§ Mr. Freudasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report the number, and the average cost, of information officers employed by his Department at the beginning of each of the last four years.
§ Mr. HeseltineThe number and cost of information officers in my Department, including the Property Services Agency, Building Research Establishment, and Fire Research Station, in these years are:
January 1976 94 £535,000* January 1977 83 £515,000 January 1978 72 £467,000 January 1979 56 £407,000 January 1980 52 £519,000 * The Department then included the present Department of Transport. The information officer group, in addition to press officers, includes information specialists in exhibitions, films, publications, advertising and editorial work. Since September 1976 my Department has provided a common service to the Department of Transport on films, publications and exhibitions.