Since the formation of the Government, the number of permanent staff has increased from 42.5 on 1 January 1995 to 60.5 today. The number of contract draftsmen has increased from three to six in the same period. The law librarian and personal secretary are also on contract.
On 25 September 1996 in response to written Parliamentary Question No. 89 I gave the Deputy details of the terms and conditions of all individuals engaged by the office of the Attorney General on a contract basis.
The total amount expended on these contract staff between 1 January 1995 and 30 September 1996 amounted to £459,287 excluding VAT at 21 per cent.
The breakdown is as follows: Contract Draftsmen, £371,165; Law Librarian, £24,500; Personal Secretary, £18,667; Special Advisers, £13,455; Contract Indexers, £31,500.
As I stated in my response to written Parliamentary Question No. 12 from Deputy Briscoe on 25 July 1996, three additional senior draftsmen have been appointed to the office. Two further appointments are expected to be made later this year. These and other initiatives within the office will mean that the demand for contract draftsmen, in the medium to long term, should diminish. In the meantime, the ever-increasing demands placed upon the office and the lengthy training period required to bring new staff to an effective skills level means that in the short to medium term the use of external expertise will continue. The training and development of recently recruited staff in the office is another area where contract draftsmen have and continue to be involved.
