§ Mr. LawsTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his estimate is of the number of bottles of(a) wine and (b) other alcoholic beverages contained within the Government wine cellar, managed by his Department; what his estimate is of the value of the Government wine cellar; and if he will make a statement. [13517]
§ Mr. MacShaneThe Government Wine Cellar contains a mixture of fine wines, reception or drinking wines and spirits and liqueurs. Stock levels vary according to the number of Government functions at any given time. Generally the cellar contains approximately 37,000 bottles, the majority of which are wine. The value of the stock is subjective, depending on the vagaries on the wine 747W market, and bears no relation to the purchase costs. The current value is estimated to be in the region of £1.5 million.