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Ministry of Defence

Answer

Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spends on biking press releases to (a) hon. Members and (b) other individuals or groups, each time his Department issues a press release; how many such press releases were issued by his Department (i) in the period 1 May to 1 July and (ii) in the period 1 January to 1 March; and if he will review his Department's use of couriers to deliver press releases and investigate the possibility of using fax or e-mail. [8822] Mr. Spellar: Delivery of Press Notices to hon. Members and to the media is undertaken on our behalf via the Central Office of Information's News Distribution Service (NDS). My Department issued 27 press releases during the period 1 May to 1 July 1997, and 13 during the period 1 January to 1 March 1997. NDS's delivery mechanisms include a newswire service which, among others, supplies press releases to the Parliamentary Online Information Service (POLIS), hand deliveries, fax and postal deliveries, online databases, and a widely accessed Web site on the Internet. The mechanisms employed are used either singly or in combination to reach target audiences in the most cost-effective way, and to suit the nature of the documents. My Department and the COI keep a watching brief on new developments to ensure the most cost-effective delivery mechanisms are used.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

8822; 298 c323W

Session

1997-98

Subjects

Government departments Facsimile transmission Email Public expenditure Ministry of Defence Press releases Courier services

Contains statistics

Yes