HC Deb 18 July 2003 vol 409 cc795-6W
Mr. Flight

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many(a) special advisers, (b) press officers, (c) civil servants, (d) advisers to civil servants and (e) permanent staff were working for his Department in each year since 1996. [126484]

Mr. Rammell

The answer to the hon. Member's question can be found in answers to previous Parliamentary Questions and in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Departmental Reports, as follows:

  1. (a) I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Mike O'Brien) gave to the hon. Member for Yeovil (David Laws) on 23 January 2003, Official Report, column 469W
  2. (b) I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Ben Bradshaw) to the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight (Andrew Turner) on 10 April 2002, Official Report, column 63W. I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester East (Keith Vaz) on 2 July 2003 Official Report, column 310W.
  3. (c) I refer the hon. Member to the 2003 Foreign and Commonwealth Office Departmental Report page 163.
  4. (d) The FCO does not employ advisers to civil servants.
  5. (e) See answer (c) above.

Any additional information for years prior to those shown in the 2003 Departmental Report can be found in previous Departmental Reports; copies of which are available in the Library of the House.