§ Mr. GrocottTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will provide as much information as possible about his Department's expenditure on commercial television advertising, without breaching commercial confidentiality, over each of the past five years.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe Department of Transport's planned expenditure on commercial television advertising airtime in 1989–90 is £1.7 million. This relates to our campaign against drinking arid driving.
Our objective in buying airtime is to obtain equivalent "reach" in respect of our target audience in each of the television areas. Expenditure is proportionately higher in the south (the areas covered by Television South, London Weekend Television, Thames Television and Television South West) because the cost of airtime is higher.
I have already provided information on the Department's expenditure over the past five years, during which time the same principle of equivalent "reach" has applied.