§ 2. Mr. Juddasked the Minister of Overseas Development what is the total budget in his Department during 1967–68 for public relations and educational promotion of its work.
§ Mr. Oram£56,700 is the estimated cost in 1967–68 of educational and recruitment publicity (films, photographs, exhibitions and pamphlets) commissioned through the Central Office of Information and H.M. Stationery Office. In addition, H.M. Stationery Office prints the newspaper "Overseas Development", produced in the Ministry, at a cost of £1,400 during the current financial year.
§ Mr. JuddDoes my hon. Friend appreciate that, to many people inside the House and outside it, the Government's decision not to cut overseas aid any further than the direct impact of devaluation will be seen with a great sense of relief and a realisation that the Government preserve a sense of perspective about the nation's wealth? Would my hon. Friend agree that if the Defence Services spend £1½ million on recruiting and public relations, we must give a high priority within available funds to educational policy concerned with overseas aid and development?
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. Supplementary questions are tending to become longer.
§ Mr. OramI agree about the importance of public relations and educational promotion work, but my hon. Friend has referred to recruitment. That is not covered in the figures which I gave in my Answer.
§ Mr. OnslowIs the Minister aware that there are many in the House, and many more outside it, for whom the best exercise in public relations that his Department could conduct would be to reduce this and other expenditure drastically? [HON. MEMBERS: "Nonsense."]