§ Mr. WillettsTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what advertising campaigns his Department is(a) running and (b) planning for the future; what the 424W committed spend on marketing is for the 2001–;02 financial year; and what estimate has been made of the final cost of all his Department"s marketing in the 2001–02 financial year. [7898]
§ Mr. Nicholas BrownWe are currently (February/ March) running the following advertising campaigns: Pensions education, Inherited SERPS, New Deal 25 Plus, and DDA awareness.
Between October 2001 and February 2002 the following campaigns ran: New Deal 25 Plus, Targeting Benefit Fraud, New Deal for Disabled People, Winter Fuel Payment awareness, Pensions education.
Major campaigns costing over £250,000 for the financial year 2001–02 are as follows:
New Deal for Disabled People—£850,000: A national campaign to launch NDDP, covering press advertising in national and regional titles, supported by a helpline, website and publicity material.New Deal 50 Plus—£500,000: A regional campaign to encourage more of the over-50s into work and to increase their awareness of the local help available.New Deal 25 Plus—£500,000: A national campaign to inform the public about changes to the programme through radio advertising, a video and printed materials, supported by research.Age Positive—£500,000: PR (including direct mail and partnerships with regional newspapers, sponsoring an award, exhibitions, research and promotional material) to raise employers" awareness of the business benefits of employing an age-diverse work force.Work Incentives—£450,000: Advertising campaign on local radio to raise awareness of the range of financial initiatives available to those moving from benefits into employment if they meet the qualifying criteria.Pensions Education—£7,520,000: A publicity campaign to encourage people to save for their retirement and understand the pension options available to them.State Second Pension—£500,000: Development and implementation of publicity to inform carers about how new state pension rules could help them—linked to the overall pensions education campaign.Pensioners" Guide—£1,058,000: Production and distribution of a guide on cross-Government help and services for pensioners.Winter Fuel Payments—£716,000: Information for people aged 60 plus and advisers about winter fuel payments and activity reminding them to claim and telling them how to claim for winter 2001 and for relevant previous winters.Changes to rules on inherited SERPS—£453,000: Publicity about the change to the rules on inheriting the State Earnings-Related Pensions Scheme.Targeting Fraud—£9,000,000: A national advertising campaign on television, radio, press and posters to deter dishonest behaviour, reinforced by regional press advertising showing that benefit fraudsters are regularly caught and punished.Disability Discrimination Act Awareness—£3,000,000: A national, regional and trade press advertising campaign to raise the public"s awareness of the DDA and specifically to encourage service providers to ensure that disabled people have access to their services.Other activity is being considered but nothing has been finalised.
Allocations, and therefore spend, are not set in stone at the beginning of the financial year, but remain flexible throughout the year responding to need as and when required.