§ 2.40 p.m.
§ LORD BROUGHSHANEMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the question standing in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The question was as follows:
§ To ask His Majesty's Government what is the present annual cost of Government Public Relations Officers and their staffs, and what was the cost in this regard prior to the war; also what is the total sum now spent by the Government in advertising, the similar expenditure in Government advertising in 1938; and what economies are now proposed.]
§ LORD AMMONMy Lords, the reply to the first and second parts of the question involves tables of figures, and I have arranged for this information to be circulated in the OFFICIAL REPORT. In reply to the last part of the question, I can assure the noble Lord that His Majesty's Government are alive to the need for economy in the Government's Information Services. No particular deductions are now proposed, because the expenditure is frequently reviewed, and is kept as small as is consistent with their duties.
§ Following are the tables referred to:
§ COST OF INFORMATION STAFFS IN HOME DEPARTMENTS 1938 AND 1947.
| 1938 | 1947 |
| £97,000 | £415,000 |
§ NOTES:
§ 1. These figures include the cost of subordinate clerical and typing staff employed in Department Information Divisions.
§ 2. The 1947 figures do not include Central Office of Information staff. The Central Office is not concerned with public relations work like that of other Departments, but is primarily an agency providing expert technical facilities.
§ 3. The above figures do not include the cost of the information staffs of the Oversea Departments, since only a small proportion of their work is directed to this country. The cost of home-based information staffs in the Oversea Departments attributable to publicity at home in 1947 is estimated to have been £30,624. It is not possible to calculate a comparable figure for 1938.
§ ESTIMATED COSTS OF PRESS AND POSTER ADVERTISING BY GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS DURING 1938 AND 1947.
| £ thousands | |||
| 1938 | 1947 | ||
| 1. | Central Office of Information (including repayment services) | — | 1,675 |
| 2. | His Majesty's Stationery Office (costs of paper and printing for posters, and expenses of arranging classified advertising) | 29 | 100 |
| 3. | National Savings Committee | 23 | 530 |
| 4. | Ministry of Food | — | 338 |
| 5. | Other Departmental advertising (including classified Press insertions) | 205 | 305 |
| Total (£ thousands) | 257 | 2,948 |
§ NOTES:
§ 1. All the above figures include a percentage allowance for staff costs.
§ 2. The figures exclude expenditure on oversea advertising by the oversea Departments and by the Central Office of Information.
§ LORD BROUGHSHANEMy Lords, may I ask the Government to consider the organisation of a central body which could deal with individuals seeking the assistance of the Government in any particular matter, so that they can be referred by this central body to the appropriate Government Department, instead of having to seek round the large number of Departments for information? May I also ask whether steps could not be taken for 61 all Government advertising to be done through a central Department, instead of it being left, as it is now, in the hands of each Department to advertise something in which they are particularly interested? Such a step would, incidentally, relieve the departmental annoyance which is caused by Certain Government advertising. The posters which we see throughout London showing mill chimneys vomiting forth dense quantities of smoke, for example, are contrary to all that the Ministry of Health, and also the Ministry of Fuel, have urged upon employers.
§ LORD AMMONMy Lords, I will see that the noble Lord's two suggestions are brought before the proper quarters.