§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list those gifts received by Ministers in their official capacities and reported to the permanent secretary in each of the last five years. [23784]
§ Mr. HeseltineA total of 237 gifts were accepted by DTI Ministers between 1 April 1994 and 31 March 1995. 119 of these were retained by the Ministers and 118 became the property of the Department. Seven of these gifts were valued by the Department at more than £125. Of these seven, five became the property of the Department and two were purchased by the Minister, in accordance with the provisions of "Questions of Procedure for Ministers", by payment of the difference between the Department's retail valuation and £125 limit. A breakdown for each Minister is shown in the table.
Figures for earlier years are not available.
the hon. Member's question. To provide this information would entail disproportionate cost.