§ Mr. Norman Lamontasked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer
357WProtection whether she will give details of the numbers and salaries of the extra public relations and information officers recruited by her Department, and agencies for which it is responsible, since 1973–74.
§ Mrs. Shirley Williams,pursuant to her reply [Official Report, 6th November 1975] gave the following information:
Since my Department was created in March 1974 one additional Principal Information Officer—salary scale £5,680—£7,450 p.a.—post has been added to the establishment transferred from the former Department of Trade and Industry. During the same period one Principal Information Officer, three Senior Information Officers—salary scale £4,900—£5,900 p.a.—and three Information Officers—salary scale £3,900—£4,700 p.a.—have been added to the establishment of the Office of Fair Trading.
No such additions have been made in the Price Commission, the Monopolies and Mergers Commission or the Metrication Board. The scales quoted exclude London weighting.
§ Mr. Norman Lamontasked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection whether she will publish the increases in the number of civil servants, other categories of pubic sector officials and local government staff since 1973–74, as a result of central Government legislation, sponsored by her Department.
§ Mrs. Shirley Williams,pursuant to her reply [Official Report, 6th November 1975]; gave the following information:
About 220 civil servants, mostly for the administration of the food subsidy programme and new consumer credit legislation. Of these, 25 are in the Department of Prices and Consumer Protection.
There may have been a very small increase in the other categories mentioned, but details are not available centrally.