Advertising (Hansard, 17 February 1995)

§ Mr. Heseltine

[holding answer 13 February 1995]: Expenditure on advertising from my Department's central publicity budget since 1979–80 at 1994–95 prices is as follows:

Year	£000
1979–80	3,892
1980–81	7,677
1981–82	7,546
1982–83	6,105
1983–84	6,701
1984–85	8,219
1985–86	7,797
1986–87	45,769
1987–88	15,256
1988–89	27,061
1989–90	13,166
1990–91	7,601
1991–92	1,056
1992–93	1,197
1993–94	800

I have asked chief executives of DTI agencies to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Hobday to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 17 February 1995: I refer to your question to the President of the Board of Trade concerning expenditure on advertising. The Accounts Services Agency have spent £995 exclusive of VAT during the current financial year. This is the first year since the Agency's creation in October 1991 in which expenditure has been incurred.

Letter from David Durham to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 17 February 1995: You recently tabled a Parliamentary Question asking about the total expenditure on all forms of advertising by Departments and Agencies since 1979, in 1994 prices. Following the answer given by the President of the Board of Trade, I am replying as Chief Executive of Companies House which 867W became an Executive Agency of the Department of Trade and Industry in October 1988. Companies House Executive Agency advertising expenditure at 1994/95 prices is as follows:

1989–90 £380,265
1990–91 £260,288
1991–92 £207,670
1992–93 £348,932
1993–94 £206,040
1994/95—£174,000 year to date

These figures include expenditure on advertising to raise the awareness of Late Filing Penalties and inform and remind companies of the due dates for filing. I hope this is helpful to you.

Letter from Peter Joyce to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 17 February 1995: The President of the Board of Trade has asked me to reply to your Question about Insolvency Service expenditure on advertising. The Insolvency Service, which became an Executive Agency in March 1990, does not place advertisements of its business. Official Receivers of The Service are required to place in newspapers and other journals notices concerning specific matters relating to individual insolvencies, for example notice of the making of a bankruptcy order. The cost of these notices are a charge on the estates of bankrupts and companies in compulsory liquidation.

Letter from R.D. Worswick to Mr. Malcolm Bruce dated 15 February 1995: PQ ON ADVERTISING The President of the Board of Trade has asked me to write to you about the advertising spend by the Laboratory of the Government Chemist (LGC). LGC's spend on external advertising is concentrated in the trade press to promote seminars and other similar scientific events. We also spend modest amounts on recruitment advertising but this is not included in the figures below. Information before 1991 is not readily available but I am not aware of any reason to believe that the spend over the last couple of years is not typical of our expenditure in earlier years. In 1991/92 we spent £3,000, in 1992/93 we spent £6,000 and in 1993/94 we spent £4,000 on all forms of advertising (all figures in 1994 prices).

Letter from W. Edgar to Mr. Malcolm Bruce dated 17 February 1995: I refer to your question to the President of the Board of Trade on the subject of the expenditure by the Department of Trade and Industry and its Agencies on all forms of advertising. The expenditure by year in 1994 prices since the vesting of NEL as an Agency on 6 October 1990 is as shown on the attached schedule. I trust you will find this information satisfactory for your purposes.

Expenditure by Nel on all forms of advertising
	£(1994)
FY 90/91	3,932
FY 91/92	20,745
FY 92/93	23,796
FY 93/94	10,511
FY 94/95 (to date)	5,844

Letter from Peter Clapham to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 17 February 1995: I am writing in response to your question to the President of the Board of Trade about expenditure by his department and its agencies on advertising. NPL became an Executive Agency in July 1990, but advertising (other than recruitment advertising) was covered by the department's central publicity budget until 1991/92. Since then expenditure (including recruitment advertising) has been as follows (including VAT) in 1994 prices: 868W

1991–92 £82,000
1992–93 £46,000
1993–94 £45,000.

Letter from Seton Bennett to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 17 February 1995: EXPENDITURE ON ADVERTISING The President of the Board of Trade has asked me to reply on behalf of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory to your question about expenditure on advertising. While NWML takes every opportunity to bring its activities to the attention of interested parties, the use of paid advertising is rare and there has been no such expenditure since 1992. Expenditure in previous years, for which figures are not readily available, was limited to occasional advertisements in specialist journals.

Letter from P.R.S. Hartnack to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 17 February 1995: The President of the Board of Trade has asked me to provide you with information relating to the Patent Office, as part of the reply to your question on advertising expenditure in the DTI and its agencies since 1979. The figures for advertising expenditure by the Patent Office are supplied below, covering the years 1990/91–1993/94 (at 1994/95 prices and inclusive of VAT) since the Patent Office became an Executive Agency in 1991. Any advertising expenditure on intellectual property prior to 1990/91 will have been subsumed in general Departmental advertising.

Advertising expenditure in the Patent Office

1990–91 £57,000
1991–92 £54,000
1992–93 £410,000
1993–94 £417,000

I hope this information is helpful to you.

Letter from Jim Norton to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 17 February 1995: ADVERTISING COSTS The President of the Board of Trade has asked me to reply to your question about advertising costs for this Agency. Since becoming an Agency in 1990 the Agency has spent the following on publicity:

1990–91 £171,426
1991–92 £216,166
1992–93 £289,222
1993–94 £244,953

Publicity includes a wide range of information distributed by the Agency which is not wholly 'advertising'. Although we do not have separate figures for advertising as such we estimate this represents around 30 per cent. of the annual outturn figures above. Prior to 1990, the then Radio Regulatory Division's advertising costs would have been contained within the overall DTI figures which you have.