§ Mr. William RossTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many mobile telephones have been supplied to his Department in each of the last eight years; and in70W each of those years how many different suppliers were involved. [8036]
§ Mr. HoramThe Department of Health keeps records of the number of active mobile telephones, which currently stands at about 500. Annual supply figures are not recorded.
The main supplier from 1991 to 1994 was BT (Cellnet). Since April 1994 Vodafone has been the sole supplier on winning a tendered contract. Mobile telephones are obtained to meet operational needs and are issued to individuals for official use.