HC Deb 05 November 1996 vol 284 cc439-40W
Mr. Barnes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much is being spent in the current financial year on national advertising campaigns to encourage people to register to vote; and what was the equivalent figure in real terms for each year since 1978–79. [1461]

Mr. Howard

[holding answer 4 November 1996]: In the current financial year, £700,000 is being spent on electoral registration advertising.

In previous years, the actual spend was as follows, with equivalent figures in brackets, calculated in 1995–96 prices using the gross domestic product deflator.

Actual spend £ Equivalent figure £
1982–83 87,000 160,000
1983–84 113,000 199,000
1984–85 126,000 211,000
1985–86 150,000 239,000
1986–87 300,000 463,000
1987–88 260,000 381,000
1988–89 306,000 420,000
1989–90 452,000 580,000
1990–91 468,000 557,000
1991–92 614,000 686,000
1992–93 606,000 650,000
1993–94 620,000 646,000
1994–95 650,000 666,000
1995–96 815,000 815,000
1996–97 700,000 685,000

My Department's records of advertising expenditure for the years before 1982–83 do not provide a breakdown between individual campaigns. The work involved in identifying costs of electoral registration advertising for those years would incur disproportionate costs.

The budget for television advertising spots, media spend and agency fees in 1996–97 is nearly the same as that for 1995–96. The difference between the years shown in the table is primarily because of production savings achieved this year through re-use of the 1995–96 commercial. Research showed it to be an effective advertisement capable of continuing to get the message across. After allowing for this, the real terms advertising spend was £685,000 in 1996–97 compared with £700,000 in 1995–96. Last year, general awareness of registration publicity among people surveyed rose from 29 per cent. pre-campaign to 61 per cent., post. This year, it rose from 20 per cent. pre to 70 per cent. post.

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