Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what newspapers, periodicals and magazines his Department purchases for the use of Ministers.

In 2010, we consolidated the seven separate sets of newspapers previously ordered by the Ministerial group under the last Administration, into one single shared set of newspapers and periodicals for Ministers and special advisers. This has reduced spending from £23,000 in 2009-10 to £2,700 in 2013-14.

The consolidated set now covers the Daily Express, Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, Daily Star, Daily Telegraph, Financial Times, Guardian, Independent, Local Government Chronicle, Municipal Journal, Planning, PR Week, Spectator, Sun and The Times.

I also refer the hon. Member to the answer of 13 June 2013, Official Report, columns 386-7W which outlines the significant savings delivered on spending on press cuttings, and to the answer of 15 July 2013, Official Report, column 501W, on the savings we have made across departmental periodicals as a whole.