§ Mr. Freudasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 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. Peter WalkerThe number of staff in the information officer group in my Ministry at the relevant dates, together with their cost, is as follows:—
Number Cost £ per annum 1 January 1976 9 61,000 1 January 1977 10 72,000 1 January 1978 12 92,000 1 January 1979 11 98,000 The corresponding information for 1 January 1980 is 13 staff at a cost of £125,000.
The apparent increase during 1979, which took place at the beginning of the year, was due to the filling of a vacancy and the regrading of an existing post.