To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with which public relations companies (a) his Department, (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible and (c) other bodies sponsored by his Department have had contracts in each year since 2004. (317840)

Public relations agencies are employed for specific communications tasks, most commonly working alongside our press office to provide campaign support in local, regional and specialist media. The Department's expenditure on public relations for complete financial years, since its formation in June 2007, is outlined in the following table:

Increased expenditure for 2008-09 is related to the 14 to 19 reform and the diploma, both of which were launched in 2008

The other requested information cannot be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.