§ Mr. Dubsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much was spent on advertising in local and national press and television for each of the social security and welfare benefits, including housing benefits, which are administered by his Department in 1982, 1983 and 1984 to date; and how these costs compare with the equivalent advertising expenditure of (a) other Government Departments, (b) public sector advertisers and (c) private sector advertisers.
§ Mr. NewtonThe amounts spent by the Department on press and TV advertising for social security and welfare benefits has been as follows:
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Benefit Financial Year 1979–80 £ 1980–81 £ 1981–82 £ 1982–83 £ 1983–84 £ (a) Supplementary benefit — Annual advertising cost Nil Nil Nil 98,000 Nil — Annual benefit cost (£ million) 2,436 3,172 4,840 6,263 5,693 — Estimated take-up rate (per cent.) 70 71 71 n/a n/a — Last national advertising campaign: 1983 (b) Family income supplement — Annual advertising cost 297,000 336,000 482,000 506,000 Nil — Annual benefit cost (£ million) 27 42 66 94 125 — Estimated take-up rate (per cent.) 50(78) 50 50 50 n/a — Last national advertising campaign: 1982 (c) Housing Benefit — Annual advertising cost 157,000 42,000 261,000 300,000 Nil — Annual benefit cost (£ million) 479 631 928 1,588 3,725
Benefits Financial years 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 to date Supplementary benefit (Voluntary unemployment reduction) Nil £99,000 Nil Family income supplement £495,000 £2,000 Nil Housing benefits £293,000 £5,000 Nil One parent benefit Nil £52,000 Nil Retirement pension/widows' benefits Nil Nil £461,000 Child benefit Nil Nil £79,000 Statutory sick pay £474,000 £447,000 Nil Other benefits Nil Nil £970 During the calendar year 1983 the Department spent a total of approximately £3 million on all health and social security-related press and TV advertising. Comparative figures for other advertisers are:
(a) All Government Departments, excluding DHSS approximately £37 million (Media Expenditure Analysis Ltd estimate)
(b)All other national public sector advertisers, that is excluding local authorities approximately £130 million (Media Expenditure Analysis Ltd estimate)
(c) All private sector advertisers approximately £2,378 million (Advertising Association estimate)
It should be noted that the advertising covered by these figures constitutes only a small part of the Department's efforts to ensure that potential beneficiaries are informed of available benefits. Other measures to this end include those given in my reply to the hon. Member today and the Department also makes use of its direct mail contacts with claimants, for example by inserts in child benefit books. We are at present writing to all supplementary benefit claimants who can be identified as having a possible entitlement to non-contributory invalidity pension to invite them to make a claim.
§ Mr. Dubsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much has been spent in each of the past five years on national and local press and television to publicise (a) supplementary benefit, (b) family income supplement and (c) housing benefit; if he will compare the amount spent on advertising each benefit with the total annual cost of benefit paid and the respective take-up rate of each benefit; and in which year there was last a national advertising campaign to publicise the fact and conditions of each benefit.
§ Mr. NewtonThe information requested is as follows:
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Benefit Financial Year 1979–80 £ 1980–81 £ 1981–82 £ 1982–83 £ 1983–84 £ — Estimated take-up rate (per cent.) See table 11.2 "Housing and construction statistics, 1972–82"— available in the Library Rent Rebates: 72 Rent Allowances: 62 Rate Rebates: 65 n/a n/a — Last national advertising campaign: 1983
§ Mr. Dubsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what have been the themes for which social security advertising in national and local press and television has been used to date; and how much and what proportion of such advertising has been spent on advice to beneficiaries about consequent emergency procedures arising from the current industrial dispute at Newcastle central office.
§ Mr. NewtonSocial Security advertising during the current financial year to date has been on the following themes, with expenditure and proportions of total indicated:
£ percentage of total NI number cards 254,000 30 Social security review 22,500 3 Emergency Campaigns Overseas pensions 70,000 9 Child benefit 79,177 10 Retirement pension and widows' benefit 391,442 48 Total 817,119 100
§ Mr. Dubsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much was spent by his Department on advertising in the national and local Press and television in 1982, 1983 and 1984 to date; and if he will show this separately for social security issues, health issues, and personal social service issues.
§ Mr. NewtonThe amounts spent by the Department on press and TV advertising have been as follows:
£000's Category Financial year 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 to date Social security issues 1,263 553 564 Health issues (excluding HEC expenditure) 883 1,561 808 Personal social service issues Nil Nil Nil