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Crown Prosecution Service
Mr. McCabe: To ask the Attorney-General what assessment he has made of the impact of reforms to the Crown Prosecution Service on the performance of the service, with particular reference to (a) the working relationship between the Police and the CPS and (b) the proportion of successful prosecutions. [79383]
The Attorney-General:
Reforms to the CPS following the Glidewell Report are still being implemented. Under its new DPP and Chief Executive, the CPS is making good progress, but key recommendations such as those concerning the relationship between the Police and CPS remain under consideration at this stage. I hope to be able to make a further announcement soon.
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Employees
Mr. Vaz: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will provide a breakdown by ethnicity and grade of employees of the House of Commons Commission. [79053]
Mr. Kirkwood: Employees of the House of Commons Commission are asked to supply information about their ethnic origin on a voluntary basis. Not all choose to reply, so our database is incomplete.
The ethnic origins of those staff who have chosen to supply information are set out in the table. In order to preserve confidentiality, we have grouped together some categories which would otherwise have contained fewer than five people.
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| Mainstream bands 1 to 6 (Equivalent to Senior Civil Service) and Bands A to E (8) | Refreshment Department craft grades | Parliamentary Works Directorate craft grades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of staff on whom information is held in group | 884 | 138 | 50 |
| White | 835 | 90 | 42 |
| White as percentage of employees in group on whom data is held | 94.5 | 65 | 84 |
| Asian/other | 22 | 11 | 8 employees |
| Asian/other as percentage of employees in group on whom data is held | 2.5 | 8 | (16%) black, |
| Black | 27 | 37 | Asian or other |
| Black as percentage of employees in group on whom data is held | 3 | 27 |
(8) Includes the old grades 7 to 15
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CABINET OFFICE
Commissioner for Public Appointments
Dr. Tony Wright: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which ministerial appointments remain (a) outside the scope of the Nolan rules and (b) the jurisdiction of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. [79247]
Mr. Kilfoyle: The First Nolan Report set out a draft Code of Practice for public appointments procedures and recommended the establishment of an independent Commissioner for Public Appointments. The Commissioner's current Code of Practice reflects the Nolan rules. Ministers make appointments to a wide range of bodies, for example the judiciary, tribunals, boards of visitors and time-limited bodies, which are outside the remit of the Commissioner. The Commissioner's remit covers ministerial appointments to advisory and executive non-departmental public bodies, NHS bodies, the utility regulators, and the boards of public corporations and nationalised industries.
Marsham Street Offices
Mr. Gray: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when the Government offices in Marsham Street will be demolished. [79493]
Mr. Kilfoyle:
Responsibility for this matter has been delegated under the terms of the Framework Document to the Property Advisers to the Civil Estate. I have asked its Chief Executive, Mr. John Locke, to write to the hon. Member.
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Letter from John C. Locke to Mr. James Gray, dated April 1999:
The Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office, Peter Kilfoyle, has asked me as Chief Executive of Property Advisers to the Civil Estate (PACE) to respond to your Parliamentary Question about the demolition of 2 Marsham Street.
2 Marsham Street is being considered by a major Government Department as temporary decant space in a PFI scheme whilst its premises are being refurbished. The current position is that the decision on the re-use of the building has been delayed because the assessment of the PFI bids which will form the basis of Departmental funding for the programme of works is taking longer than expected. Current thinking is that the evaluation will be completed by September 1999, but re-use is integral to all the bids being considered.
If re-use of 2 Marsham Street cannot be justified in Exchequer terms then the demolition process will be restarted and PACE will seek Ministerial approval to place the contract for demolition. The work is expected to take some 18 months following the letting of a contract.
Drug Misuse
Mrs. Ann Winterton: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the overall equality in provision of drug misuse education and treatment across the United Kingdom since the publication of the Government's strategy document, "Tackling Drugs to Build a Better Britain". [79332]
Dr. Jack Cunningham:
None. The UK Anti-Drugs Co-ordinator will report shortly on his assessment of provision of drugs education and treatment in England, based on the information in the local plans of Drug Action Teams which he received at the beginning of the year. It
31 Mar 1999 : Column: 709
is for the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland respectively to provide support for drugs education and treatment appropriate to their needs.
Mrs. Ann Winterton:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) when he intends to publish the United Kingdom Anti-Drugs Co-ordinator's first annual report and national plan; [79334]
Dr. Jack Cunningham:
Progress towards key performance targets will be carefully monitored over the 10 years of the strategy. The targets relate to reducing young people's drug misuse and drug-related offending, increasing participation in drug treatment programmes and reducing access. Details of targets will be included in the UK Anti-Drugs Co-ordinator's first annual report and national plan due to be published shortly.
Mr. Rooney:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to his answer of 16 November 1998, Official Report, column 354, what was the average increase in the salaries of special advisers in 1998-99; and how many special advisers are in each pay band. [79857]
Dr. Jack Cunningham:
There was no single annual pay award for 1998-99. Special Advisers' pay was restructured as set out in my answer of 16 November 1998. The increases varied depending on the individuals, the work they are now doing compared with previously, and the extent to which their jobs and responsibilities had been restructured. There was also an attempt to correct anomalies created by the previous arrangements, particularly as regards the lowest paid Special Advisers. Performance pay, which used to apply, was dropped.
The increases was staged giving an average in year increase of 5.9 per cent. This was achieved within the pay bill for the year of £3.6 million, which the Prime Minister announced on 11 June 1998, Official Report, column 664.
The table sets out the number of Special Advisers in each of the new pay bands.
(2) what criteria he will use to assess the effectiveness of Her Majesty's Government's anti-drugs misuse strategy since the appointment of the Anti-Drugs Co-ordinator. [79335]
| £ | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay Band A | Pay Band B | Pay Band C | |
| 26,000-45,000 | 40,000-60,000 | 54,000-76,056 | |
| Total | 30 | 21 | 15 |
| Salary | ||
|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Powell | Prime Minister's Chief of Staff | 91,014 |
| Alastair Campbell | Prime Minister's Chief Press Secretary | 91,014 |
| Keith Hellawell | UK Anti Drugs Co-ordinator | 106,057 |
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Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list the total number of occasions when (a) departmental and (b) non-departmental special advisers have travelled abroad in an official capacity since 2 May 1997. [76833]
Dr. Jack Cunningham: Between 2 May 1997 and 28 February 1999, my Special Advisers have made visits overseas on 14 occasions in an official capacity. All travel complied with the requirements of the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code.
Asbestosis (Legal Aid)
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what instructions were given to the head of the Better Government Unit to co-ordinate policy towards the wish of Cape plc to achieve changes in the Access to Government Bill [Lords] to prevent former workers suffering from asbestosis receiving legal aid; and on how many occasions he met representatives of G J W or Cape plc. [78744]
Dr. Jack Cunningham: The report to which this question refers has no foundation in fact. No instructions were given, and the official named had no meetings or other contacts with the firms concerned.
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