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HOUSE OF COMMONS
Portcullis House
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee if he will make it his policy to prohibit the provision of accommodation to civil servants at Portcullis House. [99863]
Sir Sydney Chapman [holding answer 29 November 1999]: In accordance with the Resolution of the House when it approved the brief for the project, Portcullis House will provide office accommodation for 210 hon. Members and for a similar number of their staff. The question of offering any of the space to Government Departments for use by civil servants does not arise.
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what categories of persons it is proposed will be allocated accommodation at Portcullis House. [99883]
Sir Sydney Chapman
[holding answer 29 November 1999]: The office space in Portcullis House will be occupied by 210 hon. Members and their staff. The only
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exceptions are two offices to be used by the Clerks Department to provide support services for Select Committees using the adjacent Select Committee rooms, and by the office services and maintenance management staff responsible for the building.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, how much has been spent on works within the Parliamentary Estate since 1 May 1997; what further sums are anticipated to be spent; and if he will list the amounts broken down by project, indicating the original estimated budget per project. [100504]
Mr. Kirkwood
[holding answer 30 November 1999]: Expenditure against the Works Votes of both Houses including rents, rates, fuel and overheads but excluding Portcullis House has been as follows:
| £ | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Voted sums | Outturn |
| 1997-98 | 49,017,000 | (1)48,852,000 |
| 1998-99 | 51,013,000 | 50,002,000 |
| 1999-2000 (forecast expenditure) | 55,088,000 | (2)53,652,000 |
| 2000-01 (forecast expenditure) | (3)57,876,000 | (3)57,876,000 |
(1) Excluding legal fees
(2) Forecast
(3) Estimate
| £ | ||
|---|---|---|
| Project description | Original estimate | Outturn |
| Norman Shaw North PDVN Lower Floors | 1,150,000 | 1,180,333 |
| Norman Shaw North PDVN Upper Floors | 1,654,600 | 1,854,600 |
| Refreshment Department Members and Strangers Cafeteria | 7,042,800 | 6,776,428 |
| Refreshment Department Stores and Changing Rooms | 9,070,000 | 8,974,800 |
| Fire Compartmentation 1997-98 | 1,400,000 | 1,376,844 |
| Fire Compartmentation 1998-99 | 1,300,000 | 1,173,447 |
| Fire Compartmentation 1999-2000 | 1,250,000 | 1,250,000 |
| Basement Fire Alarm | 2,300,000 | 2,299,553 |
| PDVN Phase 3 1997-98 | 5,000,000 | 5,001,857 |
| PDVN Phase 4 1998-99 | 5,120,000 | 5,975,000 |
| PDVN Phase 5 1999-2000 | 7,000,000 | 6,625,565 |
| Committee Room Refurbishment Phase I | 861,668 | 872,600 |
| Committee Room Refurbishment Phase II | 1,343,000 | 1,122,339 |
| Royal Gallery Roof Overhaul | 4,125,660 | 3,783,021 |
For Portcullis House the total expenditure to April 1999 was £149 million. The remaining forecast expenditure and contingency is £86 million, so the project is expected to be completed at least £15 million below budget.
DEFENCE
Departmental Transport
Dr. Lynne Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what motor mileage allowance rates his
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Department offers to (a) ministers and (b) civil servants using their own vehicles for official business; and what has been the cost of each in each of the last five years. [98722]
Mr. Kilfoyle:
Ministers and MOD civilians are paid the same Motor Mileage Rates if they use their private vehicles for official duty. Reimbursement for motor mileage for official travel in private vehicles is paid at different levels. The higher (Standard) rate is restricted to journeys that would be impracticable by public transport, taking into account the overall cost to the Department. It reflects the full cost of travel by car. The lower (Public Transport) rate is set at a level which reflects the average cost of travel by public transport and is paid for all other official travel by car.
The rates applicable in the current tax year are as follows:
| Car engine capacity | Up to 4,000 | Over 4,000 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 1000cc | 28 | 17 | |
| 1001cc-1500cc | 35 | 20 | |
| 1501cc-2000cc | 45 | 25 | |
| 2001cc and over | 63 | 36 | |
| Public transport rate of motor mileage allowance | |||
| All cars | 26.5 | ||
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Financial year | Actual cost |
| 1994-95 | 11,500,000 |
| 1995-96 | 12,200,000 |
| 1996-97 | 12,700,000 |
| 1997-98 | 12,100,000 |
| 1998-99 | 11,800,000 |
Kapton Insulation
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advice he has received about the safety of Kapton wiring in military aircraft; and what actions he has taken. [100924]
Mr. Kilfoyle: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Salisbury (Mr. Key) on 27 July 1999, Official Report, column 197W.
Gurkhas
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for increasing the number of Gurkhas serving in the UK armed forces. [101334]
Mr. Spellar:
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Totnes (Mr. Steen), on 1 December 1999, Official Report, column 191W.
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Mrs. Mahon:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) advice and (b) help is given to civilians in Yugoslavia who might have been exposed to contamination by the radioactive dust left by depleted uranium munitions. [99719]
Mr. Spellar:
We are not aware of any civilians in Yugoslavia who might have been exposed to contamination by the radioactive dust left by depleted uranium munitions.
Mrs. Mahon:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what protection and advice is provided for British ordnance officers engaged in dealing with depleted uranium munitions in Yugoslavia. [99718]
Mr. Spellar:
No British personnel are currently engaged in dealing with depleted uranium munitions in Yugoslavia. However, as a precaution, Service personnel are given appropriate guidance during Kosovo pre-deployment training.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many posts have been civilianised in the Directorate of Naval Resources during the last 12 months. [100290]
Mr. Kilfoyle:
Arising from the reorganisation of the Central Staff, the Directorate of Naval Resources and Plans was formed on 2 August 1999 comprising elements of the Directorate of Resources and Programmes (Navy), staffed by 17 civilian personnel, and the Directorate of Navy Plans, staffed by 18 military and four civilian personnel. The new Directorate has 20 staff, 11 military and nine civilian personnel overall. One military post was civilianised as the new organisation was formed.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff are employed at the Defence Estates Agency HQ at Sutton Coldfield. [100289]
Mr. Kilfoyle:
The number of Defence Estates staff employed at Sutton Coldfield as of 1 December 1999 is 392, consisting of 162 Head Office staff and 230 Central Business Unit staff.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the value of work put out to consultants working on Project Capital in each of the last three years. [100285]
Mr. Spellar:
PricewaterhouseCoopers were appointed the Project Capital Accounting System Integrators in 1996. As such, they act as project managers, systems developers, implementers and advisers.
Total payments made on these activities over the last three years were as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 1996-97 | 10,725,000 |
| 1997-98 | 28,242,000 |
| 1998-99 | 40,279,000 |
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