§ Norman LambTo ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the activities of Lord Birt as a member of the Forward Strategy Unit over the last 12 months; on how many occasions Lord Birt has travelled by public transport in the last 12 months as part of his work with the Forward Strategy Unit; and how much Lord Birt has claimed in expenses as a result of his appointment to the Forward Strategy Unit.[102382]
§ The Prime MinisterLord Birt is my unpaid strategy adviser. He is not a member of the Strategy Unit, but works alongside the Strategy Unit on a range of issues. The nature of Lord Birt's work is to provide private internal advice to me and other Cabinet Ministers. This advice is not disclosed under Exemption 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
Lord Birt works primarily in London and my understanding is that he regularly uses public transport. He has not claimed any expenses in the last 12 months.