§ Mr. WillettsTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on press officers, broken down by grade, in(a) 1996–97 and (b) the latest year for which figures are available. [185533]
§ Maria EagleThe Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001 from the former Department of Social Security. parts of the former Department for Education and Employment and the
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Advertising campaign Objective Evaluation method Campaign result Minimum Income Guarantee To encourage pensioners to take up their entitlement Measure the awareness of MIG Monitor the number in receipt of MIG Awareness and take up levels increased Winter Fuel To inform those eligible that payment is being made, inc70+ and 80+ payments, and to encourage those who needs to claim to do so Measure the awareness of the payments Monitor new claims(NB—most payments made automatically Awareness levels increased Number of new claims increasing Pensions Education Campaign Long term campaign to encourage people to save for their retirementand improve their understanding of the option available Track the take-up of informationguides Monitor the number of visitors to relevant information on website Monitor calls to call center
Number of guides, visitors andcalls increased Targeting Benefit Fraud Long term campaign to tacklegeneral attitudes to fraud and deter fraudsters Monitor awareness and attitudes tofraud Increase in awareness and progress towards key attitude changes New Deal for Lone Parents Raise awareness of the help available to lone parents in preparing for work Measure awareness among target audience Awareness level and number of calls to helpline increased New Deal for Disabled People To raise awareness and generate response to the helpline Measure awareness amongst the target audience Track number of calls to helplne Awareness level and number of call to helpline increased New Deal 25 Plus To inform the long term unemployed of help available Measure awareness among target audience Awareness level increased Disability Discrimination Act To raise awareness of the Act and encourage service providers to ensure that disabled people can access their services Track awareness among target audience Awareness levels increased Pension Credit To encourage eligible pensioners to claim the new Pension Credit Measure the awareness of Pension Credit Monitor the number of eligible pensioners in receipt of Pension Credit, to ensure progress towards PSA target of 3 million by 2006. Awareness and take up levels increased Progress on caseload in line to meet PSA target State Second Pension To encourage carers to review their ircumstances to ensure that they are building up a Sate Second Pension Monitor the number of requests for copies of the guide "State Pensions for carers and parents" requested in response to advertising Monitor awareness among target Number of guides issued and awareness increased Employment Service. Information on costs for 1996–97 is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
During 2003–04 the Department spent £1,482,811 on press officer salaries. A breakdown of expenditure by grade cannot be provided, in order to protect individual confidentiality. However, information on the number of press officers employed in each grade is in the table.
Grade Number of press officers employed Senior Civil Service 1 Grade 7 2 Senior Executive Officer/Senior Information Officer 6 Higher Executive Officer/Information Officer 25 Executive Officer/Assistant Information Officer 6 Note: Staffing figures are whole time equivalents.