House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 19 Apr 2000 (pt 26)

Trade Union Funding

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what public funds are available to support the educational activities of trades unions; by whom the funds are supervised; and who monitors the outcomes of their use. [119427]

Mr. Wicks: There is a £12 million Union Learning Fund (over four years) to support union-led activity on learning in the workplace and in the wider community. It is administered and evaluated by officials within the Department for Education and Employment. There are no public funds specifically available for the educational activities of trade unionists.

Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many employed young persons to date have taken advantage of the right to time off for study under the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998. [119426]

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Mr. Wicks: This information is not collected centrally.

FEFC and TEC Redundancies

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what is his estimate of the cost of redundancy payments for staff of the Further Education Funding Council and individual TECs following the setting up of the national and local learning and skills councils; and if he will make a statement; [119683]

Mr. Wicks: As the Explanatory Notes to the Learning and Skills Bill explain, we estimate that the new arrangements will lead to a reduction of between 15-20 per cent. in the total number of staff employed to administer post-16 education and training.

However, the transition to the new arrangements is taking place over a relatively long period. During this period there will be routine turnover of staff within the organisations affected as well as the opportunity to work with those organisations to manage staff numbers in such a way as to reduce the need for redundancies.

We are currently going through a detailed exercise with TECs and other organisations affected which will provide a clearer picture of numbers by the end of June. If

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redundancies are necessary, we are committed to working with the organisations involved to ensure that these are handled in an open, fair and sensitive way.

CABINET OFFICE

Websites

Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will list the expenditure incurred by her Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies on (a) the setting up and (b) the operation of websites, indicating the cases in which the expenditure has been above that budgeted; and if she will list for each website (i) the topics that have been covered, (ii) the current average number of hits per month and (iii) the estimated expenditure on each web site for each of the next three years. [116203]

Mr. Stringer: My Department fully supports the e-government strategy and the Internet forms an integral part of our overall communications, publications and information strategy.

Details of the websites of the Cabinet Office, its Agencies and NDPBs, and the Central Office of Information are given in the table. The Cabinet Office has no executive NDPBs. The figures for its advisory NDPBs are included in the Department's total figures. As of 1 April 2000 the Cabinet Office only has one Executive Agency, the Government Car and Despatch Agency, so estimated expenditure for future years only covers Cabinet Office, GCDA and COI.

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Cabinet Office, Agencies and NDPB websites

Name Set-up costs Operation costs (annual) Content of site Estimated expenditure over the next 3 years Average number of hits per month

Cabinet Office (www.cabinet-office.gov.uk) Not separately identifiable £10,000 per annum for commercial webhosting service Cabinet and its committees, ministerial responsibilities, pan Government programmes, guidance, codes and best practice There is no planned additional expenditure 72,300

NDPBs--The Cabinet Office has no Executive NDPBs and details for its NDPBs are therefore included in the Cabinet Office's total figures above

Central IT Unit and Information Age Government Champions (www.citu.gov.uk) (www.iagchampions.gov.uk) CITU--£30,000 IAGC--£5,000 £20,000 to CCTA for CITU site in 1999-2000 The CITU site informs all audiences about the development of government strategy for the use of IT £25,000 p.a. estimated Not monitored

Her Majesty's Stationery Office (www.hmso.gov.uk) Not available £47,800 in total based on last year's calculations £28,800 for setting up of inforoute Information about HMSO, the administration of Crown Copyright and access to the full text of new legislation. Inforoute is the gateway to the new Government Information Asset Register Approx £24,500 per year 1.8 million

E-Envoy (www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/e-envoy) £5,437.50 £5,757.75 per annum The e-Envoy website has been set up to provide information on the work of the Office of the e-Envoy. This includes strategy, monthly-updated progress reports, information on Alex Allan and the team, links and hosts the e-Forum discussion group. £50,000 per year 460

Government Information and Computer Service (www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/gics) £32,000 inc. VAT, creation initial training and software purchase Costs equivalent to a 1½ days pay in C2 position The site provides comprehensive information to potential recruits to the Government Information and Communication Service about career opportunities, working practices and current competitions: electronic application procedures are under development Not known Not monitored

Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (www.ccta.gov.uk) The estimated cost is under £5,000 per year. The estimated marginal cost of initially establishing the CCTA web site is under £10,000 £55,000 per annum Services that CCTA offers and guidance on technological issues -- Not monitored

Central Office of Information (www.coi.gov.uk/coi) £40,000 £20,000 and all within budget Case studies, contacts, COI service/contacts/diary, about COI, hot topics, sources of information, what's new Estimated expenditure is planned to remain at £20,000 per annum Not known

The Buying Agency (www.open.gov.uk/tba) Developed in-house so costs are not separately identifiable £3,120 per annum The site covers a basic overview of The Buying Agency's operations. The site occasionally promotes events -- Not monitored

Property Advisers To The Civil Estate (www.property.gov.uk) Minimal setting up charges and the annual connection charge is £14,000 per year External spend of £9,100, including hosting charges; and estimated internal costs of approximately £30,000 PACE's web site details its structure and services -- Not monitored

Civil Service College (www/open.gov.uk/college) The website was set up, at no charge to the Government, in 1995 £1,175 per annum The site contains a full directory of courses offered by the College An estimated cost of £3,000 per annum Unique user hits are 2,062 and the total number of hits is 36,650

Name	Set-up costs	Operation costs (annual)	Content of site	Estimated expenditure over the next 3 years	Average number of hits per month
Cabinet Office (www.cabinet-office.gov.uk)	Not separately identifiable	£10,000 per annum for commercial webhosting service	Cabinet and its committees, ministerial responsibilities, pan Government programmes, guidance, codes and best practice	There is no planned additional expenditure	72,300

	NDPBs--The Cabinet Office has no Executive NDPBs and details for its NDPBs are therefore included in the Cabinet Office's total figures above

Central IT Unit and Information Age Government Champions (www.citu.gov.uk) (www.iagchampions.gov.uk)	CITU--£30,000 IAGC--£5,000	£20,000 to CCTA for CITU site in 1999-2000	The CITU site informs all audiences about the development of government strategy for the use of IT	£25,000 p.a. estimated	Not monitored

Her Majesty's Stationery Office (www.hmso.gov.uk)	Not available	£47,800 in total based on last year's calculations £28,800 for setting up of inforoute	Information about HMSO, the administration of Crown Copyright and access to the full text of new legislation. Inforoute is the gateway to the new Government Information Asset Register	Approx £24,500 per year	1.8 million

E-Envoy (www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/e-envoy)	£5,437.50	£5,757.75 per annum	The e-Envoy website has been set up to provide information on the work of the Office of the e-Envoy. This includes strategy, monthly-updated progress reports, information on Alex Allan and the team, links and hosts the e-Forum discussion group.	£50,000 per year	460
Government Information and Computer Service (www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/gics)	£32,000 inc. VAT, creation initial training and software purchase	Costs equivalent to a 1½ days pay in C2 position	The site provides comprehensive information to potential recruits to the Government Information and Communication Service about career opportunities, working practices and current competitions: electronic application procedures are under development	Not known	Not monitored

Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (www.ccta.gov.uk)	The estimated cost is under £5,000 per year. The estimated marginal cost of initially establishing the CCTA web site is under £10,000	£55,000 per annum	Services that CCTA offers and guidance on technological issues	--	Not monitored

Central Office of Information (www.coi.gov.uk/coi)	£40,000	£20,000 and all within budget	Case studies, contacts, COI service/contacts/diary, about COI, hot topics, sources of information, what's new	Estimated expenditure is planned to remain at £20,000 per annum	Not known

The Buying Agency (www.open.gov.uk/tba)	Developed in-house so costs are not separately identifiable	£3,120 per annum	The site covers a basic overview of The Buying Agency's operations. The site occasionally promotes events	--	Not monitored

Property Advisers To The Civil Estate (www.property.gov.uk)	Minimal setting up charges and the annual connection charge is £14,000 per year	External spend of £9,100, including hosting charges; and estimated internal costs of approximately £30,000	PACE's web site details its structure and services	--	Not monitored

Civil Service College (www/open.gov.uk/college)	The website was set up, at no charge to the Government, in 1995	£1,175 per annum	The site contains a full directory of courses offered by the College	An estimated cost of £3,000 per annum	Unique user hits are 2,062 and the total number of hits is 36,650

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Government Computer Systems

Mr. Robert Jackson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans the Government have to reduce the number of times each person's name and address is recorded in Government computer systems. [119475]

Mr. Ian McCartney: As part of our modernising Government agenda we are transforming the delivery of public services to fit in with the needs of those who use them. This means not only providing services in a way that fits in with people's needs but also getting rid of the paper-chasing bureaucracy of the past. We are currently developing a pilot that will be available later this year where people can record their change of address with different parts of Government electronically in one transaction.

Taskforces

Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to her answer of 30 March 2000, Official Report, column 204W, if she will publish a list of taskforces created since 9 December 1999. [119541]

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Mr. Stringer: We have given a commitment to publish full lists of taskforces and other reviews every six months. The next list covering the period to the end of April will be published in due course.

TREASURY

Petrol

Mr. Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on how the price of lead replacement petrol is arrived at. [119658]

Mr. Timms: The price of petrol is a matter for the oil companies. The duty rate for Lead Replacement Petrol is currently 50.89 pence per litre.

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