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Departmental Publicity
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General what assessment she has made of the total real terms expenditure of her Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies on publicity in each of the years (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99, (c) 1999–2000, (d) 2000–01 and (e) 2001–02 (i) to date and (ii) as estimated for the whole of the present year; and if she will break these figures down to indicate expenditure on (A) advertising and (B) press and public relations. [36156]
The Solicitor-General [holding answer 25 February 2002]: My own Department, the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers, keeps no separate figures for expenditure on publicity but the sums involved are minimal.
The total real terms expenditure by the Crown Prosecution Service on publicity broken down by (A) advertising and (B) press and public relations for each of the years (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99, (c) 1999–2000, (d) 2000–01, and (e) 2001–02 (i) to date and (ii) as estimated for the whole of the present year is as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | |
| Advertising | 83,000 |
| Press and public relations | 59,000 |
| Total | 142,000 |
| 1998–99 | |
| Advertising | 101,000 |
| Press and public relations | 108,000 |
| Total | 209,000 |
| 1999–2000 | |
| Advertising | 105,000 |
| Press and public relations | 179,000 |
| Total | 284,000 |
| 2000–01 | |
| Advertising | 195,000 |
| Press and public relations | 109,000 |
| Total | 304,000 |
| 2001–02 (to date) | |
| Advertising | 566,000 |
| Press and public relations | 140,000 |
| Total | 706,000 |
| 2001–02 (estimated for whole year) | |
| Advertising | 688,000 |
| Press and public relations | 168,000 |
| Total | 856,000 |
Responsibility for advertising expenditure rests with local managers in CPS areas and functional managers in CPS headquarters.
12 Mar 2002 : Column 882W
Responsibility for expenditure on press and public relations rests with the Head of Communications Division with budget approval by the CPS board. Expenditure is primarily associated with promotional material for distribution at recruitment fairs and conferences and to raise the profile in local communities.
Advertising expenditure is restricted to recruitment of new staff. The marked increase in expenditure in the current year is a result of additional investment in the CPS from SR2000 and a nationwide recruitment drive to achieve the target in 'The Way Ahead', of employing 300 extra lawyers by 2004. Treasury Solicitor's Department
The expenditure on advertising and publicity by the Treasury Solicitor's Department in the last four years is as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | |
| Advertising | 40,196 |
| Press and public relations | 33,376 |
| Total | 73,572 |
| 1998–99 | |
| Advertising | 20,177 |
| Press and public relations | 44,364 |
| Total | 64,541 |
| 1999–2000 | |
| Advertising | 12,021 |
| Press and public relations | 6,401 |
| Total | 18,422 |
| 2000–01 | |
| Advertising | 68,647 |
| Press and public relations | 19,611 |
| Total | 88,258 |
| 2001–02 (to date) | |
| Advertising | 72,310 |
| Press and public relations | 20,250 |
| Total | 92,560 |
Expenditure on advertising by the Treasury Solicitor's Department is directly related to the recruitment of lawyers to the Government Legal Service (GLS) and administrative staff.
Publicity costs cover GLS representation at careers fairs, printing and publication of the GLS Journal and printing and publication of annual reports and departmental reports.
In addition the Bona Vacantia division of the Treasury Solicitor's Department regularly places advertisements in the press seeking kin in cases where individuals have died intestate with no apparent claimants to the estate under administration. Over the period in question the real terms expenditure has been as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 173,576 |
| 1998–99 | 149,273 |
| 1999–2000 | 189,868 |
| 2000–01 | 189,805 |
| 2001–02(6) | 192,800 |
(6) To date
12 Mar 2002 : Column 883W
The Serious Fraud Office is a small department with no agencies or non-departmental bodies. It has a press office capability which is small in relation to its high public profile, achieving good value at a reasonable cost. The Serious Fraud Office does not run advertising campaigns.
Expenditure on publicity by the Serious Fraud Office in each of the last four years was as follows:
| Actual £ | Real terms(7) £ | Growth (per cent.) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 171,565 | 171,565 | 0 |
| 1998–99 | 144,637 | 140,704 | -17.99 |
| 1999–2000 | 128,900 | 122,440 | -28.63 |
| 2000–01 | 172,184 | 160,718 | -6.32 |
| 2001–02(8) | 177,918 | 162,020 | -5.56 |
| 2001–02(9) | 200,000 | 182,129 | 6.16 |
(7) GDP deflator.
(8) To date.
(9) Estimated for whole year.
The above figures represent direct costs including staff salaries and publications relating to press and public relations for the Serious Fraud Office.
Refurbishment
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General what the cost of refurbishing each Ministerial private office was in each year since May 1997. [37822]
The Solicitor-General [holding answer 25 February 2002]: The Ministerial Private Office at the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers is decorated and refurbished as part of a rolling programme of redecoration and refurbishment of the entire premises in accordance with the terms of the building's lease. No separate figures for the costs involved in refurbishing and redecorating the Private Office are available.
Empty Paper
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General what the total area in square feet of all empty properties owned by (a) her Department, (b) her agencies and (c) other public bodies for which she has had responsibility was in each year since May 1997. [37808]
The Solicitor-General [holding answer 25 February 2002]: My own Department, the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers, does not own or lease any empty properties and has not owned or leased any empty properties in each of the last four years.
In the Department for which the Attorney-General is responsible, details are as follows:
The total area in square feet of all empty property owned by the Crown Prosecution Service in each year since May 1997 is as follows:
- 24,720 square feet in 1997–98
24,720 square in 1998–99
51,809.4 square feet in 1999–2000
19,851.1 square feet in 2000–01
19,288.4 square feet in 2001–02.
12 Mar 2002 : Column 884W
In May 1997, the Crown Prosecution Service had contactual commitments on six empty office buildings with a total floor area of 24,720 sq ft.
This increased to nine buildings by may 199, and an additional 27,089 sq ft.
This reduced by May 2000 to a total of 19,851 sq ft in six premises.
By May 2001 there were six empty office buildings which the Crown Prosecution Service had as leasehold interests, with a total floor area of 19,288 sq ft.
Expressed as a percentage against the total floor area under Crown Prosecution Service stewardship, the amount of vacant office space decreased between May 1997 and December 2001 from 4.6 per cent. during financial year 1997–98 to 2.2 per cent. for financial year 2001–02.
Treasury Solicitor's Department
The Treasury Solicitor's Department has not empty properties. The Treasury Solicitor's Department headquarters building (Queen Anne's Chambers, SW1) is fully occupied, but some small shop units in the frontage, let to commercial concerns, have been vacant from time to time as follows:
- 291 square feet in 2000–01
478 square feet in 2001–02 (to date).
- zero square feet in 1997–98
zero square feet in 1998–99
15,950.67 square feet in 1999–2000
24,913.33 square feet in 2000–01
10,136.47 square feet in 2001–02 (to date).
Serious Fraud Office
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