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Departmental Information Officers

Volume 495: debated on Wednesday 8 July 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost to his Department of press office staff other than press officers has been in each year since 1997. (283073)

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) annual salary cost of press office staff other than press officers was £429,648 in the 2008-09 financial year, £421,532 in 2007-08 and £410,677 in 2006-07. These staff work in areas such as: updating the news section of the FCO website and other e-media; liaising with foreign journalists in the UK; photographing official ministerial meetings; and managing the logistics of FCO media events.

Figures previous to 2006-07 could not be split between press office staff and press officers.

These figures are calculated on an average salary cost basis which includes basic pay, national insurance, superannuation and the London location allowance.