§ Mr. Bruce Georgeasked the Lord Privy Seal how many staff were employed within each department during the last session to liaise with a Select Committee; what is the grade of each civil servant; and whether the number employed or their grade has been altered since 1979 to 1983.
§ Mr. John Biffen[pursuant to his reply, 10 December 1984, c. 367]: Liaison with Departmental Select Committees forms part of the duties of about 50 staff across Departments, ranging in grade from Executive Officer to Grade 3 (formerly Under Secretary). The time each spends on liaison work varies considerably from individual to individual and from Department to Department, depending on the Select Committee concerned and its programme of work. But, taking all Departments together, an estimated 2,300 man days a year are spent specifically on liaison, as distinct from other aspects of select committee work. This represents a small increase on previous years.