§ Mr. LawsTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many press officers were employed in his Department in each year from 1990–91 to 2003–04; what the total cost was in each year; and if he will make a statement. [162857]
§ Hilary BennThe information for all years from 1996–97 is as follows:
Number of press officers Annual Cost (£000) 1996–97 6 195 1997–98 6 243 1998–99 4 240 1999–2000 3.3 100 2000–01 4.5 150 2001–02 4 148 2002–03 5 191 2003–04 6 230 Information for 1990–95 is not centrally available and could not be obtained without incurring a disproportionate cost.