To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was spent on advertising by (a) her Department and (b) its agencies in each of the last five years. (139519)

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advertises in different media for a number of varied reasons. The main expenditure is on recruitment advertising for generalist and specialist staff in the FCO and FCO Services (an executive agency of the FCO since 1 April 2006). In the last five financial years the following totals have been spent on recruitment advertising:

Other FCO departments may also place advertisements on an ad hoc basis, as will the FCO's agency (Wilton Park), and its posts overseas. Details of this expenditure are not held centrally and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.