To ask Her Majesty's Government how much Communities and Local Government, its predecessors and its agencies spent on (a) public relations consultants, and (b) public affairs consultants, in each of the past three years; and for what purposes. [HL2384]

All communications spend co-ordinated by the department's central communication directorate, including on public relations, is published at the time of the department's annual reports. For the most recent year I refer the noble Baroness to the department's website at www.communities.gov.uk/documents/corporate/ pdf/1298507.pdf.

No use has been made by the communication directorate of public affairs consultants.

Information relating to the department's agencies could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how much the Department of Health and its agencies spent on (a) public relations consultants, and (b) public affairs consultants, in each of the past three years; and for what purposes. [HL2453]

Public relations companies are employed to support a very wide range of marketing and policy initiatives. This includes major public health behaviour change programmes (such as tobacco control, sexual health, flu immunisation, Change4Life, and drug and alcohol harm reduction programmes) in addition to communicating to the National Health Service workforce and supporting clinical campaigns. The figures below also include NHS Connecting for Health expenditure.

The work commissioned through public relations companies includes a wide range of marketing activity including advertorials, newsletter production, conference and event management, research, creation of content and photography and stakeholder relations activity.

Note: All costs exclude VAT

Final 2009-10 PR expenditure figures are not yet available as activity is still underway. Figures for the past three complete years have therefore been provided.

Information on the department's expenditure on public affairs consultants is not held centrally and cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.

The department had two executive agencies during this period, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (PASA).

The MHRA did not use public affairs consultants over the period specified.

NHS PASA did not use public relations or public affairs consultants over the period specified.

The department has a number of arms length bodies and several national programmes eg NHS Employers. Information for these bodies is not held centrally and cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.