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Special Advisers
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on how many occasions since 31 March 1999 (a) departmental and (b) non-departmental special advisers have travelled abroad in an official capacity. [124122]
Mr. Stringer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr. Lansley) on 8 May 2000, Official Report, column 315W.
Opinion Research
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how much her Department spent on opinion research in the financial year 1999-2000; [123073]
- (2) if she will list the opinion research projects undertaken on behalf of her Department in the financial year 1999-2000, broken down by (a) focus group research, (b) quantitative surveys and (c) other market research surveys, listing in each case when and in what form the results were published. [123074]
Marjorie Mowlam: During the 1999-2000 financial year, my Department let contracts for opinion research with a total value of £316,000 (excluding VAT). The table gives the subject and publication details of each piece of research.
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Research Studies, Audits and Surveys
Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will list the title of research studies, audits and surveys (a) being undertaken and (b) commissioned
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by her Department for completion within 2000, stating in each case when the results are due to be published; and when she will publish the Government's response to the Sixth report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life. [122116]
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Marjorie Mowlam: The information relating to research studies, audits and surveys is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The Government's response to the Sixth Report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life is being prepared and will be presented to Parliament before the summer recess.
Drugs Trade
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment the UK Anti-Drugs Co-ordinator has made of the extent to which nightclub security firms (a) are involved in the drugs trade and (b) restrict the trade in drugs; and if she will make a statement. [124099]
Mr. Ian McCartney: The UK Anti-Drugs Co-ordinator has not made any such assessments. The Police Research Group report, "Clubs, Drugs and Doormen" published in 1998, highlighted how serious a problem drugs could be in clubs when door staff are involved in drug dealing. The Co-ordinator has held meetings with parties involved in this sector and has encouraged the work of industry bodies such as the British Entertainment and Discotheque Association and partnerships between local authorities, the police, Drug Action Teams, venue managers and owners to disrupt the selling of drugs in venues, improve the standard of security staff and club mangers, and challenge the corrupting influence which drug dealing can have on door supervision, and supported their efforts to ensure that dance events are as safe and well organised as possible. The Anti-Drugs Co-ordinator supports the Government's proposed legislation to regulate the private security industry, including the licensing of security staff employment in night clubs and similar premises.
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Mr. Cohen: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans she has for legislation to (a) vet employees, managers and directors of nightclub security firms in respect of involvement in the drugs trade, (b) require cancellation of their contract if drugs are brought into nightclubs by them or their employees and (c) counter the drugs trade in nightclubs in other ways; and if she will make a statement. [124100]
Mr. Ian McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary last year published a White Paper, "The Government's Proposals for Regulation of the Private Security Industry in England and Wales". This proposed that people employed in the private security industry, including those in managerial and supervisory positions and directors, should require a licence from a new Private Security Industry Authority. The licensing process would include a criminal record check. These proposals specifically included security staff employed in night clubs and similar premises. Responses received to the White Paper have been under consideration and my right hon. Friend will announce his conclusions shortly. We have made it clear that we intend to introduce legislation to regulate the private security industry as soon as parliamentary time permits.
Government Service Dismissals
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people have been dismissed from Government service in each of the last five years, broken down by principal cause of dismissal; and what proportion of total Government employees this represents in each year. [122514]
Mr. Stringer: The numbers and proportion of staff dismissed from the non-industrial Civil Service over the last five years, by principal cause of dismissal are set out in the table.
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| Number of staff dismissed/discharged | Proportion of staff dismissed/discharged (percentage) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | All | Inefficiency | Disciplinary | All | Inefficiency | Disciplinary |
| 1994-95 | 880 | 550 | 330 | 0.18 | 0.11 | 0.07 |
| 1995-96 | 750 | 400 | 350 | 0.16 | 0.08 | 0.08 |
| 1996-97 | 870 | 450 | 420 | 0.19 | 0.10 | 0.09 |
| 1997-98 | 650 | 350 | 300 | 0.15 | 0.08 | 0.07 |
| 1998-99 | 590 | 300 | 290 | 0.14 | 0.07 | 0.07 |
Source:
Mandate and Cabinet Office estimates
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