To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are employed to handle calls to the anti-terrorism hotline; what the total cost of their annual salaries is expected to be in 2007-08; and what the annual cost is of the salary of the head of the anti-terrorism hotline. (139595)

[holding answer 4 June 2007]: The total number of people employed to handle calls on the anti-terrorism hotline is not fixed.

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Counter Terrorism Command has a dedicated team of 16, led by a detective sergeant. This team provides a 24/7 communications capability and are responsible for initial receipt of all communications including the anti-terrorism hotline. It is not possible to establish what proportion of time is spent solely on the hotline.

The annual budget for this team is £472,446 and the salary for the team manager is drawn from within this amount.