§ Mr. FlightTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what have been the running costs of Ministers' private offices in his Department and its predecessor in each year since 1997. [123115]
§ Mr. LammyGross administration costs (formerly known as running costs) for the Ministers' private offices from 1997 to date are set out in the following table:
Administration costs for Ministers' private offices £ Cost 1997–981 0 1998–99 1,055 1999–2000 1,257 2000–01 1,585 2001–02 1,620 2002–032 2,001 1 Data not readily available without incurring disproportionate cost. 2 The increase in running costs between 2001–02 and 2002–03 is a result of the Machinery of Government changes and the consequent expansion of the Ministers' private offices to accommodate the additional areas of responsibility.