§ Mr. Deakinsasked the Minister of State for Defence why there were, on 1st April 1973, 160 information officers in his Department compared with a total of 107 in the three Service Departments and Defence Department on 1st July 1963.
§ Mr. Ian GilmourThe figures are not comparable because of the reorganisation of Service and procurement Departments since 1963 and because of the absorption of the greater part of the Ministry of Aviation Supply into the Ministry of Defence. The number of information officers employed by the Ministry of Defence is the minimum required to inform the public through all the media of the activities of the Services and of all aspects of defence policy and to support recruiting.