HC Deb 25 May 2000 vol 350 cc615-6W
Mr. Willetts

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many press officers his Department employed in(a) May 1997 and (b) May 2000. [122475]

Mr. Rooker

The information is as follows:

Number of press officer posts within this department and its agencies
Year Number
May 1997 128.25
May 2000 22.25
1Includes two posts held in the Contributions Agency which transferred to the Inland Revenue in May 1997.

Note:

It should be noted that the structure of the Department has changed during the intervening period. Direct comparison of numbers between the years in question would therefore not be appropriate.