Propriety and Ethics

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Guidance on the work of the Government Information Service - Annex B

Government use of Public Relations Consultants

1. The Government convention on the use of public relations consultants was set out by the then Prime Minister in February 1988, following increasing pressure from the public relations industry for Ministers to employ their services.

" It has been the stated policy of successive Administrations to rely on the expertise and experience of the Government's own advisers and to decline offers from commercial public relations consultants, and I consider it important that the well-established conventions in this area should also continue to be observed."

2. However, it is not intended that Departments should bar from employment either all firms styling themselves public relations consultants, or all firms with a public relations capability. The nature of the task, not the title of the firm, is the crucial test, and there are some tasks for which a "PR consultancy" might properly be employed. Financial PR agencies, for example, have been engaged on a consultancy basis in the privatisation of nationalised industry, following Parliament's approval of the privatisation. Others have been used for design and other presentational purposes, such as support for publicity campaigns of a strictly uncontentious nature.

3. "Public relations" is always associated in the public mind with image building, and so the use of public relations consultants by the Government is always politically sensitive. There are potential difficulties because of value for money criticisms, and the growing prominence of public relations companies in the lobbying industry. Often companies have close links with politicians. Therefore it can be hard to demonstrate in public that such considerations have played no part in an appointment.

4. Public relations consultants should not be employed:

• in any direct representational task. The explanation of Government policy and measures, over and above that in overt publicity campaigns, should only be undertaken by civil servants who are directly under the control of and answerable to Ministers; or
• for any task which would be improper for a civil servant, such as opinion forming in political support of Ministers, or for image building.

5. Because they are not aware of the rules governing Government publicity, public relations consultants working under contract should be tightly-controlled and supervised. They should be allocated specific tasks and, in accordance with proper purchasing practice, their activity should not depart from their original brief. For example, a firm hired to redesign a logo should not develop into building up the image or corporate identity of the relevant body.

6. Therefore before engaging a PR consultancy, Departments must satisfy themselves that the appointment meets the following tests:

• is the task to be done relevant to Government responsibilities?
• could it be carried out by the Government's own employees?
• if not, can the appointment of a consultancy be justified as a cost-effective way of reaching the target audience and providing the best value for money?
• is the task one for which the use of a consultancy is not prohibited on propriety grounds?
• is the task discrete and closely defined?
• are the supervisory arrangements adequate to keep the consultancy to its brief?
• are the arrangements for the appointment thorough and clear?

7. The Central Office of Information can provide advice on the capability and performance of consultants and can assist with their selection.

8. If Departments have any doubts about the propriety of engaging a PR consultant for a publicity task, they should seek the advice of their Departmental Head of Information who may turn to the Head of the Government Information Service, who may further suggest seeking the advice of the Cabinet Office Central Secretariat.