Member News
The Commons leader has defended the practice of appointing part-time officials and former aides on the civil service payroll.
Sir George Young said the staff had been employed to carry out "specific tasks" and that it would be more expensive to bring them in on freelance contracts.
The comments came as MPs quizzed the Commons leader on the appointment of so-called vanity staff by the prime minister and other cabinet ministers.
David Cameron had been critcised for his appointment of personal photographer Andrew Parsons as thousands of civil servants face redundancy.
During exchanges on future business, shadow Commons leader Hilary Benn pointed out that Parsons had not attend the prime minister's trip to China this week, instead "left behind with the foreign secretary".
"It is reported that among those who have now also been put on the civil service payroll are a former Conservative candidate, a former fashion PR, and the former head of brand communications, whatever that is, at the Tory Party," he said.
Benn called for a statement on whether the reports were correct.
Sir George referred to Austin Mitchell's (Lab, Great Grimsby) blog who said it had been "daft" to attack the prime minister's appointment.
He told MPs: "The previous government spent over half a million pounds on communications and PR, we are cutting this by two-thirds.
"The people you refer to are brought in to do specific tasks where it would be more expensive to hire them on a freelance basis day by day."
Labour former minister Kevin Brennan called for a debate on "civil service recruitment".
The Cardiff West MP said the coalition government had been "trumpeting" employing fewer special advisers yet had allowed civil servants to be fired.
In response, Sir George said there are 90 people currently employed on short-term contracts in the Cabinet Office, 50 of which had been "put in place by the previous government".
"What we are not doing, which is what the previous government did, which is putting civil servants under the line management of special advisers like Jonathan Powell or Alistair Campbell, something that is now outlawed."
Meanwhile, the Cabinet Office has admitted that the deputy prime minister has also hired two of his former supporting staff as civil servants.
Have your say...
Please enter your comments below.