HC Deb 22 March 2004 vol 419 cc531-2W
Matthew Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff are employed in the Department to work in the communications field, broken down by(a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. [158170]

Fiona Mactaggart

The Home Office employs four Special Advisers. The Special Advisers' Code of Conduct sets out the sort of work a special adviser may undertake on behalf of their Minister. This includes communications activity.

Details of other staff employed to work in the communications field are as follows:

Government Information and Communication Service staff Press Officers Others
Communication Directorate 186 1 2167
Research, Development and Statistics Directorate 0 0 7
Total 86 1 174
1 Press Officers are also GICS members and have been included in the Government Information Communication Service staff figure. There is only one non-GICS member of staff on secondment to the Press Office.
2 Includes six staff employed in policy units and 76 in customer communications.

Details of the numbers of staff employed in the communication field in the wider Home Office are not held centrally and could not be collected without disproportionate cost.

Matthew Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total expenditure on communications for the Department has been in 2003–04, broken down by expenditure on(a) Government Information and Communications Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers.(ii) special advisers and (iii) others. [158202]

Fiona Mactaggart

Expenditure on communications in 2003–04 within the Home Office's Communication and Research, Development and Statistics Directorates is estimated as follows:

£
Government Information and Communication Service staff Press Officers Other
Communication Directorate 3,427 25,000 14,031,000
Research Development and statistics Directorate 0 0 111,000
Total 3,427 25,000 4,142,000
1Included costs of six staff employed in policy units and 76 in customer communications.

Details of expenditure on communications beyond these two directorates are not held centrally and could not be collected with out disproportionate cost.

The Home Office employs four Special Advisers. Details of the costs of Special Advisers are given on an annual basis. Information for the financial year 20003–04 will be published in due course.