HC Deb 28 January 1991 vol 184 c390W
Mr. Fisher

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether the media advisory service is now operational;

(2) what role the media advisory service has in liaising with the Ministry of Defence;

(3) if he will list the members of the media advisory service;

(4) how many personnel, and at what grade, are employed by the media advisory service;

(5) what is the remit of the media advisory service; and under what guidelines does it operate;

(6) if he will describe the role of the media advisory service in relation to reports from the Gulf.

Mr. Maples

[holding answer 25 January 1991]: The: media advisory service has not been activated during the: present Gulf conflict. Its remit is to provide advice to media editors in time of tension and war. Personnel are not. allocated to the media advisory service until it is activated. However, two members of staff of the Central Office of Information are engaged in the development of the service; one grade 5 and one senior executive officer.