HC Deb 07 November 2002 vol 392 cc819-20W
Nick Harvey

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) analogue and (b) integrated digital television sets his Department has purchased in each of the last 24 months; and if he will make a statement. [38177]

Hilary Benn

The number of(a) analogue and (b) integrated digital television sets bought by the Home Department in each of the last 24 months are as follows.

Month Digital Analogue
January 2000 0 0
February 2000 0 0
March 2000 0 0
April 2000 2 4
May 2000 0 0
June 2000 0 0
July 2000 4 1
August 2000 1 2
September 2000 0 1
October 2000 0 0
November 2000 0 1
December 2000 1 112,477
January 2001 1 2
February 2001 0 0
March 2001 0 7
April 2001 0 3
May 2001 0 2
June 2001 0 3
July 2001 0 0
August 2001 1 0
September 2001 1 0

Month Digital Analogue
October 2001 0 0
November 2001 0 0
December 2001 0 112,471
Total 11 24,974
1 Prison Service end of year totals. Month by month split could not be provided without incurring disproportionate costs.

The high number of television sets purchased by the Prison Service in the years 2000 and 2001 is a result of a programme of providing prison establishments with in cell television sets.

No guidance as been issued relating to the purchasing of television sets.