Written question asked by Eric Ollerenshaw (Conservative) on Thursday, 19 May 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 23 May 2011. It was answered by Lord Barker of Battle (Conservative) on Tuesday, 7 June 2011 on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Professional Organisations: Subscriptions

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many subscription or membership fees for (a) the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and (b) other professional organisations were paid from budgets of his Department in respect of its staff in each of the last three years.

Answer: The Department of Energy and Climate (DECC) has not taken out any subscriptions or memberships with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations over the last three years.DECC records expenditure on subscriptions and membership fees but does not specifically collect data on the number of subscriptions and memberships held. It would incur disproportionate costs to investigate all payments to determine how many individual fees and subscriptions were paid for. Membership fees and subscriptions are taken out for a number of reasons. DECC pays membership fees to secure UK representation on eight international energy and climate change bodies. Where staff hold or are training for professional qualifications they are required to subscribe to professional institutes, for example accountants, lawyers, economists. DECC also takes out subscriptions to access a wide range of printed and electronic data required to deliver the Department's objectives.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 57349; 529 c112W
Session: 2010-12
Subjects: Professional organisations Subscriptions Department of Energy and Climate Change
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk