§ Angus RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total 627W expenditure was on (a) advertising, (b) polling, (c) focus groups, (d) design consultants, (e) caterers, (f) production of departmental publications and (g) photographs/photographers by his Department for each year since 1995 in (i) cash and (ii) real terms; what was (A) the annual percentage increase in spending on each category and (B) spending on each category as a percentage of the total departmental running costs; and if he will make a statement. [6934]
§ Mr. MacShaneThe known expenditure by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on the categories listed by the hon. Member was:
Table 1: Expenditure on each category £ Advertising Design consultants Publications Photographs 1995–96 0 547,193 2,188,776 not known (639,508) (2,558,036) 1996–97 0 366,383 1,465,534 not known (415,078) (1,660,313) 1997–98 54,038 687,199 2,748,800 330,634 (59,391) (755,270) (3,021,084) (363,385) 1998–99 1,029,850 364,640 1,458,564 227,040 (1,101,033) (389,844) (1,559,380) (242,733) 1999–2000 54,498 329,833 1,319,336 228,074 (56,877) (344,232) (1,376,931) (238,031) 2000–01 52,950 355,374 1,421,497 235,225 (53,249) (364,258) (1,421,498) (241,106) Note:
Figures in brackets show expenditure in real terms relative to 2001–02 prices.
Table 2: Annual percentage increases in spending on each category Year Advertising Design consultants Publishing Photographs 1995–96 to 1996–97 n/a -33 -33 not known 1996–97 to 1997–98 n/a +88 +88 not known 1997–98 to 1998–99 +1,906 -47 -47 -32 1998–99 to 1999–2000 -1,890 -10 -9 +0.5 1999–2000 to 2000–01 -4 +8 +8 +3 Note:
Percentages are rounded.
Table 3: Expenditure as a percentage of total FCO running costs Year Advertising Design consultants Publishing Photographs 1995–96 n/a 0.13 0.5 not known 1996–97 n/a 0.09 0.35 not known 1997–98 0.013 0.16 0.66 0.08 1998–99 0.235 0.08 0.34 0.052 1999–2000 0.015 0.09 0.35 0.062 2000–01 0.012 0.08 0.33 0.055 Note:
Percentages are rounded.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office incurred no expenditure on 'polling' or 'focus groups' in the years concerned.
Catering expenditure is not separately identifiable in the FCO accounting system: to ascertain the figures would involve disproportionate effort and cost. The figures for publications include expenditure on public diplomacy, consular publications and annual reports. In addition to the expenditure identified, there was minor additional 628W expenditure in London and overseas in the years concerned. This cannot be ascertained without disproportionate effort and cost.
The figures quoted for photographs were spent on still photographs used to promote Britain overseas; additional expenditure was incurred in the years concerned on photographs used in publications and exhibitions here in the UK. It would require disproportionate effort and cost to establish this expenditure.
The Government are committed to using only whatever channel is judged to be the most cost-effective way to deliver the publicity necessary to support the implementation of policy. Paid advertising is only resorted to after careful consideration of the cost-benefits. The figures for advertising include expenditure on consular publicity but exclude expenditure on advertising for recruitment, as identifying this expenditure would entail disproportionate effort and cost. The advertising figure for 1998–99 includes £1 million spent on a consular advertising campaign in the run-up to the World Cup 1998 in France.