PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(24 February 2025)

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

Asked by:
Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour)

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. Defra currently operates 18 accounts across its policy areas and functions. To our knowledge, Defra does not have regular social media subscriptions. Departmental marketing spend for the last 3 years on social advertisements is detailed below:

DEFRA Social Investment by year (H1/H2)
2021	LinkedIn	META	Twitter	Next Door	Total
H1 Jan-Jun	£24,047	£127,757	£1,088		£152,892
H2 Jul-Dec		£66,756			£66,756
2022	LinkedIn	META	Twitter	Next Door	Total
H1 Jan-Jun	£7,045	£176,713			£183,758
H2 Jul-Dec		£44,114			£44,114
2023	LinkedIn	META	Twitter	Next Door	Total
H1 Jan-Jun		£94,121			£94,121
H2 Jul-Dec	£3,570	£125,930			£129,500
2024	LinkedIn	META	Twitter	Next Door	Total
H1 Jan-Jun		£174,872		£11,785	£186,657
H2 Jul-Dec		£60,320			£60,320

Answered by:
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