§ Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff were employed in the Department to work in the communications field, and what the total expenditure on communications for the Department was, broken down by(a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others, in (A) 1994–95, (B) 1996–97, (C) 1997–98 and (D) 2001–02. [168676]
§ Alun MichaelDefra was formed in June 2001. Information on the numbers employed in communications work in the Departments that previously dealt with Defra's policies and activities could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The costs for 2001–02 are not retained in the manner requested by the question, however the total cost of staff and related expenditure for the Communications Directorate of the Department was £5.0 million. The staff costs and related non-pay running costs of the press office was £1.7 million.
The total number of staff engaged at the mid-point of the year was 149, of which approximately 70 were communications professionals. 27 staff (inclusive of support staff) were in the press office. The remainder of the staff were employed in marketing, internal communications, new media, strategic planning, publication and print, library and translations, business support, finance and purchasing.
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.