HC Deb 15 December 1969 vol 793 cc924-6
38. Sir T. Beamish

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many public relations and Press officers, on the criteria applied to a Question on 17th March, 1969, were employed in each Government Department, shown separately, including the department of Posts and Telecommunications, on the latest available date; and what are the comparable figure for 31st October, 1964, 1966 and 1968.

Mr. Shore

I will, with permission, circulate the information in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Sir T. Beamish

Why did the Government last spring need 161 more public relations officers than any Tory Government, at a cost to the taxpayer of more than £750,000 a year?

Mr. Heffer

Because the Government have done more.

Mr. Shore

My hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Walton (Mr. Heffer) has put his finger on the basic point, and I am grateful to him. It is undoubtedly true that the present Government are much more active than any we have had before and are far more concerned with the welfare of the British nation in broader areas of policy than has been the case hitherto. It is natural that an active Administration doing active and good things should wish to explain them.

Mr. Patrick Jenkin

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that it is not so much a question of explaining as of explaining away, which is what the Government have to do?

Mr. Shore

I reject that entirely. Our job as I see it is to explain, certainly not to explain away, which can be left to argument and debate.

Mr. Wellbeloved

Is my right hon. Friend aware that public relations officers have done a first-class job in reminding many hundreds of thousands of retirement pensioners of their right to claim supplementary benefit under a Measure which the present Government passed and of which we on this side of the House are proud?

Mr. Shore

My hon. Friend has pointed to one specific area in which, I am sure the House would agree, information was necessary if the aims of policy were to be achieved.

Mr. Peyton

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that he certainly carries this side of the House with him when he says that the Government are faced with

INFORMATION OFFICERS AND EQUIVALENTS IN GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS' INFORMATION BRANCHES
Department 31st October, 1964 31st October, 1966 31st October, 1968 31st October, 1969
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 12 12 14 14
Cabinet Office* — — — 8
Civil Service Department — — — 16
Civil Service Commission — 3 4
Customs and Excise 1 1 1 1
Decimal Currency Board — — 5 10
Defence 76 94 98 103
Economic Affairs — 10 10 —
Education and Science 9 16 20 22
Employment and Productivity 8 10 15 18
Export Credits Guarantee Department 2 2 2 2
Foreign and Commonwealth Office† — — 18½ 12
Foreign Office† 10 10 — —
Commonwealth Relations Office† 7 — — —
Colonial Office† 5 — — —
Commonwealth Office† — 8 — —
Forestry Commission 1 1 2 2
Health and Social Security — — — 16
Health 8 11 10 —
Social Security 4 4 4 —
Home Office 10 11 14 16
Housing and Local Government 8 11 14 15
Central Office of Information‡ 15 18 18 17
Inland Revenue 1 1 1 1
Land and Natural Resources 2 3 — —
Land Commission — — 2 2
National Savings Department — — — 8
National Savings Committee 5 5 5 —
National Savings Committee for Scotland 1 1 2 —
Overseas Development 4 10 11 11
Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications — — — 3
Post Office 51 61 96 —
Power 2 3 4 —
Privy Council Office — — 1 —
Public Building and Works 10 14 17 16
Scottish Home and Health Department 14 15 16 16
Technology 43½ 46 42 46
Board of Trade 31 38 42 40
Transport 17 18 25 28
Treasury and Sub-Departments 15 14 17 11
Welsh Office — 4 6 6
372½ 455 536½ 460
* The Cabinet Office has no Information Branch; the numbers shown include the staff in the Office of the Chief Information Adviser to Her Majesty's Government.
† These are the numbers of staff in the Press Offices in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Relations Office, and in the Information Branch of the Colonial Office.
‡ There is no Information Branch as such in the Central Office of Information; the numbers shown are staff on comparable duties.

the need to explain more things? Is he further aware that his statement that they have done more things is certainly supported by us, and entirely regretted by us?

Following is the information: The numbers of Information Officers and equivalents in Government Departments' Information Branches were as below, on the dates shown. The duties of Information Officers are wider than those of public relations officers and Press officers, which are not Civil Service grades.