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4 Nov 2004 : Column 443W—continued
Press Officers
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many press officers the Department has employed in each of the past five years. [196059]
Mrs. McGuire: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. Details of the number of press officers employed are given in the following table:
| Number of press officers | |
|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 4 |
| 2000–01 | 4 |
| 2001–02 | 4 |
| 2002–03 | 4 |
| 2003–04 | (19)3 |
(19) One of whom is part-time.
4 Nov 2004 : Column 444W
WALES
Renewable Energy (Planning Guidance)
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he last discussed the implementation of TAN8 with his colleagues in the National Assembly for Wales. [195729]
Mr. Hain: The implementation of TAN 8 is a matter for the National Assembly for Wales. I understand that they are currently considering responses to the consultation exercise, which closed on 5 November.
Temporary Staff
Mr. Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many agency temporary staff have been working for the Department in each of the last five years, excluding those working for agencies for which no data is kept centrally. [196064]
Mr. Hain : Information is not readily available for the whole period. However, the Wales Office has employed agency temporary staff to cover four posts in 2002, seven in 2003 and nine in 2004.
HOME DEPARTMENT
GM Food
Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many convictions there have been against restaurants for failing to display their policy on GM foods in each year since August 1999; [195716]
(2) how many prosecutions have been brought against restaurants for failing to display their policy on GM foods in each year since August 1999. [195717]
Miss Melanie Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
There is no legal obligation for restaurants to display their policy on genetically modified (GM) foods. However, a requirement was introduced in 1999 for caterers to identify any GM ingredients in the foods that they sell. I am not aware of any prosecutions brought against restaurants under the relevant regulations, which came into force in September 1999.
Police (West Midlands)
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many ethnic minority police officers there are in the West Midlands region. [195688]
Ms Blears: The Home Office Statistical Bulletin published on 29 September 2004 showed that, on 31 March 2004, West Midlands police had 499 ethnic minority officers out of a total officer strength of 8,008 (6.2 per cent).