Press

Mr. Laws
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total annual 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.

Angela Eagle
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 20 June 2007, Official Report, column 1879W by the former Financial Secretary (John Healey).

The administration costs of the Treasury and the Office of Government Commerce are published in the annual report and accounts each year, copies of which are available in the Library and at:

http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/about/about_index.cfm

The Government Actuary’s Department does not have a Press Office. Figures for HM Revenue and Customs, National Savings and Investments and the Office for National Statistics figures are given as follows:

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|       |HMRC |NS and I|ONS|
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|2001-02|3,870|—       |663|
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|2002-03|3,402|943     |635|
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|2003-04|2,526|801     |580|
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|2004-05|1,674|881     |600|
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|2005-06|2,022|1,080   |556|
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|2006-07|2,602|960     |512|
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