Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department spent on press and public relations in each financial year since 2019-20.

Like any large operational organisation, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has press and public relation roles to work with the media to ensure the work of the department and its agencies is communicated to the public, as well as ensuring the department is able to attract and recruit sufficient staff to operate critical front line services.

MoJ operates a 24/7, 365-day press office that supports MoJ, HM Prison and Probation Service, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, Legal Aid Agency, Office for the Public Guardian and the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority.

In the face of an increasingly challenging recruitment market over recent years, the MoJ has stood up additional, separate PR support to generate applications for critical frontline roles, including prison and probation staff and magistrates, which has led to an increase in PR spend over this period. This has allowed the department to ensure its front line public services remain staffed and operational.

Below is a table showing the Ministry of Justice’s press and PR spend since 2019.