§ Lord Patten asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ How many people are employed in the office of the Minister without Portfolio and Party Chair, including the number of special advisers; and what is the annual cost, and [HL4764]
§ What are the Ministerial duties undertaken by the right honourable Charles Clarke MP in his role as Minister without Portfolio, as opposed to those in his role as Party Chair. [HL4765]
§ The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Macdonald of Tradeston)As Minister without Portfolio, the right honourable Charles Clarke MP is a member of the Cabinet and 14 Cabinet Committees. In his Government role he is supported by a part-time private secretary. The Government do not provide any further staffing support for the Minister without Portfolio. The salaries of individual civil servants are not disclosed in order to protect their privacy in line with Exemption 12 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.