§ Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total expenditure on communications for his Department has been in 2003–04, broken down by expenditure on(a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others.[158210]
§ Maria EagleThe Department's expenditure on communications staff for 2003–04 is forecast to be £11,476,086. This is broken down as follows:
- (a) All GICS staff: £3,982,932
- (b) Other staff:
- (i) Press Officers £1,501,415 (GICS: £976,388—also included in figure in section a. Non GICS: 525,027)
1244W - (ii) Special Advisers. The Special Advisers' Code of Conduct sets out the sort of work a special adviser may undertake on behalf of their Minister. This includes communications activity. Details of the costs of Special Advisers are given on an annual basis. Information for the financial year 2003–04 will be published shortly.
- (iii) Others: £6,968,127
"Others" includes all staff working in the Communications teams of DWP, Jobcentre Plus, The Pension Service, Child Support Agency; The Appeals Service and Human Resources. Their work includes: marketing (national and regional); media relations; internal communications; communication standards; information services, ie the Library, Public Enquiry Office and Knowledge Management team; intranet; internet; Planning and Finance and other support staff).
The figures are based on average monthly salary costs for staff working in recognised communication functions. The figures do not cover all of the support staff working to communication staff in the regions as this exact figure is not known. More precise figures are not possible as not all of this information is held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.