§ Mr. FieldTo ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to appoint persons with earnings below half average earnings as(a) members and (b) advisers to the Social Exclusion Unit. [128050]
§ The Prime MinisterThe Social Exclusion Unit is staffed by a mixture of civil servants and external secondees. They come from a number of Government Departments and organisations with experience of tackling social exclusion. The members of the Unit range from New Dealers to an assistant Director of a local authority. Their previous earnings are not a factor in their appointment.
Advisers to the Unit are on secondment, and are not paid for by the Unit. They are appointed for their expertise and experience.