Staff at my Department are not engaged in the preparation or production of documentation, briefing materials, information, booklets, statistics or other information for the use of a specific political party or individual candidates in the local or European Parliament elections and that no such material has been disseminated from my Department for such purposes. In response to requests and queries, my Department provides material to members of the public, including public representatives of all parties, and no parties, on an ongoing basis across the range of policy areas for which my Department has responsibility.
My Department receives regular requests from all political parties for information relating to the activities of my Department to assist their press and research offices in the preparation of speeches and other material for members of their parties. Dealing with these requests generally involves the provision of raw material which is already a matter of public record whether through answers to parliamentary questions, press releases, speeches or existing briefing material.
