To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many (a) marketing officers, (b) communications officers and (c) press officers are employed in his Department; and what the total expenditure on communications for his Department was on (i) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (ii) other (A) press officers, (B) special advisers and (C) staff in the last year for which figures are available. (104315)

The Wales Office press and communications office has three staff covering all aspects of communications for the Wales Office.These staff are members of the Government Communications Network which replaced Government Information and Communication Service (GICS) in 2005. The total salary cost for these is £181,332.

We have two special advisers who advise and support Ministers in accordance with the code of conduct for special advisers and both they and other staff spend some of their time on communications matters,but identifying that expenditure would entail disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many temporary employees were contracted to work for his Department in 2005-06; and what the total cost of such employees was in (a) 2005-06 and (b) 1997-98. (106688)

The Wales Office employed a total of eight temporary staff throughout 2005-06 at a cost of £91,923.26. The Wales Office was not in existence in 1997-98.