§ Mr. BayleyTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how much public money will be spent on entertaining, Christmas decorations and other festive activities this Christmas season by his Department and Government agencies answerable to his Department; and of this sum how much will be spent in Ministers' private offices, and official residences.
§ Mr. HeseltineDisaggregated information of this nature is not available. The DTI's expenditure on official hospitality since 1990 was published in the answer to the hon. Member for Truro (Mr. Taylor) on 26 October, column654.
§ Mr. BayleyTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how many official Christmas cards he and his Ministers intend to send in 1994; how much these cards will cost(a) to buy, (b) to post and (c) in staff time to sign, address and place in envelopes; and if he will place in the Library a sample copy of the official Christmas card he intends to send this year.
§ Mr. HeseltineMy Department does not commission its own departmental Christmas card. Individual Ministers may choose to send cards. While specific lists of addressees have yet to be drawn up, it is expected that Ministers will send in the region of 500 cards at an expected average cost of 75p each. Cards for recipients within the United Kingdom will be sent second class. It 489W is not possible to predict accurately the amount of staff time that will be required to process the cards.