§ Mr. Wareingasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many of the staff on his Department are engaged in publicising the existence of welfare benefits to potential beneficiaries; what percentage of his staff this represents; what is the cost of this service; and what proportion of the expenditure of his Department this represents.
§ Mr. PortilloAdvising potential beneficiaries of the existence of welfare benefits forms a part of the work of all staff in the local office network. Information on the proportion of staff time spent in this way is not collected 805W centrally. It is not therefore possible to provide the cost of this service. The Department's planned expenditure on promotional literature and advertising of Social Security benefits in the 1987–88 financial year is £11 million.