Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his Department's annual spend is on salaries for staff in press and communications roles; and how much was spent by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on salaries for staff in such roles in each year since 2010.

An annual cost is not available. Following the Machinery of Government changes in July 2016, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is currently working to best to align its workforce in order to best deliver its objectives. This includes staff in press and communications roles.

Information on the salary costs for the press and communications teams for each year since 2010 is not held centrally and would incur disproportionate costs to calculate.