HC Deb 05 March 2003 vol 400 cc1122-3W
Mr. Laws

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many(a) special advisers, (b) press officers, (c) senior management, (d) ministerial private offices, (e) information divisions and (f) policy divisions there have been in the Scotland Office in each year from 1999–2000 to 2002–03, giving the total cost of each for each year; and if she will make a statement. [90374]

Mr. Laws

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many(a) special advisers and (b) press officers have been employed by her Department in each year from 1994–95 to 2002–03; and at what cost in each year. [92484]

Mrs. Liddell

The Scotland Office was established in its present form on 1 July 1999.

Details of the number and costs of Special Advisers were given in the reply from my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office on 31 January 2003, Official Report, column 1056W.

The number of Press Officers employed by my Department from 1999–2000 to 2001–02 and their costs in each of these years are as follows:

Numbers of Press Officers in January of each year cost
1999–2000 4 144,078.16
2000–01 4 139,705.16
2001–02 4 134,702.43
1 Part year cost

Mrs. Liddell

My Department, which includes the Office of the Advocate General for Scotland, has two special advisers, nine senior civil servants, three ministerial private offices, three policy divisions and one information division, which includes four press officers.

Individual costs are not available in the form requested; but the details of administrative expenditure can be found in the Departmental Report and Resource Accounts for the Scotland Office.