§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total expenditure on advertising by the Department was in(a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03; and what the level of planned expenditure is for (i) 2003–04 and (ii) 2004–05. [114425]
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggThe expenditure on advertising by the Department for the period 2001–02 was £20.5 million and £11.3 million for the period 2002–03 (subject to final audit).
Planned expenditure for 2003–04 is estimated at £16.6 million. Plans for advertising in 2004–05 have not yet been developed, therefore estimated expenditure is not available.
§ Mr. HurstTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the cost to state schools of advertising for staff. [115192]
§ Mr. MilibandSuch costs are not collected centrally. Recent figures from this years 618g survey show that teacher vacancies in maintained schools were 3,400 on the survey date in January, down by 1,140 from last year, giving a vacancy rate of 0.9 per cent. compared to 1.2 per cent. in 2002. These figures reflect sustained Government investment and progress in the recruitment of teachers, which rose by 4,300, and support staff, up 8,300 in the same period, which should lead to efficiencies in advertising generally.