Written question asked by Lord Lansley (Conservative) on Tuesday, 27 June 2000, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 10 July 2000. It was answered by Graham Stringer (Labour) on Monday, 10 July 2000 on behalf of the Cabinet Office.

Cabinet Office

Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost of the Government Information and Communication Service Media Monitoring Unit was for (a) 1997-98 and (b) 1998-99. - Inc figure and fact the information for 1997-98 is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Answer: Mr. Lansley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the cost of the Government Information and Communication Service Media Monitoring Unit was for (a) 1997-98 and (b) 1998-99. [128462] Mr. Stringer: The Media Monitoring Unit (MMU) operated as a pilot between December 1997 and March 1998. The MMU's set-up and running costs for this period were absorbed by a wide range of Departments. This information is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost. In the 1998-99 financial year, the total cost of the unit was £478,878. These costs were recovered from a large number of Departments out of their existing funds.

Secondary information