To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department and its agencies spent on managing their corporate identities in the last 12 month period for which figures are available. (167349)

The Department spent £248,181 on managing the Department's and national health service's corporate identities in 2006-07.

The two agencies that receive funding from the Department are The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (NHS PASA).

The MHRA has informed me that it does not employ any staff whose sole responsibility it is to manage its branding guidelines, nor does it currently retain consultants to advise on the development of corporate identity guidelines. The agency has produced a clear set of branding guidelines, which are available to all staff, and which all staff are expected to follow when producing printed or electronic items. Maintaining and advising on the guidelines is the responsibility of one member of staff within the Communications Division, alongside many other more substantial duties.

NHS PASA uses the NHS logo and corporate identity, in line with the published NHS identity guidelines, and has informed me that it manages its identity internally with no external spend.