HC Deb 30 January 1996 vol 270 cc636-8W
Mr. Malcolm Bruce

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is his estimate of his Department's expenditure on newspapers and magazines in(a) 1993–94, (b) 1994–95 and (c) 1995–96 to date; and if he will list the publications purchased for the latest year for which information is available. [11504]

Mr. Jonathan Evans

The estimated expenditure on newspapers and magazines by the Lord Chancellor's Department, including the Court Service, is as follows:

  • 1993–94: £53,500
  • 1994–95: £54,700
  • 1995–96: £57,500
The publications that incurred the above expenditure were:

Newspapers:

Daily Express, Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, Daily Star, Daily Telegraph, European, Evening Standard, Financial Times, Independent, Independent on Sunday, Le Monde, News of the World, Observer, People, Sun, Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Times, The Times, Die Zeit.

Magazines

Accountancy, Architects Journal, Banking World, Bookseller, Building, Chartered Surveyor, Computing, Construction News, Design Week, Economist, Estate Times, Estates Gazette, Justice of the Peace, Law Society's Gazette, The Lawyer, Legal Business, Litigation, Litigation Letter, Magistrate, Management Accounting, Management Matters, Management Services, Management Today, New Law Journal, New Scientist, New Statesman and Society, Online and CD ROM Review, PC Magazine, PC Plus, PC Week, Police Review, Practical Computing, Private Eye, Radio Times, Social Work Today, Socio-Legal Newsletter, Solicitors' Journal, Spectator, Which?, Which Computer?

Letter from Julia C. Lomas to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 30 January 1996: The Parliamentary Secretary has asked me to reply to you as part of the Lord Chancellor's Department's response to your Parliamentary Question, listed on 19 January 1996, regarding the estimated cost of expenditure on newspapers and magazines in 1993–94, 1995–96 to date; and a list of the publications purchased for the latest year for which the information is available. The figures provided below indicate the monies spent from the Books and Newspapers budget and will, therefore, include the cost of purchasing books as well as newspapers and magazines. The figures for the cost of newspapers and magazines alone could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • 1993–94: £26,208
  • 1994–95: £26,518
  • 1995–96: £19,658 (to date)

The list of publications purchased in 1995–96 are as follows:

  • The Times
  • The Financial Times
  • The Independent
  • The Times (Saturday)
  • The Independent (Saturday)
  • Post Magazine
  • Solicitor's Journal
  • Taxation
  • Estates Gazette
  • Country Life
  • Money Management
  • ABC Railway Guide

Mr. Bruce

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is his estimate of expenditure on all forms of hospitality and entertainment by(a) his Department, (b) his Department's agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies for (i) 1979–80, (ii) 1989–90, (iii) 1991–92, (iv) 1993–94, (v) 1994–95, (vi) 1995–96 and (vii) 1996–97. [11501]

Mr. Evans

Expenditure on entertainment including all forms of hospitality are given in the table.

Entertainment
Financial year LCD1 Legal Aid Board
1979–80 Not available Not available
1989–90 18,886 Not exceeding £500
1991–92 20,895 Not exceeding £500
1993–94 20,477 Not exceeding £500
1994–95 226,159 Not exceeding £500
1995–96* 327,694 Not exceeding £500
1996–97* 428,456 Not exceeding £500
1Includes all non-departmental public bodies except the Legal Aid Board.
2Includes the Public Trust Office which became an agency on 1 July 1994.
3Forecast based on expenditure to December 1995. The Court Service became an agency on 3 April 1995.
4Forecast based on 1995–96 figure.

The first column of figures is for the whole of my Department apart from those years marked with an asterix which exclude the Court Service and Public Trust Office agencies. I have asked the chief executives of the agencies to reply direct for the years 1995–96 and 1996–97.

Letter from M. D. Huebner to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 30 January 1996: The Parliamentary Secretary has asked me to reply in respect of the Court Service to your question about annual hospitality and entertainment expenditure. The estimated annual figures for hospitality and entertainment expenditure from 3 April 1995, the date on which the Court Service was established, are:

  • 1995–96: £8,800
  • 1996–97: £8,800

Letter from Julia C. Lomas to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 30 January 1996: The Parliamentary Secretary has asked me to reply to you as part of the Lord Chancellor's Department's response to your Parliamentary Question, listed on 19 January 1996, regarding the estimate for expenditure on all forms of hospitality and entertainment for the years 1979–80, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96 and 1996–97. The Public Trust Office became an Agency on 1 July 1994 and the figures prior to that date will be included in our departmental Headquarters response. The estimated expenditure from 1 July 1994 are as follows:

  • 1 July 1994–95: £530
  • 1995–96: £685
  • 1996–97: £705

Letter from John Manthorpe to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 30 January 1996: Parliamentary question—expenditure on hospitality and entertainment in HM Land Registry. I have been asked by the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, to reply to your recent question on expenditure on all forms of hospitality and entertainment, I can provide the following information for the years quoted:

  1. (a) 1979–80: £747
  2. (b) 1989–90: £6,299
  3. (c) 1991–92: £13,993
  4. (d) 1993–94: 7,083
  5. (e) 1994–95: £12,888
  6. (f) 1995–96: £8,622 (at 31 December 1995)
  7. (g) 1996–97: Estimated expenditure figures for 1996–97 are not yet available. The annual non-staff budget setting process is currently taking place and the Land Registry Budget Committee has yet to decide the final budget allocation.

Letter from Dr. Elizabeth Hallam Smith to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 30 January 1996: In the absence of the Chief Executive, who is away from the Office on official business, I have been asked by the Lord Chancellor's Parliamentary Secretary to reply for the Public Record Office to your question about expenditure on hospitality and entertainment in the agencies for which he is responsible.

Expenditure since 1993–94 has been:

  • 1993–94: £8,298
  • 1994–95: £6,752
  • 1995–96: £7,120
  • 1996–97: £8,220 (budget)

Figures for earlier years could only be supplied at disproportionate cost.