pagers and electronic bleepers and (c) car telephones are currently used by his Department; what are the annual costs of operating this equipment; and to which personnel it is made available.
§ Mr. HowardAbout 1,250 mobile telephones are in use in my Department, including executive agencies. About a dozen are installed in official vehicles. There are about 2,100 pagers. Mobile telephones and pagers are used mainly by staff in Her Majesty's Prison Service and Her Majesty's Immigration Service, who for operational reasons need to maintain immediate contact with their offices or other officials. Annual expenditure is estimated to be about £745,000, excluding capital costs which are variable.