§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will set out the conventions governing the propriety and cost of press releases issued by his Department, its agencies and non-departmental bodies; and what is the total cost of the press releases issued since May 1997. [71468]
§ Mr. Dewar[holding answer 16 February 1999]The rules governing the work of the Government Information and Communication Service (GICS) are laid down in the Guidance on the work of the Government Information Service published by the Cabinet Office in July 1997. More specific guidance on the writing and issuing of press releases is given in the working guide for Government Information Officers. Copies of both documents are in the Library of the House.
The cost of press releases issued by my Department and its agencies since May 1997 is £119,182.
I will ask Chief Executives of non-departmental bodies to write to the hon. Member shortly on this matter.
§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many press releases have been issued by his Department, its agencies and non-departmental bodies in each of the years 1990 to 1998. [71453]
Model Number Age (years) Total purchase price £ Total annual running cost (£) (1 February 1998 to 31 January 1999) Small/medium saloon 5 Over 9 34,515 3,141 Small/medium saloon 5 8 to 9 39,429 4,588 Small/medium saloon 23 7 to 8 191,236 25,594 Small/medium saloon 18 6 to 7 151,358 23,976 Small/medium saloon 27 5 to 6 242,965 38,099 Large saloon 4 5 to 6 65,500 12,700 Small/medium saloon 28 4 to 5 260,307 41,899 Large saloon 1 4 to 5 15,200 2,450 Small/medium saloon 16 3 to 4 187,400 26,110 Small/medium 39 2 to 3 345,982 49,130 Small/medium 68 1 to 2 604,987 76,421 Large saloon 5 1 to 2 85,340 10,690 Small/medium saloon 5 Under 1 49,380 1,152 The large saloon cars are used for the Government Car Service (GCS) in Scotland. At present, 8 chauffeurs are employed to provide this service. The number of chauffeurs has varied depending on demand on the GCS. The total annual cost of employing chauffeurs during the past five years is detailed in the table.
770W
Year Cost (£) 1994 150,000 1995 156,000 1996 165,000
§ Mr. Dewar[holding answer 16 February 1999]The number of press releases issued by my Department and its agencies is set out in the list. I will ask Chief Executives of non-departmental bodies to write to the hon. Member shortly with this information.
Number of press releases
- 1990: 2,101
- 1991: 2,040
- 1992: 2,098
- 1993: 2,101
- 1994: 1,820
- 1995: 2,028
- 1996: 2,487
- 1997: 2,314
- 1998: 2,896.