To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost to his Department was of employing press and media officers in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what the cost to his Department was of employing such staff in the financial year 1996-97, expressed in current prices. (324797)

The Department for International Development (DFID) does not hold central records on the cost of individual press officers and this information could not be gathered for the years specified without incurring disproportionate cost.