§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the latest figure for the number of staff presently employed in the press and public realtions office of his Department; and what is the number planned to be employed at this point in 1988.
§ Mr. EggarThe number of staff employed in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office news department and 629W Overseas Development Administration press office is 19.5. The number employed at this point in 1988 will depend on the workload prevailing at the time.
§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the latest figure for the estimated spending in 1987–88 by his Department on(a) television advertising, (b) radio advertising, (c) newspaper advertising and (d) other promotion material; and what are the estimated expenditures in each area for 1988–89.
§ Mr. EggarForeign and Commonwealth Office estimates of expenditure on advertising and other promotional material for 1987–88 are:
£ FCO Diplomatic Wing 195,000 FCO Aid Wing 351,000 Total 546,000 Detailed decisions on expenditure for 1988–89 have not yet been taken, but the overall figures are expected to be:
£ FCO Diplomatic Wing 230,000 FCO Aid Wing 352,000 Total 582,000 Expenditure relates mainly to advertising for recruitment, publicity to promote overseas the entitlement of certain British residents overseas to vote in British and European Parliament elections, and general promotional literature.
A disaggregation of these figures to identify the medium used is not available.
§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the latest figure for the estimated expenditure by his Department on press and public relations for(a) 1987–88 and (b) 1988–89.
§ Mr. EggarTotal expenditure on press and public relations for 1987–88 is estimated as follows:
£ million Payment to Central Office of Information for overseas information material and related activities 19.2 Other information services 0.9 Running costs of the Diplomatic Wing Information/News Departments 2.0 Running costs of Aid Wing Information Department 0.2 Detailed decisions on expenditure for 1988–89 have not yet been taken, but the overall figures are expected to be:
£ million Payment to Central Office of Information for overseas information material and related activities 19.0 Other information services 0.9 Running costs of the Diplomatic Wing Information/News Departments 2.1 Running costs of Aid Wing Information Department 0.3 630W
£ million 1987–88 1988–89 Cost of information staff at overseas posts 17.6 18.3
£ million 1987–88 1988–89 Total 39.9 40.6 Most of this expenditure is incurred in carrying out the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's responsibilities for the projection of Britain's image, and Her Majesty's Government's policies in overseas countries.