Vol. 442 No. 8
45 Mr. J. Mitchell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the total cost to the Exchequer of his private and press offices, including the cost of civil servants, programme managers, advisers, consultants, entertainment and travel in respect of the 12 month period ending 30 April 1994; and the comparative figure for 1991.
The estimated cost of my private office for the 12 month period ending 30 April 1994 was £290,000.00. This figure includes salaries, excluding overheads, of civil servants, the programme manager and my adviser, travel and subsistence costs and consultancy fees. The role of my Department's Information Office and the cost of entertainment extend to the Department as a whole and are not specific to my office.
In relation to the Deputy's question concerning a comparative figure for 1991, my Department's functions changed in January 1993 with the amalgamation of the forest service. For this reason any comparison would not be entirely relevant. In any event, I do not believe the cost and time required to extract and compile the information requested would be justified.
