§ LORD LUCAS OF CHILWORTHasked Her Majesty's Government if they will state the cost of the "goodwill" advertising now being carried on by the Central Electricity Authority in the national Press, and whether they do not consider such expenditure a waste of public money in view of the national need for economy in public expenditure.
§ THE MINISTER OF POWER (LORD MILLS)My Lords, the cost of the series of advertisements by the Central Electricity Authority which have been appearing during the past two months in selected newspapers and journals is approximately £50,000. There have been five advertisements in the series, the last of which appeared recently, and their purpose has been to explain to the public the need for the nuclear power programme and associated developments including the erection of transmission lines. It is for the Authority to decide what forms of advertising are economically justified, subject to the general requirement that they, in common with other nationalised undertakings, should exercise reasonable restraint in their advertising expenditure. But I would venture to suggest that this campaign has accorded well with the suggestions made by the noble Lord and others in a debate on April 2, 1957, that the implications of the power programme should be explained to the public in simple language.
House adjourned at sixteen minutes past four o'clock.