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Mr. Laws
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) special advisers and (b) press officers have been employed by his Department in each year from 1994–95 to 2002–03; and at what cost in each year. [92444]
Mr. Blunkett
With regards to Special Advisers I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by my hon. Friend the Member for Paisley, South (Mr. Alexander) on 31 January 2003, Official Report, column 1056W. Press officer numbers are listed in the following table:
Year | Number of press officers | Cost £ thousand |
1996–97 | 16 | 369,000 |
1997–98 | 13 | 332,000 |
1998–99 | 13 | 329,000 |
1999–2000 | 16 | 345,000 |
2000–01 | 31 | 863,000 |
2001–02⋆ | 35 | 1 million |
2002–03 | 37 |