To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 8 December 2009, Official Report, column 344W, on Risk and Regulation Advisory Council: public relations, for what reasons departmental officials were not used to undertake the work under the contracts with external public relations firms. (314848)

The Risk and Regulation Advisory Council (RRAC) was set up as an independent ad hoc advisory body. The small support team within the Strategic Policy Analysis Group in BERR (now BIS) did not have the resources or specialist knowledge required to manage communications and public relations in-house. The use of internal (BERR) resources was not a viable option, as it would compromise the RRAC's independence. As an advisory body independent of government, the RRAC could not have public relations and communications support handled by Government communications and press offices.