No. 10 Downing Street (Hansard, 3 July 2002)

§ Mr. Collins
To ask the Prime Minister what expenditure was incurred by(a) the No 10 Press Office, (b) the Strategic Communications Unit and (c) the Research and Information Unit (i) in the latest available year and (ii) in 1997. [63583]

§ The Prime Minister
For the No. 10 Press Office, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for West Chelmsford (Mr. Burns) on 10 April 2002,Official Report, column 11W.
For the Strategic Communications Unit (SCU), I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 23 October 2001, Official Report, column 142W. SCU did not exist in 1996–97.
The total cost of running the Research and Information Unit (R&I) for the financial year 2000–01 was £432,556. Research and Information provides a single information 330W resource at No. 10, providing policy briefing, library resources and reference material for the Prime Minister and No. 10 staff. R&I did not exist in 1996–97.

§ Mr. Collins
To ask the Prime Minister how many staff (full-time equivalents) were employed by(a) the No. 10 Press Office, (b) the Strategic Communications Unit, (c) the Research and Information Unit, (d) the GICS Development Centre, (e) the Media Monitoring Unit and (f) the News Co-ordination Centre (i) in the latest available year and (ii) in 1996–97. [63581]

§ The Prime Minister
For information on the No. 10 Press Office, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for West Chelmsford (Mr. Burns) on 10 April 2002,Official Report, column 11W.
As at 1 April 2002, there were eight members of staff in the Strategic Communications Unit. The unit did not exist in 1996–97.
As at 1 April 2002, there were eight members of staff in the Research and Information Unit. The unit did not exist in 1996–97.
Staff numbers in the GICS Development Centre have fluctuated. As at 1 April 2002, there were 16 members of staff. On 1 April 1996 there were 16 members of staff; by 1 April 1997, following cutbacks in its marketing activities and the training and development support it provided to GICS members, the unit had been reduced to eight members of staff.
Following the Mountfield review of the GICS in 1997, which stressed the importance of high quality staffing, training and development and the exchange of best practice across the service,the unit has gradually returned to its previous staffing level as it has expanded its services to meet this wider remit.
As at 1 April 2002, there were 12 members of staff in the Media Monitoring Unit. The unit did not exist in 1996–97.
The News Co-ordination Centre has members of staff drawn from the Civil Contingencies Secretariat in the Cabinet Office. It is activated in an emergency or crisis, to provide a support and co-ordination role for the lead Government Department, when it is augmented by staff from other Departments. The NCC did not exist in 1996–97.