§ Mr. MaclennanTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what his Department's policy is on(a) advertising and (b) acknowledging company sponsorship on the websites of his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies; which companies (i) have placed advertisements and (ii) are acknowledged as sponsors on those websites; how much revenue has been received for each financial year since 1997 from such advertisements and sponsorship; and if that revenue has been retained within the budget of his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies. [119547]
§ Mr. Wills[holding answer 19 April 20001]My Department follows the guidance on advertising given in the "Framework policy and guidelines for the use, management and design of public sector websites" published by the Cabinet Office, which recommend that
Government sites are permitted to carry advertising. In designing pages. Departments and agencies should ensure that advertisers' branding does not detract from the effectiveness and appearance of their own branding or that of the Government as a whole. Particular attention should be given to avoid any implication of endorsement of products or services or of contradiction between Government messages and those of advertisers.My Department does not currently carry advertising or receive sponsorship for its websites and as a consequence no revenue has been received or retained within the budget of the Department. That is also the position, to the best of my knowledge, in relation to the websites of my Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies.