HC Deb 22 October 2002 vol 391 c170W
Pete Wishart

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much expenditure her Department has incurred in each year since 1997 on employing external consultants to deal with the press or public relations of her Department. [59674]

Mr. Morley

As DEFRA was set up in June 2001, retrospective information on expenditure before this date does not exist for the Department.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) on 23 July 2002, Official Report, column 916W.