To ask Her Majesty's Government how many officials have been involved in the preparation of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill; and what they estimate to be the cost of preparing the Bill up to the date of its First Reading in the House. [HL1420]

A team of four policy officials and two lawyers worked full-time preparing the Bill from July 2008 until introduction in December. The cost of this team for this period is estimated at £108,000. In addition, a significant number of officials have been involved on a range of policy issues, including specialists as part of their regular job functions. Cost estimates for their time are not estimated or collected.