Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many social media accounts her Department operates; and how much her Department spent on social media (a) subscriptions and (b) advertisements on each social media platform in each of the last three years.

Government policies and programmes affect the lives of millions of people and in order for them to work, they must be communicated effectively to engage the public and effect positive behaviour change. However, this has to be done with cost efficiency in mind and there are strict rules to ensure value for money on Government advertising.

The Government communicates across a range of media channels in order to reach its target audience effectively. Channels are selected based on whether they will reach the intended audience on a specific issue to have the most impact. Social media is an essential part of government communications and is used to inform the public directly about matters which may affect their lives or interests.

The Home office operates the following social media accounts X (Twitter), Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin. There are no paid subscriptions linked with these accounts.

The table below sets out the amount the Home Office spent on advertising space on social media platforms over the last 3 years, exclusive of VAT. Advertising was purchased via media buying agency OmniGov.