Ray George
CD Business Management
Communication Directorate
Department for Transport
5/03 Great Minster House
76 Marsham Street
London
Heather Brooke
SW1P 4DR
Direct Line: 020 7944 4630
By email to: Request-15303-
Fax: 020 7944 5549
GTN No: 3533 4630
[email address]
E-mail: [email address]
Web Site: www.dft.gov.uk
Our Ref: F0005580
Your Ref: 15303
Dear Ms Brooke,
26 August 2009
Freedom of Information Request F0005580 on communication Further to Ivan Pocock’s letter to you on 5th August, I am writing with regard to your
questions 1, 3, 5 and 7 which were allocated to Roger Gill in the Department’s
Communication Directorate. Roger is now on leave and I am replying on behalf of the
Department.
You asked for:
“Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 I seek the following information about the
Department's staffing and funding for publicity and communications. I would like this
information broken down annually for the past three years up to the time this request is
answered. The years may be financial or calendar, whichever is convenient, but please
keep them consistent.
Specifically, I need:
1. The number of staff (full-time equivalent) working in marketing, external
communications and press offices.
2. The number of dedicated Freedom of Information officers (full-time equivalent).
3. Total staffing cost of marketing, external communications and press officers.
4. Total staffing cost of dedicated Freedom of Information staff.
5. Total spending on marketing, external communications and press offices.
6. Total spending on Freedom of Information.
7. If the department produces a newsletter then the name of this publication and all
associated costs.”
090826 F0005580 Brooke - Interim Reply
The Department has undertaken a search for the information that you requested. The
information for your request has been, and continues to be, gathered from the central
Department and its seven executive agencies as listed below:
Driving Standards Agency (DSA).
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA).
Highways
Agency
(HA).
Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).
Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA).
Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA).
The information you request is being compiled from a range of sources across these
business units of the Department. External communications activities across the
Department are not exclusively carried out by staff or units solely dedicated to this
purpose. Staff numbers and costs are not therefore readily available across the
Department for external communications activities alone and, regrettably, it has not been
possible to complete this task within 20 working days.
Some of the information you have requested is already published and I provide the
reference below to avoid delay to you being able to access this information.
Staff FTE employed on press officer activities 2002/3-2007/8 and external
communications staff FTE by discipline for October 2006 together with other
external communications expenditure information is contained within a previous
FOI answer dated 12 December 2008 and published on the national archives
website at:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20090303092156/http://www.dft.gov.uk/f
oi/responses/2008/dec/regionalcomms/
The Department’s full response will repeat the reference above and include all relevant
information that it has been possible to compile within the cost threshold of £600.
I hope to be able to provide the Department’s full response within the next ten working
days.
Yours sincerely,
Ray George
090826 F0005580 Brooke - Interim Reply
