press and PR costs

Our Ref: 03-08-2009-115641-007

Dear Heather Brooke,

Thank you for your email of 28 July 2009, received via the Ministry of
Defence (MOD) website, regarding staffing and funding for publicity and
communications, which is considered to be a request for recorded
information under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000.

You asked:

I seek the following information about the Department's staffing and
funding for publicity and communications (including any contracted-out
services of this description).  I would like this information broken down
annually for the past three years.

You requested the information to be broken down annually for the past
three years, and where the information has been available we have done so,
however, for some of your requests historical data is not held centrally
and it is estimated that to retrieve such data would exceed the £600 cost
limit.  Having said that, we have endeavoured to provide as full a
response as possible within that cost limit.

The information relating to your specific requests is set out below.

1. The number of staff (full-time equivalent) working in marketing,
external communications and press offices.

As of June 2009 there were 110 press officers employed across the
Department, as recorded in the Central Office of Information's White Book,
of which 35 are within the central MOD Media and Communications unit or
Regional Defence Press Officer Network.  The total includes civilian and
military staff working across the Department (including within single
services) and are defined as those who directly interface with national or
regional media on news issues, and in direct support of operations.

There are 68 staff within the central MOD Media and Communications unit
whose role has a marketing or external communications function.  Their
work contributes to raising awareness and understanding of the MOD, the
Services, current operations, and joint organisations through production
of the Defence-wide online news service (internet and intranet),
direct-to-public events (inc. ceremonial), facilitating documentaries,
books and stakeholder engagement.  We do not have a similar figure for
the rest of MOD as to provide this data would exceed the £600 cost limit.

2. The number of dedicated Freedom of Information officers (full-time
equivalent).

There are 11 full time and 1 part-time FOI officers.

3. Total staffing cost of marketing, external communications and press
officers.

The cost for the 35 press officers and five support staff employed by the
central organisation based on capitation rates for 2009-10 is
approximately £2.2M, which includes some £115K for the press office
support staff.

The cost for the 68 marketing and external communications staff employed
by the central organisation based on capitation rates for 2009-10 is
approximately £3.9M

Press officer, marketing and external communications staff costs in other
areas of the Department are not held centrally and it is estimated that to
retrieve such data would exceed the £600 cost limit.

4. Total staffing cost of dedicated Freedom of Information staff.

The total cost of the 11.5 FOI officers is £520K based on capitation
rates for 2009-10.

5. Total spending on marketing, external communications and press offices.

We have interpreted `marketing' and `external communications' to mean
`advertising and publicity' (the closest category we have), expenditure
under this classification for 2008-09 was £55.2M for public relations
services, which includes recruitment advertising for Service and civilian
staff, the costs of public relations services such as sales marketing and
advertising, and the costs of schools and community relations initiatives

For press office costs please refer to question 3.

6. Total spending on Freedom of Information.

In the financial year 2008/09 non-staff related spending on FOI was
approximately £120K.

7. If the department produces a newsletter then the name of this
publication and all associated costs.

The Armed Forces and MOD produce a range of in-house publications, aimed
at keeping our people informed and maintaining cohesion in our wider
organisation.  These range from major print journals with large
circulations, which offset costs through advertising, to small electronic
newsletters produced at little or no cost.

Production costs of all in-house publications produced within the MOD are
not available centrally and it is estimated that to retrieve such data
would exceed the £600 cost limit.  However, details of production costs
(excluding staff costs) of the principal central MOD publication, Defence
Focus, are as follows:

2006-07     £198K

2007-08     £166K

2008-09     £187K

If you are not satisfied with this response or you wish to complain about
any aspect of the handling of your request, then you should contact me in
the first instance.  If informal resolution is not possible and you are
still dissatisfied then you may apply for an independent internal review
by contacting the Head of Corporate Information, 6th Floor, MOD Main
Building, Whitehall, SW1A 2HB (e-mail [email address]).  Please note
that any request for an internal review must be made within 40 working
days of the date on which the attempt to reach informal resolution has
come to an end.

If you remain dissatisfied following an internal review, you may take your
complaint to the Information Commissioner under the provisions of Section
50 of the Freedom of Information Act.  Please note that the Information
Commissioner will not investigate your case until the MOD internal review
process has been completed.  Further details of the role and powers of
the Information Commissioner can be found on the Commissioner's website,
http://www.ico.gov.uk.

Yours sincerely,

Darren Hughes
Secretariat & Business Development
Business Management
Directorate Media and Communications
1.C.14, Main Building, London, SW1A 2HB

tel: 020 721 84394
email: [1][email address]

References

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