§ Mr. BluntTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much his Department spent on promotional literature between(a) 1 May 1997 and 1 January 1999 and (b) 1 May 1995 and 1 January 1997. [70443]
§ Mr. Mudie[holding answer 15 February 1999]: Within the Department's Advertising and Publicity Budget the total spend on publications was:
- (a) £1.96 million between 1 May 1997 and 1 January 1999
- (b) £3.02 million between 1 May 1995 and 1 January 1997.
§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the expenditure incurred by his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies on(a) the setting up and (b) the operation of web sites, indicating the cases in which the expenditure has been above that budgeted; and if he will list for each web site (i) the topics covered, the current average number of hits per month and the estimated expenditure on each web site for each of the next three years. [70974]
§ Mr. Mudie[holding answer 15 February 1999]: The costs of setting up and operating the Department's website since it began in 1995 have not been held centrally and figures could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The website provides information and advice to parents, teachers, schools, employers and jobseekers about the Department's policies and responsibilities. It receives approximately 950,000 hits per month.
The cost of developing and running the website for the next three years is estimated to be in the region of £100,000 per year plus staff costs, which are not possible to separate out for work associated with the website.
708WThe Employment Service has a separate website which provides more detailed information for employers and jobseekers and about ES services. It receives approximately 7,500 hits per month. In 1998–99 it cost approximately £15,000 to run the website. This will rise to £23,600 next year to enable important enhancements and thereafter costs will fall to about £10,000 per year.
The New Deal website is again separate from the Department's and gives information for employers and potential participants of the New Deal. The site has an average of 12,000 hits per month. The cost to date of the New Deal website is £167,000. Decisions on the future costs and development of the website have not yet been made.
The Teacher Training Agency had two websites until the end of last year. The first aimed at those involved in Teaching and the second aimed at potential teachers. The average number of hits per month for the two sites is 223,340. The cost to date of setting up and operating the websites is £205,000. The cost for ongoing development and maintenance is estimated at £32,000.00.