§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many political advisers were employed in each Government department on 1 August, and what was the annual total salary cost of such advisers, for (i) 1992–93, (ii) 1993–94, (iii) 1994–95, (iv) 1995–96, (v) 1996–97 and (vi) 1997–98; what are the current salary scales on which they are paid; and if he will make a statement. [14806]
§ Dr. David ClarkAt 1 August, Government departments employed the following numbers of paid Special Advisers:
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Department Number employed Number 10 Downing Street 118 Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 2 Cabinet Office (Office of Public Service) 1 Chief Whip's Office 2 Department for Culture, Media and Sport 22 Ministry of Defence 2 Department for Education and Employment 15 Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions 23 Foreign and Commonwealth Office 2
Department Number employed Department of Health 2 Home Office 2 Department for International Development 2 Lord Privy Seal's Office 2 Northern Ireland Office 2 Privy Council Office 1 Scottish Office 2 Department of Social Security 2 Department of Trade and Industry 2 Her Majesty's Treasury 4 Welsh Office 2 1 Of which two part-time. 2 Of which one part-time. The total salary cost for 1992–93 is not readily available. However, the paybill for those in post at September 1992 was £1.3 million.
The total salary costs for the years 1993–96 are given in the list below:
- 1 August 1993–31 July 1994: £1,133,590
- 1 August 1994–31 July 1995: £1,460,733
- 1 August 1995–31 July 1996: £1,512,622
The total paybill from 1 April 1996 to 31 March 1997 was £1.8 million. The estimated paybill for 1997–98 is £2.6 million. The estimated total paybill for 1997–98 covers various posts, including the Standards and Effectiveness Adviser to the Department for Education and Employment, the UK anti-drugs co-ordinator and his deputy, which are not covered by the earlier paybill figure.
No projected figures are available for future years.
The current salaries in bands of £10,000 are set out in the following table.
Salary band (£) Number of Advisers 10,001–20,000 6 20,001–30,000 25 30,001–40,000 14 40,001–50,000 8 50,001–60,000 6 60,001–70,000 6 70,001–80,000 1 80,001–90,000 2 90,001–100,000 0 100,001–110,000 1 The table includes the nine Special Advisers appointed since 1 August.