§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Prime Minister (1) what were the numbers of (a) special and personal advisers to Government Ministers and (b) the secretarial support staff for special and personal advisers to Government Ministers in 1978, 1979 and 1984;
(2) how many Prime Ministerial advisers and support staff there were, broken down by category, in the years 1978, 1979 and 1984.
§ The Prime Minister[pursuant to her reply, 15 June 1984, c. 581]: The publicly available figures for the period before 4 May 1979 were:
Number 1978 25 1979 22 The other figures for special and personal advisers are:
Number 1979 11 1984 18 It is not possible to give numbers for those providing secretarial support, which in most cases is only part-time.
§ The Prime Minister[pursuant to her reply, 15 June 1984, c. 581]: The publicly available figures for the period before 4 May 1979 were:
100W
Prime Ministerial Advisers Support Staff 1978 6 Information not available 1979 5 Information not available The other figures are as follows:
Prime Ministerial Advisers Support Staff† 1979 *3 1 1984 *8 3 * Figure excludes political advisers not paid from public funds and Lord Rayner and Sir Robin Ibbs, who have held the appointment of adviser on efficiency. Following the abolition of the CPRS in 1983, the policy unit in the Prime Minister's Office was strengthened. † Figures relate to secretarial support.