Government Communication Network

Mr. Hoban
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what the budget for (a) the Government Communication Network and (b) the Government Communication Group is for (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10, (iii) 2010-11 and (iv) 2011-12;

(2) what the cost to the public purse of (a) the Government Communication Network and (b) the Government Communication Group was in each year for which figures are available.

Tessa Jowell
The budget for Government Communication Group for 2008-09 was £2.1 million, and is £2.1 million for 2009-10. The Cabinet Office has not yet finalised unit budgets for future financial years beyond this spending review period.

The group’s remit includes improving professional capability of government communication, cross-departmental co-ordination and the customer service standard. The Government Communications Network is the mainly online community to share best practice and learning to communication staff across government. Its administrative support is provided through the Government Communication Group and its costs are not separately identified but included in the total figure.

Expenditure for the Government Communication Group was as follows:

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|       |Expenditure (£)|
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|2005-06|2,335,000      |
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|2006-07|2,407,000      |
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|2007-08|2,114,000      |
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|2008-09|1,813,000      |
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