To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the cost of his Department’s contracts with public relations consultancies was in each year since it was established. (251538)

The Department for Children, Schools and families was established on 27 June 2007. Including its predecessor (the Department for Education and Skills) the Department’s expenditure on public relations in 2007-08 was £2,333,000. There are no figures available for 2008-09 at present.

The Department employs public relations agencies for specific communications tasks, most commonly working alongside our press office to provide campaign support in local, regional and specialist media.