HC Deb 01 February 1996 vol 270 cc932-41W
Mr. Malcolm Bruce

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the total expenditure of his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies on publicity for each of the years(a) 1979–80, (b) 1989–90, (c) 1991–92, (d) 1993–94, (e) 1994–95 and (f) 1995–96 (i) to date and (ii) as estimated for the whole year; what estimate he has made of such expenditure for 1996–97; and if he will break these figures down to indicate expenditure on (1) advertising and (2) press and public relations. [11352]

Mr. Douglas Hogg

[holding answer 25 January 1996]: Expenditure on paid publicity by the Department in the financial year 1979–80 and in each of the subsequent years, broken down into advertising and press and public relations, is as follows:

Advertising £ Paid publicity1 £ Total £
1989–90 116,000 2,373,000 2,489,000
1990–91 126,719 2,305,281 2,432,000
1991–92 402,903 3,691,097 4,094,000
1992–93 779,566 3,437,434 4,217,000
1993–94 749,595 3,562,405 4,312,000
1994–95 827,115 3,972,885 4,800,000
1995–962 606,583 3,819,417 4,426,000
1996–972 455,000 3,712,000 4,167,000
1These figures represent other expenditure associated with paid publicity campaigns, they do not include staff costs.
2Forecast.

Paid publicity expenditure prior to 1984–85 was not kept in this form and figures would be available only at disproportionate cost.

Figures for advertising, include poster campaigns and port boards, and are different from previous answers as these forms of advertising had previously been included under the heading of "other publicity and promotional activities".

Expenditure on publicity by agencies is a matter for their chief executives. I have asked them to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Letter from G. K. Bruce to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 1 February 1996: The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply, in respect of the Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD), to your question concerning expenditure on publicity. [11352] The Directorate was launched as an executive agency on 1 April 1993. Figures prior to this date are not available. PSD incurred expenditure totalling £14,990 on publicity in 1993/94 in connection with the launch of the agency which can be classified as 'public relations'. No expenditure on publicity was incurred in 1994/95 and no expenditure is anticipated in 1995/96 or 1996/97. In addition, PSD spent £481 on newspaper advertising in 1993/94 and £4,440 in 1994/95. There has been no expenditure in 1995/96 to date but the agency expects to spend £2,000 before the end of the year and we estimate expenditure of £5,000 in 1996/97. All of this expenditure is directly attributable to recruitment advertising.

Letter from Dr. J. M. Rutter to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 1 February 1996: The Minister has asked me to reply to your question about expenditure on publicity by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, for 1979/80 and each year since 1989/90, as this is an operational matter for which I am responsible. The Directorate was established as a Next Steps Agency on 2 April 1990 and did not maintain its own accounts until 1991/92. Details of expenditure on publicity since that date are as follows:

Advertising £ Press and public relations £ Total £
1991–92 34,376 7,730 42,106
1992–93 22,993 21,339 44,332
1993–94 19,593 60,513 80,106
1994–95 10,883 41,246 52,129
1995–96
to date 4,855 43,786 48,641
1995–96
Forecast 11,000 58,543 69,543
1996–97
Forecast 11,300 60,300 71,600

Advertising covers the announcement of the grant and expiry of Marketing Authorisations in the official gazettes and, up to 1993/94, direct recruitment advertising.Press and public relations includes the VMD's Annual Report and Accounts, publicity relating to the safe use of organophosphorus sheep dips, and expenditure on the VMD's quarterly newsletter MAVIS. This newsletter is circulated to the veterinary profession, the veterinary medicinal products industry, representative bodies and opinion formers.

Letter from Professor P. I. Stanley to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 1 February 1996: EXPENDITURE ON PUBLICITY You asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for details of expenditure on publicity by his Department and its Agencies during certain specified years. The Minister has asked me to reply to you in respect of his Central Science Laboratory (CSL) Agency as this is an operational matter for which I am responsible. (11352) CSL was first launched as an Agency in April 1992 and therefore expenditure for earlier years is included in the Departmental totals. Further, CSL was significantly enlarged in April 1994 following its merger with the MAFF Food Science Laboratories and this is reflected in increased expenditure form 1994–95. Expenditure in £'000s for each of the years specified is:

1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97
Advertising 0.08 11.20 6.03 4.50
Press + P.R. 16.30 29.93 20.42 17.00
Total
Publicity 16.38 41.13 26.45 21.50

Advertising includes all forms of business advertising and excludes costs of recruitment advertising in newspapers and journals. Press + P.R. includes marketing expenses such as promotions and exhibitions at agricultural shows. The final out-turn 1995/96 and the 1996/97 figures are estimated.

Letter from Phillip Needham to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 1 February 1996: The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary question in which you asked what assessment has been made of the total expenditure on publicity for each of the years (i) 1979–80 (ii) 1989–90 (iii) 1991–92 (iv) 1993/94 (v) 1994/95 (vi) 1995/96 todate and what estimate has been made of such 1996/97; and if the figures could be broken down to indicate expenditure on (a) advertising and (b) press and public relations. [11352] ADAS was formed as an Executive Agency of MAFF and the Welsh Office in 1992. Any detail relating to expenditure prior to that date would be available from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The assessment of expenditure on publicity is as follows:

Advertising £ Press public relations £
1993–94 49,000 58,017
1994–95 102,000 79,540
1995–961 27,747 124,389
1to January 1996
2to December 1995

There are no forecasts available for 1995/96 and 1996/97.

Letter from T W. A. Little to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 1 February 1996: The Minister has asked me to reply to your question on expenditure on publicity in the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA). The VLA was established on 1 October 1995, from the merger of the existing Central Veterinary Laboratory with the Veterinary Investigation Service, which was part of the State Veterinary Service. VLA expenditure on publicity, which is confined to job advertisements only, is as follows:

  • 1993/94: £5,000
  • 1994/95: £5,000
  • 1995/96: £5,000
  • 1996/97: £6,000 (estimated)
Expenditure prior to 1993/94 is included in MAFF figures.

Mr. Bruce

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the annual telephone costs to(a) his Department, (b) his Department's agencies and (c) his Department's non-departmental public bodies staff for each of the years (i) 1979–80, (ii) 1989–90, (iii) 1991–92, (iv) 1993–94, (v) 1994–95, (vi) 1995–96 and (vii) 1996–97; and if internal telephone directories are available to staff in all areas of (a) to (c). [11354]

Mr. Hogg

[holding answer 25 January 1996]: The annual telephone costs, including VAT, for the Ministry, but excluding all agencies, was as follows:

  • 1979–80: This information is no longer available;
  • 1989–90: £4.924 million
  • 1991–92: £6.646 million
  • 1993–94: £3.910 million
  • 1994–95: £3.636 million
  • 1995–96: £1.977 million—this figure includes expenditure up to 24 January 1996.
  • 1996–97: This estimate is not as yet available.

The Ministry has an internal directory which includes staff within all our major offices.

Letter from Professor P. I. Stanley to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 1 February 1996: TELEPHONE COSTS AND DIRECTORIES You asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food about annual telephone costs of his Department and its Agencies during certain specified years and whether internal telephone directories are available to staff. The Minister has asked me to reply to you in respect of his Central Science Laboratory (CSL) Agency as this is an operational matter for which I am responsible. (11354) CSL was first launched as an Agency in April 1992 and therefore expenditure for earlier years is included in the Departmental totals. Further, CSL was significantly enlarged in April 1994 following its merger with the MAFF Food Science Laboratories and this is reflected in increased expenditure from 1994/95. Telephones costs in £'000s for each of the years specified is:

  • 1993/94: 157.3
  • 1994/95: 255.9
  • 1995/96: 252.2
  • 1996/97: 175.2
The final out-turn for 1995/96 and the 1996/97 figures are estimated. The Government Telephone Network (GTN) connects over 1,000 government offices nationwide. As a user of the GTN, a GTN Dialling Codes booklet is available to all CSL staff. It enables staff to identify the operator in any government building for enquiry services. Further, MAFF Directories and internal CSL Directories are available to all staff in the Agency.

Letter from G. K. Bruce to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 1 February 1996: The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply, in respect of the Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD), to your question seeking information on the estimated expenditure on annual telephone costs in the agency. (11354) PSD relocated to its new offices in York during October 1994. Prior to this date, the annual telephone costs for the agency were included in the overall budget of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The Minister will therefore respond to you separately covering this period. Full year estimates for the agency are available for the following periods:

  • 1995/96: £37,000
  • 1996/97: £38,000
Staff within the agency are both included in, and have access to, MAFF's telephone directory. In addition, PSD maintains its own internal telephone directory and all staff have a copy.

Letter from Dr. J. M. Rutter to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 1 February 1996: PQ2: 18 January 1996 (11354) The Minister has asked me to reply to your question about annual telephone costs incurred by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, for 1979/80 and each year since 1989/90, as this is an operational matter for which I am responsible. The Directorate was established as a Next Steps Agency on 2 April 1990 and did not maintain its own accounts until 1991/92. Details of annual telephone costs since that date are as follows:

  • 1991/92: £11,200
  • 1992/93: £9,477
  • 1993/94: £11,553
  • 1994/95: £8,199
  • 1995/96: £10,140 (forecast)
  • 1996/97: £11,000 (forecast)
Internal telephone directories are available to all staff.

Letter from T. W. A. Little to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 1 February 1996: The Minister has asked me to reply to your question on annual telephone costs in the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA).(11354) The VLA was established on 1 October 1995, from the merger of the existing Central Veterinary Laboratory with the Veterinary Investigation Service, which was part of the State Veterinary Service. Annual telephone costs, inclusive of VAT, from 1993/94 are as follows:-

  • 1993/94: £100,200
  • 1994/95: £94,800
  • 1995/96: £100,200
  • 1996/97: ££120,000 (estimated)
Telephone costs prior to 1993/94 are included in MAFF figures. Internal telephone directories are available to all staff.

Letter from Phillip Needham to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 1 February 1996: The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary question in which you asked what estimate has been made of the annual telephone costs for each of the years (i) 1979–80, (ii) 1989–90, (iii) 1991–92, (iv) 1993–94, (v) 1994–95, (vi) 1995–96 and (vii) 1996–97 and if internal telephone directories are available to staff in the Agency. (11354) ADAS was formed as an Executive Agency of MAFF and the Welsh Office in 1992. Any detail relating to expenditure prior to that date would be available from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The telephone costs for ADAS are as follows:

  • 1993–94: £1,217,675
  • 1994–95: £1,177,311
  • 1995–96: £1,268,243 (forecast)
  • 1996–97: £1,250,000 (forecast)
Internal telephone directories are available to all staff in ADAS.

Mr. Bruce

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what is his estimate of expenditure on all forms of hospitality and entertainment by(a) his Ministry,(b) his Ministry's agencies and (c) non-ministerial public bodies, for (i) 1979–80, (ii) 1989–90, (iii) 1991–92, (iv) 1993–94, (v) 1994–95, (vi) 1995–96 and (vii) 1996–97; [11413]

(2) what is his estimate of the expenditure of his Ministry, his Ministry's agencies and non-ministerial public bodies on all forms of overseas travel, overseas accommodation and other associated expenses for (a) 1979–80, (b) 1989–90, (c) 1991–92, (d) 1993–94, (e) 1994–95, (f) 1995–96 and (g) 1996–97. [11416]

Mr. Boswell

[holding answer 30 January 1996]: The information requested in respect of 1979–80 is no longer available.

The table details expenditure in respect of (a) all forms of hospitality and entertainment and (b) all forms of overseas travel, overseas accommodation and other associated expenses for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, excluding its agencies, for the years 1989–90,1991–92,1993–94, and 1994–95, together with expenditure for the first nine months of 1995–96.

Year (a) £ (b) £
1989–90 45,817.93 1,194,517.48
1991–92 64,851.87 1,954,411.83
1993–94 79,758.19 2,103,838.99
1994–95 64,092.62 1,872,568.44
1995–96 42,734.07 1,202,142.30

Detailed information relating to 1996–97 is not yet available, but it is expected that budgets will be similar to those for the current year.

The agency chief executives have been asked to provide similar information for each agency.

Information on the expenditure of self-accounting non-departmental public bodies is given in their annual accounts. Further analysis could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Letter from Dr. J. M. Rutter to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 1 February 1996: The Minister has asked me to reply to your question about expenditure on hospitality and entertainment by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, for (i) 1979/80, (ii) 1989/90, (iii) 1991/92, (iv) 1993/94, (v) 1994/95, (vi) 1995/96 and (vii) 1996/97, as this is an operational matter for which I am responsible. (11413) The Directorate was established as a Next Steps Agency on 2 April 1990 and did not maintain its own accounts until 1991/92. Since that date, expenditure on hospitality and entertainment, which principally covers working buffet lunches for industry liaison meeting and advisory groups, is as follows:

  • 1991/92: £1,239
  • 1993/94: £1,035
  • 1994/95: £1,817
  • 1995/96: £1,000 (forecast)
  • 1996/97: £1,000 (forecast)

Letter from Johnston McNeill to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 1 February 196: As Chief Executive of the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS), your questions regarding costs of empty/under-utilised properties, hospitality and entertainment, overseas expenses, publicity, telephones and external consultants have been passed to me for response with respect to this Executive Agency.(11413) As I am sure you are aware, the MHS was established on 1 April 1995 and therefore has incurred no such costs for all but one of these areas prior to this date. The Meat Hygiene Service has incurred no costs to date resulting from empty or under-utilised properties and does not expect to do so in 1996/97. With regard to hospitality and entertainment, £10,580 was spent in 1994/95, prior to the Agency's launch. A total of £7,000 is expected to be spent in 1995/96 and £9,000 in '96/97.' There has been no overseas travel by MHS staff to date and none is anticipated in 1996/97. In the 1995/96 financial year, the MHS incurred no costs for publicity, although leaflets about the Agency, costing £2,570, were produced and paid for by MAFF prior to launch. The MHS expects to spend no more than £1,000 on publicity in 1996–97. Current forecasts of telephone costs for the 1995/96 financial year are £112,000 and the estimate for 1996/97 is £123,000. Both these figures include mobile phone costs. The Government Telephone Network (GTN) connects over 1000 government offices nationwide. As a user of this system, a GTN dialling codes booklet is available to all MHS office staff. It enables staff to identify the operator in any other government building connected to GTN, for enquiry services. The MHS has spent £375,000 on external consultancy so far in 1995/96 and estimates that such costs will total £496,000 for the current financial year. Early projections for 1996/97 anticipate expenditure of no more than £200,000. The savings gained from using consultants are difficult to estimate. Many of these services provided have been on financial and computer systems where benefits will be achieved in long term savings which cannot accurately be quantified. In the first year of operation it has been necessary to use consultants to deal with start-up issues; providing resources to cope with short-term workload peaks whilst avoiding the need to incur long-term costs of employing permanent staff. Consultants have also provided necessary expertise in certain specialised areas either not contained within the MHS, to an insufficient degree, or that has only been required for limited periods. As you can see from the estimates for the future, the use of consultants is expected to reduce considerably.

Letter from T. W. A. Little to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 1 February 1996: The Minister has asked me to reply to your question on expenditure on hospitality and entertainment in the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA). The VLA was established on 1 October 1995, from the merger of the existing Central Veterinary Laboratory with the Veterinary Investigation Service, which was part of the State Veterinary Service. Figures for expenditure on hospitality are as follows:

  • 1993/94: £16,720
  • 1994/95: £12,076
  • 1995/96: £16,400 (estimated)
Figures prior to 1993/94 are included in MAFF figures. We expect expenditure in 1996/97 to be of the same order as that of 1995/96.

Letter from G. K. Bruce to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 1 February 1996: The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply, in respect of the Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD), to your question concerning expenditure on hospitality and entertainment. [11413] The Directorate was launched as an executive agency on 1 April 1993. Figures prior to that date are not available. The following amounts have been spent on hospitality or are projected to be spent in the other years identified in the Question:

  • 1993/94: Actual expenditure—£380
  • 1994/95: Actual expenditure—£422
  • 1995/96: Projected expenditure—£1,400
  • 1996/97: Projected expenditure—£1,400
There has been no expenditure by the Directorate on entertainment.

Letter from Professor P. I. Stanley to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 1 February 1996: EXPENDITURE ON HOSPITALITY AND ENTERTAINMENT You asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food about expenditure on all forms of hospitality and entertainment by his Department and its Agencies during certain specified years. The Minister has asked me to reply to you in respect of his Central Science Laboratory (CSL) Agency as this is an operational matter for which I am responsible.(11413) CSL was first launched as an Agency in April 1992 and therefore expenditure for earlier years is included in the Departmental totals. Further, CSL was significantly enlarged in April 1994 following its merger with the MAFF Food Science Laboratories and this is reflected in increased expenditure from 1994/95. Expenditure in £'000s for each of the years specified is:

1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97
Entertainment 0.09 2.07 2.45 2.40
Hospitality 4.62 10.43 21.19 10.00
Total 4.71 12.50 23.64 12.40

Expenditure on hospitality in 1995/96 includes the costs of the Visiting Group to CSL's Agriculture and Environment Directorate. The purpose of the Visiting Group was to assess the quality and management of the science delivered by the Directorate.The final out-turn for 1995/96 and the 1996/97 figures are estimated.

Letter from Phillip Needham to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 1 February 1996: The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary question in which you asked for an estimate of expenditure on all forms of hospitality and entertainment for (i) 1979–80, (ii) 1989–90, (iii) 1991–92, (iv) 1993–94, (v) 1994–95, (vi) 1995–96 and (vii) 1996–97. [11413] ADAS was formed as an Executive Agency of MAFF and the Welsh Office in 1992. Any detail relating to expenditure prior to that date would be available from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The estimated costs by ADAS on hospitality and entertainment are as follows: Estimated Cost

  • 1993–94: £14,197
  • 1994–95: £20,086
  • 1995–96: £10,630
There are no estimates available for 1996–97.

Letter from T. W. A Little to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 1 February 1996: The Minister has asked me to reply to your question on expenditure on overseas travel, accommodation and associated expenses in the Veterinary Laboratories Agency. [11416] The VLA was established on 1 October 1995, from the merger of the existing Central Veterinary Laboratory with the Veterinary Investigation Service, which was part of the State Veterinary Service. Total expenditure on overseas travel is as follows:-

  • 1993–94: £61,700
  • 1994–95: 66,200
  • 1995–96: £63,900
  • 1996–97: £75,000 (estimated)
Figures prior to 1996–97 are included in MAFF figures. The estimate for 1996–97 includes expenditure by the former Veterinary Investigation Service.

Letter from Dr. J. M. Rutter to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 1 February 1996: The Minister has asked me to reply to your question about expenditure on overseas travel, overseas accommodation and other associated expenses, by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, for (a) 1979–80, (b) 1989–90,(c) 1991/-2, (d) 1993–94, (e) 1994–95, (f) 1995–96 and (g) 1996–97, as this is an operational matter for which I am responsible. The Directorate was established as a Next Steps Agency on 2 April 1990 and did not maintain its own accounts until 1991–92. Details of this since that date are as follows:

  • 1991–92: £95,848
  • 1993–94: £118,009
  • 1994–95: £126,864
  • 1995–96: £85,000 (forecast)
  • 1996–97: £87,500 (forecast)
The main element of overseas travel was in respect of immunological inspections of manufacturing premises overseas, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the USA and Europe. VMD staff also attend meetings of E.U. working groups in Brussels. In both cases, all or part of the travel costs are reimbursed.

Letter from Phillip Needham to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 1 February 1996: The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary question in which you asked what is the estimated expenditure on all forms of overseas travel, overseas accommodation and other associated expenses for: (i) 1979–80 (ii) 1989–90 (iii) 1991–92 (iv) 1993–94 (v) 1994–95 (vi) 1995–96 and (vii) 1996–97. [11416] ADAS was formed as an Executive Agency of MAFF and the Welsh Office in 1992. Any detail relating to expenditure prior to that date would be available from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The estimated expenditure on overseas travel for ADAS is as follows:

  • 1993–94: £198,407
  • 1994–95: £249,388
  • 1995–96: £396,947 (forecast)
  • 1996–97: £400,000 (forecast)

Letter from Professor P. I. Stanley to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 1 February 1996: OVERSEAS TRAVEL EXPENDITURE You asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for details of expenditure on all forms of overseas travel, overseas accommodation and associated expenses by his Department and its Agencies during certain specified years. The Minister has asked me to reply to you in respect of his Central Science Laboratory (CSL) Agency as this is an operational matter for which I am responsible. (11416) CSL was first launched as an Agency in April 1992 and therefore expenditure for earlier years is included in the Departmental totals. Further, CSL was significantly enlarged in April 1994 following its merger with the MAFF Food Science Laboratories and this is reflected in increased expenditure from 1994–95. Expenditure in £'000s for each of the years specified is:

  • 1993–94: 57.4
  • 1994–95: 155.8
  • 1995–96: 175.2
  • 1996–97: 145.0
The final out-turn for 1995–96 and the 1996–97 figures are estimated.

Letter from G. K. Bruce to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 1 February 1996: The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply, in respect of the Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD), to your question concerning expenditure on overseas travel, overseas accommodation and other associated expenses. (11416) The Directorate was launched as an executive agency on 1 April 1993. Figures prior to that date are not available. The following amounts of expenditure have been recorded, or are estimated for the years concerned.

  • 1993–94: Actual expenditure—£97,668
  • 1994–95: Actual expenditure—£74,980
  • 1995–96: Estimated expenditure—£89,000
  • 1996–97: Estimated expenditure—£89,000

Mr. Bruce

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of ministerial expenditure on administration for(a) 1979–80, (b) 1989–90, (c) 1991–92, (d) 1993–94, (e) 1994–95, (f) 1995–96 and (g) 1996–97. [11414]

Mr. Boswell

[holding answer 30 January 1996]: The departmental report 1995, Cm 2803, at annexe 5 gives detailed information in respect of departmental expenditure on administration from 1989–90, as do the appropriation accounts for years up to and including 1994–95, as well as forecasts for 1995–96 onwards.