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Graduates
Mr. Robert McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of school children subsequently graduate; what proportion of jobs filled in the last three years in the Northern Ireland civil service required a degree; and how many graduates were recruited to jobs for which a degree was not required. [5458]
Sir John Wheeler: The percentage of school children who subsequently graduate and the number of graduates recruited by the Northern Ireland civil service in the last three years is as follows:
It is estimated that 25 per cent. of school children in Northern Ireland graduate by the age of 25.
| 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proportion of NI Civil Service jobs filled which required a degree(19) | 8.5 per cent. (132 out of 1554) | 5.7 per cent. (36 out of 633) | 7.4 per cent. (40 out of 540) |
| Number of graduates recruited where a degree was not required(20) | 145 | 66 | 59 |
Note:
(19) Non-industrial permanent recruits.
(20) Non-industrial permanent recruits including recruits who obtained
a degree since appointment. The figures for the years 1992-93 and 1994-95 correct those I gave in response to a question from the hon. Gentleman on 3 November, Official Report column 500-2.
Departmental Payments
Mr. Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of bills to his Department were paid in accordance with agreed contractual conditions or, where no such contractual conditions existed, within 30 days of receiving goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice in the last year for which figures are available. [5699]
Sir John Wheeler [holding answer 14 December 1995]: Departments are required to provide details of their performance in their departmental reports.
In 1994-95, the Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland departments paid 94.7 per cent. of their bills in accordance with agreed contractual conditions, or within 30 days of receiving goods and services, or on presentation of a valid invoice.
Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will provide a breakdown of administration costs incurred to date and forecast for the future on PFI work. [5749]
Sir John Wheeler [holding answer 14 December 1995]: The Department of Finance currently employs an adviser to promote the private finance initiative across all Northern Ireland departments and the Northern Ireland Office at a cost of some £60,000 per annum. The Department of the Environment also incurs some £120,000 per annum on units dedicated to work on the initiative.
The administration costs incurred in relation to other work on the PFI are part of the normal work of Departments and are not separately identified.
Mr. Betts:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will provide revenue forecasts for the current year and the next five years of expenditure on schemes provided under the PFI. [5750]
Sir John Wheeler
[holding answer 14 December 1995]: No schemes under the private finance initiative, announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in November 1992, have been approved to date. A range of projects across all Northern Ireland Departments and the Northern Ireland Office are under consideration. It is too early, however, to estimate what the revenue costs are likely to be.
18 Dec 1995 : Column: 907
Mr. Steen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many officials he employed (a) full-time and (b) part-time in his Department in each of the last three years to answer letters sent to him from hon. Members; and what was the estimated overall cost of replying to them in each of the last three years. [5615]
Sir John Wheeler:
The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mrs. Roche:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been the outcome of his Department's review of measures taken to facilitate small firms' access to appropriate areas of Government procurement in the light of best practice. [6661]
Sir John Wheeler:
As part of the Department of Finance and Personnel, the Government purchasing service has oversight of £800 million worth of procurement in NI each years. As I am sure the hon. Member appreciates, the majority of Northern Ireland firms are small and medium-sized enterprises and as such we have a fundamental objective to help these businesses prosper. In fact a key objective of the Government purchasing service is to ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises are given maximum effective encouragement and opportunity to compete for public sector contracts in Northern Ireland. To this end, the Department, in conjunction with the CBI has promoted several "Meet the Buyer" events in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland at which public sector buyers and representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises have been facilitated to do business together and to forge long term relationships.
The suppliers charter published late last year by the Government purchasing service is a declaration of its commitment to the principles of the citizens charter which aims to
Mr. Morley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he is taking to oppose the delay of the implementation of a ban on the import of furs caught by leghold traps into the European Union; and if he will make a statement. [3180]
Mr. Clappison:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, my hon. Friend the Member for Amber Valley (Mr Oppenheim), on Thursday 14 December, Official Report, column 778.
18 Dec 1995 : Column: 908
Mr. Alton:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many new social lettings (a) were made by housing associations in the last year and (b) are expected to be made next year, and what is his Department's lowest estimate for housing need on Merseyside; [5382]
(2) how many new homes will be built by housing associations on Merseyside during the next 12 months; and what estimate his Department made of the number to be built in that period (a) at the start of 1995-96 and (b) currently. [5360]
Mr. Clappison:
Housing associations provided around 70,700 new social lettings in 1994-95 through Housing Corporation and local authority funding together with the private finance attracted. In 1996-97 it is estimated that the equivalent figure will be around 53,400 with a further 7,200 new social lettings being provided from other sources. In addition, some 250,000 housing association and local authority dwellings become available for reletting each year.
The Department's estimates of newly arising need for social lettings are made at national level and are not disaggregated regionally.
The Housing Corporation will be publishing details of its capital funding allocations in each local authority area in the new year after it has assessed housing associations' bids for 1996-97 projects and finalised the approved development programme. Earlier years' estimates of 1996-97 output were national and not disaggregated regionally.
Mr. Tony Banks:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many conference lectures and seminars he has attended on the subject of the governance of London since he assumed responsibility for the capital city. [5449]
Mr. Gummer:
I have attended many conferences and seminars in London since I became Minister with responsibility for London. When I am invited, with reasonable notice, to suitable occasions of this kind, I try to attend. When the governance of London is mentioned, it is widely acknowledged that our decision to abolish the Greater London council was right.
Mr. Tony Banks:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much has been spent on furnishing and decorating ministerial offices in his Department in each of the last three years. [5573]
Sir Paul Beresford:
Expenditure on furnishing and decorating ministerial offices in each of the last three years is included in the running cost expenditure of my Department, which is published in the annual report.
Ms Armstrong:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what review the Government have carried out on the issues of cross-boundary tendering and
18 Dec 1995 : Column: 909
municipal trading by local authorities; and when he plans to circulate guidance on this matter. [5594]
Sir Paul Beresford:
We have considered the powers of local authorities to trade under the Local Authorities (Goods and Services) Act 1970. My officials wrote to the local authority associations last week informing them that we remain of the view that the limited powers of the 1970 Act are the right basis for local authority trading activities, but accepting that these powers do not restrict these activities simply to the deployment by an authority of temporarily surplus capacity in its work force.
It also emphasises the commitment to provide all small and medium-sized enterprises with the opportunity to compete for the provision of goods and services in fair, open and equal competition.
improve the quality of all public services
make services more responsive to the needs of users
ensure value for money.
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