GM Conununications Unit (Hansard, 28 February 2000)

§ Mr. Yeo
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what is the annual total running cost of the Biotechnology Presentation Unit. [112072]

§ Marjorie Mowlam
The GM Communications Unit comes within the budget of the Cabinet Office press office. The budget for running the Cabinet Office press office for this financial year (April 1999 to March 2000) is £1,918,000.

§ Mr. Yeo
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will list(a) the date and (b) the people present at meetings members of the Biotechnology Presentation Unit have had with (a) companies with a financial interest in genetically modified organisms, (b) special interest groups and (c) others at which a White Paper on biotechnology has been discussed. [112073]

§ Marjorie Mowlam
No one working in the GM Communications Unit (which the hon. Member incorrectly referred to as the Biotechnology Presentation Unit) has had meetings with(a) companies with a financial interest in genetically modified organisms, (b) special interest groups and (c) others at which a White Paper on biotechnology has been discussed.
There are no plans for a White Paper on biotechnology.
151W

§ Mr. Yeo
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what is(a) the Civil Service grade and (b) the salary of each of the staff employed in the Biotechnology Presentation Unit. [112071]

§ Marjorie Mowlam
The grades of those currently employed in the GM Communications Unit are as followss

One at Band A

Three at Band B2

One at Band Cl.

It is not our practice, nor has been the practice of successive Governments, to give personal salary details of those employed in the civil service.