§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what has been the total expenditure and the breakdown of expenditure in his Department since May 1997 on(a) public opinion research, (b) television, radio and newspaper advertising and (c) direct mail. [63918]
§ Mr. TimmsThe information is in the table. 719W
Total spend for year 1997–98 £ Business unit Public opinion research TV, radio and newspaper advertising Direct mail Benefits Agency 12,587 151,539 76,603 Contributions Agency — 360,734 735,217 Child Support Agency — — 10,000 War Pensions Agency 2,747 1,857 900 HQ 518,735 1,146,806 74,911
Estimated spend for the year 1998–99 £ Business unit Public opinion research TV, radio and newspaper advertising Direct mail Benefits Agency 183,703 276,757 44,321 Contributions Agency 25,442 1,000 164,200 Child Support Agency — — 21,000 War Pensions Agency — 1,400 2,300 HQ 620,060 2,806,660 322,691 1 The substantial increase in Research costs over 1997–98 can be attributed to Project Access (a review of Benefits Agency information, which included consultation and research exercises) and the costs of commissioning research prior to the launch of the new style leaflets and claim forms.