HC Deb 04 December 2001 vol 376 cc235-6W
Annabelle Ewing

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) special advisers and (b) press officers were employed (i) full time, (ii) part time and (iii) on a contract basis by his Department in each year since 1992. [6925]

Mr. Blunkett

(a) On the number of special advisers, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office on 21 November 2001, Official Report, column 340W.

(b) On the number of press officers, detailed staff profiles for the period prior to 1997 are not held centrally and the cost of providing this information would be disproportionate as it would require the Home Office pay branch to conduct a detailed search of all staff records for the periods in question. Payroll records would not, in any event, provide accurate press officer staffing levels which throughout the period in question were enhanced by attachments and secondments, some at nil cost to the Department, and would not necessarily have been reflected in payroll information.

For numbers of press officers currently employed full and part time at the Home Office I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Lidington) on 25 June 2001, Official Report, column 49W.

Staffing levels for the years 1997 to 2000 were as follows: May 1997: three senior information officers, 10 information officers (two part time) one assistant information officer, a higher executive officer on secondment. January 1998: three senior information officers, 1 I information officers (two part time). January 1999: two senior information officers, eight information officers (two part time), three assistant information officers, a higher executive officer on secondment. January 2000: three senior information officers, six information officers, three assistant information officers, one higher executive officer on secondment. For all these periods the Home Office press office was managed by an assistant director at either grade seven or temporary grade six level.