Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisors

Mr. Hoban
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the office costs for his Department's special advisers for 2007-08 are expected to be, including costs of support staff; and how many full-time equivalent civil servants work in support of such special advisers.

Jonathan Shaw
Three civil servants support the special advisers. They all provide administrative support of a non-political nature in accordance with the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers. They also provide support to the private offices.

Individual civil servants' salary details are not disclosed in order to protect the privacy of the individuals concerned.