Policy Unit

HC Deb 01 December 1988 vol 142 cc345-6W

Mr. Tony Banks

To ask the Prime Minister what was the total cost to public funds of scrapping the Central Policy Review Staff; and what has been the cost of the Prime Minister's policy unit in each year since its inception.

The Prime Minister

In the last full year of its operation (1982–83) the estimated cost to public funds of the Central Policy Review Staff was £1,109,000¹. Its abolition involved no costs to public funds; indeed, it represented a saving of this amount. The costs of the Prime Minister's policy unit, on a comparable basis, in each year since its inception is as follows:

	£
1979–80	37,669
1980–81	59,366
1981–82	63,846
1982–83	93,633
1983–84	154,923
1984–85	220,234
1985–86	270,610
1986–87	327,979
1987–88	311,110
1988–892	349,527
1 Based on number of staff in post.
2 Estimate.