FOI 76-26 A request regarding how much yellow (or coloured) paper that has been procured in the last 10 years and at what financial cost
Information Standards Freedom of Information Response
Our ref: FOI 76-26
21 October 2026
Freedom of Information Act 2000
The Northern Ireland Assembly Commission (Assembly Commission) has processed your request dated 5 October 2026 under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA). Your request was as follows- :
‘How much yellow (or coloured) paper has been procured by the Northern Ireland Government in the last 10 years and at what financial cost? Please kindly breakdown the costs by year from 2016 to 2026 inclusive (September 2016 to September 2026 inclusive)’
Our response
The Assembly Commission is not a Northern Ireland government department. As indicated to you in previous correspondence, you will need to contact the Northern Ireland departments individually to obtain information about government use of coloured paper.
The Assembly Commission holds records on its procurement of coloured paper in the last eight years. Total expenditure in this period was £572.11. Further details are set out in the table below.
|
Description |
Unit |
Unit Cost |
Quantity |
Total Cost |
|
2018 (March to December only) |
||||
|
Yellow paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
2.07 |
4 |
8.28 |
|
|
Total |
8.28 |
||
|
2019 |
||||
|
Yellow paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
2.07 |
2 |
4.14 |
|
Blue paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
2.07 |
2 |
4.14 |
|
Pink paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
2.07 |
2 |
4.14 |
|
Green paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
2.07 |
2 |
4.14 |
|
Red paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
3.32 |
2 |
6.64 |
|
Orange paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
3.32 |
2 |
6.64 |
|
Cream paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
2.81 |
2 |
5.62 |
|
|
Total |
35.46 |
||
|
2020 |
||||
|
Yellow paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
2.32 |
4 |
9.28 |
|
Blue paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
2.32 |
6 |
13.92 |
|
|
Total |
23.20 |
||
|
2021 |
||||
|
Yellow paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
2.32 |
4 |
9.28 |
|
Blue paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
2.32 |
4 |
9.28 |
|
Pink paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
2.32 |
16 |
37.12 |
|
|
Total |
55.68 |
||
|
2022 |
||||
|
Yellow paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
2.32 |
12 |
27.84 |
|
Pink paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
2.32 |
18 |
41.76 |
|
Pink paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
4.95 |
24 |
118.80 |
|
Pink paper 80gsm (Xerox) |
500 sheets |
6.52 |
2 |
13.04 |
|
|
Total |
201.44 |
||
|
2023 |
||||
|
Pink paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
4.80 |
4 |
19.20 |
|
Blue paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
4.79 |
2 |
9.58 |
|
Bright blue paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
16.25 |
2 |
32.5 |
|
Cream paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
4.62 |
1 |
4.62 |
|
|
Total |
65.90 |
||
|
2024 |
||||
|
Yellow paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
4.79 |
2 |
9.58 |
|
Blue paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
4.79 |
2 |
9.58 |
|
Pink paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
4.80 |
2 |
9.60 |
|
Green paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
4.79 |
2 |
9.58 |
|
|
Total |
38.34 |
||
|
2025 |
||||
|
Yellow paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
4.79 |
4 |
19.16 |
|
Blue paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
4.79 |
4 |
19.16 |
|
Pink paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
4.80 |
2 |
9.60 |
|
Green paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
4.79 |
2 |
9.58 |
|
|
Total |
57.50 |
||
|
2026 (January to September inclusive) |
||||
|
Yellow paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
4.79 |
3 |
14.37 |
|
Blue paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
4.79 |
4 |
19.16 |
|
Pink paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
4.80 |
9 |
43.20 |
|
Green paper 80gsm |
500 sheets |
4.79 |
2 |
9.58 |
|
|
Total |
86.31 |
||
Further information
You may request an internal review of this decision by the Assembly Commission. If you wish to request such a review, please write to me at the above address. If, after that review, you are dissatisfied with the way in which the Assembly Commission has handled your request for information, you may complain to the Information Commission’s Office (ICO) at 4th Floor, No 3 Circle Square, 5 Hawkshaw Street, Manchester, M1 7BL.
Your request for information and our response may be published in the disclosure log maintained by the Assembly Commission under a publication scheme agreed with the ICO. The request and our response will be anonymised.
Yours sincerely
INFORMATION STANDARDS
