Vol. 559 No. 2
187 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the number of staff in his office who are assigned to work on constituency matters; the staff who are employed for press or public relations matters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26030/02]
There are six staff in my constituency office. This complies with Government guidelines on the staffing of such offices.
My Department's press office is staffed by five people. In addition to providing services to me these people are the focal point for all media queries. They provide services to the Department and to both Ministers of State at my Department.
The services of a communications firm has also been retained to provide me with advice and assistance on a range of interactions between the Department, the public and the media.
