HC Deb 19 November 1986 vol 105 cc202-4W
Mr. Dobson

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what will be the estimated spending by his Department on television, radio and newspaper advertising, respectively, and other promotional literature in the current year; and what was the total in 1979–80 and each intervening year.

Mr. Douglas Hurd

During this financial year the Home Office plans to spend an estimated £3 million on advertising, plus a further 1.6 million spent partly by the Home Office and partly by NTVLRO on the TV licence anti-evasion campaign. It is not yet possible to say how expenditure will finally be divided between television, radio and press. Approximately £1.3 million is likely to be spent on the production of promotional literature and related printing.

Figures for expenditure on newspapers and television advertising for 1979–80 to 1983–84 were covered by answers which appeared in Hansard on 8 May 1984 and those for the 1984–85 financial year by replies in the edition which appeared on 6 December 1985.

Figures for radio advertising and other promotional literature are as follows:

Radio £ Other promotional literature £
1979–80 2,671 85,700
1980–81 100,605 438,355
1981–82 75,476 455,652
1982–83 109,304 431,595
1983–84 70,681 534,889
1984–85 222,700 703,066

Figures for newspapers, television, radio advertising and other promotional literature for 1985–86 are as follows:

£
Newspapers 397,790
Television 2,828,006
Radio 80,595
Other promotional literature 776,039

Mr. Dobson

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what will be the total spending of his Department on press and public relations in the current year; and what it was in 1979–80 and each intervening year.

Mr. Hurd

The budget for the Home Office public relations branch for 1986–87 is £704,000. Figures for earlier years are as follows:

Year £'000
1979–80 374
1980–81 478
1981–82 448
1982–83 429
1983–84 545
1984–85 596
1985–86 646

These figures include salary, accommodation and service costs.

Mr. Dobson

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many press and public relations staff are employed in his Department; and how many were employed in 1979–80 and each intervening year.

Mr. Hurd

Staff in the information officer grades in post in the Home Office public relations branch on 1 November 1986 numbered 27. The figures of information officer staff in post on 1 January each year were as follows:

Year Number
1980 26
1981 27
1982 25
1983 21
1984 21
1985 25
1986 25