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Dept of Health

Answer

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for (a) 1996-97, (b) 1997-98, (c) 1998-99, (d) 1999-2000 and (e) 2000-01, (i) his Department's total spending on advertising campaigns, (ii) the cost of each individual advertising campaign and (iii) the criteria that were established to gauge the effectiveness of each campaign; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of each campaign based on these criteria. [142716] Ms Stuart: The Department uses advertising on television and in various other media to inform the wider public about how they are affected by departmental legislation, about the availability of NHS services and also to effect attitudinal change in such fields as smoking and teenage pregnancies. Advertising is also used to support the National Health Service recruitment and retention programme. Each major campaign is rigorously evaluated to ensure maximum effectiveness and value for money. Evaluation criteria are set according to the individual objectives of each campaign (for example awareness of the dangers of smoking and the availability of advice and support to help smokers give up are tracked along with changes in public attitude and behaviour towards smoking), and the results of each evaluation exercise are used to inform further campaign development. Historical data on the individual objectives and evaluation criteria for each campaign can be supplied only at disproportionate cost. The figures for the total spend on advertising for the Department for the financial years 1996-97 to 2000-01 are shown in the table. £ million _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Financial year Advertising expenditure 1996-97 2.50 1997-98 2.27 1998-99 8.63 1999-2000 14.83 2000-01{1} 6.81 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. {1} Spend to date Major advertising spend on individual campaigns is shown in the table. _________________________________________________________________________________________________. 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 {1}2000-01 Ambulance services 0.40 -- -- -- -- Antibiotics -- -- -- 0.17 -- Blood donation 0.38 0.60 1.70 {2}0.22 -- Drugs -- -- -- 0.34 -- Maternity 0.10 -- -- -- -- NHS including nurse 1.43 1.30 4.90 4.21 0.84 recruitment NHS Direct -- 0.12 0.78 1.20 -- Organ donation -- -- 0.77 0.47 0.04 Prescription fraud -- -- 0.38 -- -- Sexwise -- -- -- 0.39 -- Smoking -- -- -- {3}6.18 3.53 Teenage pregnancy -- -- -- -- 0.48 Travel safe 0.85 -- -- -- -- Walk-in centres -- -- -- -- 0.17 Winter -- -- -- 1.07 1.75 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. {1} Spend to date. {2} The Department's spend on blood donation advertising reduced in 1999-2000 because most of this activity was funded directly by the National Blood Authority (NBA), who took over full responsibility for this expenditure on 1 April 2000. {3} Prior to 1999-2000 advertising on smoking was undertaken by the Health Education Authority. The Department's spend on blood donation advertising reduced in 1999-2000 because most of this activity was funded directly by the National Blood Authority (NBA), who took over full responsibility for this expenditure on 1 April 2000.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

360 c432-4W;360 c432-3W; 142716

Session

2000-01

Subjects

Costs Government departments Publicity Department of Health

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk