§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many press releases were issued by his Department in the financial years(a) 1996–97, (b) 1997–98, (c) 1998–99 and (d) 1999–2000; how many have been issued in the current financial year; and what his estimate is of the total number for the current financial year. [149242]
§ Dawn PrimaroloThe number of press releases issued by the Treasury for the services of the Central Office of Information (COI), who distribute press releases, can be provided readily in calendar year form as follows:
Year Number of press notices 1997 184 1998 239 1999 283 2000 151 2001 to date 10 Future numbers cannot be predicted.