§ Mr. Wrigglesworthasked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will give details of the numbers and salaries of the extra public relations and information officers recruited by his Department and agencies for which it is responsible between 1970–71 and 1974–75.
§ Mr. Charles R. MorrisThe number of staff from the Information Officer Group employed in the Civil Service Department during the financial year ended 31st March 1975 was 19, the same as that for 31st March 1971. The number had risen from 15 to 19 between 1st April 1970 and 31st March 1971 with an increase in salary cost at the latter date of some £13,000 per annum.
During the whole period covered by this Question, neither the Government Actuary's Department nor Her Majesty's Stationery Office employed any members of this group, while the numbers in the Central Office of Information fell by 86. Work which includes the dissemination of information and the fostering of good public relations are among the duties of some other staff in the four departments for which I am responsible but precise details are not readily available and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.