Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Official Photographer to the Prime Minister

Thursday 24 February 2022 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Civil servants and special advisers provide support on communications for the Prime Minister.
  • Photographers are employed to capture sensitive Government work not documented by press photographers.
  • The Labour Government spent 2.5 billion annually on marketing and communications.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Diana R. Johnson Lab Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham
Parliamentary Procedure
Context

No specific background or context provided other than the question itself regarding recent assessments of value for money.

Question

What recent assessment has been made of the value for money provided by the official photographer to the Prime Minister?

Answer from Nigel Adams

Civil servants and special advisers provide assistance on communications. Photographers are employed to capture sensitive Government work that cannot be documented by press photographers. They serve as a cross-Government resource supporting other Departments and Ministers, playing a critical role in digital communications activity and policy progression.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The value for money of employing photographers was not assessed or quantified.

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Q2 Diana R. Johnson Lab Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham
Economy Taxation
Context

The MP challenges the justification provided in the initial response, highlighting that Downing Street employs three photographers with public funds despite economic hardships faced by families.

Question

Given the cost of living crisis and tax increases for most families, is it really good value for taxpayers' money to have three photographers at Downing Street?

Answer from Nigel Adams

Photographers play a key role in supporting modern Government communications, particularly on social media. The Labour Government spent £2.5 billion annually on marketing and communications with 4,000 spin doctors working across central Government and its quangos.

Not addressed: The question about value for money was not addressed; instead, the response shifted to criticising a previous government's spending habits.

How: Shifting Blame

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