§ Mr. ChidgeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much her Department spends on biking press releases to(a) hon. Members and (b) other individuals or groups, each time her Department issues a press release; how many such press releases were issued by her Department (i) in the period 1 May to 1 July and (ii) in the period 1 January to 1 March; and if she will review her Department's use of couriers to deliver press releases and investigate the possibility of using fax or e-mail. [8817]
§ Mr. Paul Murphy(a) Nil.
(b) It is not possible to identify costs per release; the total cost for delivery of releases in 1997–98 is estimated at £15,909.
- (i) 204
- (ii) 142
The use of couriers to deliver press releases is regularly reviewed and has been substantially reduced in recent years. Fax and e-mail are now used extensively and their use is currently under review. All press releases are also available on the Internet www.nio.gov.uk/press.