Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much funding her Department and its predecessor Department (a) budgeted for and (b) spent on advertising in each of the last three financial years.

The Department buys advertising media through its media buying agency Omnicom Media Group UK Ltd. Advertising is used to promote investment and UK exports.

The Department’s general ledger records spend with Omnicom Media Group for the last three years for which figures are available as follows:

2020/21: £15,102,407.21

2021/22: £11,890,853.20

2022/23: £13,124,598.26

Advertising is part of the Department’s wider marketing strategy. Budgeting is carried out at the marketing category level, so no records are held on sums specifically budgeted for advertising.

These figures relate to the Department’s predecessor department, the Department for International Trade.