Vol. 405 No. 3
143 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Finance if his Department use private couriers to deliver departmental correspondence; the courier firms which are currently engaged; and the total amount paid to private courier firms for each year since 1984.
It is not the general practice of my Department or of the offices under my aegis to use the services of private couriers. Such services are used only as an exceptional measure on occasions when departmental messengers are unavailable.
The expenditure incurred by my Department in relation to courier services during 1989 and 1990 was £209 and £782 respectively. The main company used was Pony Express Limited.
Expenditure for the years 1984 to 1988 is not readily available, nor are details relating to the offices under my aegis. The amounts involved, however, would have been very small.
