Written question asked by Lord Hammond of Runnymede (Conservative) on Tuesday, 23 March 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 25 March 2010. It was answered by Phil Hope (Labour) on Tuesday, 6 April 2010 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Departmental Buildings

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on interior design in relation to office refurbishments undertaken in each of the last five years.

Answer: Like most organisations, the Department has a rolling refurbishment programme. It is not possible to identify separately, in all cases, the elements within this programme that relate to interior design, because it is often commissioned by the main contractor responsible for carrying out the refurbishment.In the last five years, the Department employed interior designers directly on two occasions. This was in financial year 2005-06, at a total cost of £94,251.

Secondary information