Press

Mr. Laws
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost of the press offices of (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies were in each year since 1996-97; what the cost was in each quarter since 1 April 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge
The Department has one agency, the Royal Parks Agency. The total annual costs of the press offices of the department and the Royal Parks Agency for each year from 1996-97 to 2006-07 are shown in the following table.

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|         |DCMS (£) |Royal Parks Agency (£)|
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|1996-97  |236,524  |37,395                |
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|1997-98  |—        |42,364                |
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|1998-99  |—        |43,559                |
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|1999-2000|—        |52,157                |
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|2000-01  |582,442  |55,688                |
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|2001-02  |657,139  |57,275                |
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|2002-03  |712,623  |58,325                |
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|2003-04  |814,244  |59,395                |
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|2004-05  |831,802  |59,693                |
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|2005-06  |861,799  |60,723                |
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|2006-07  |1,126,541|61,938                |
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Costs provided for the Royal Parks Agency are an estimate based on current staffing levels.

Costs for the department for 1996-97 and 2000-01 have previously been provided in a written answer to the hon. Member for West Chelmsford (Mr. Burns) on 10 April 2002, Official Report, column 319W.

Information for 2007-08 cannot be included as the current year’s expenditure has not yet been audited.

Information regarding the cost of the department’s press office from 1997-98 to 1999-2000, and the total annual cost of the press offices for the department’s non-departmental public bodies from 1996-97 to 2006-07, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.