Letter from Andrew Tyrie, Member of Parliament
for Chichester
Further to the letter from Tony Wright of 16
March I have now had a chance to look through answers that I have
received to PQs and would like to bring the following to the attention
of the Committee.
1. THE WITHHOLDING
OF INFORMATION:
I have asked repeatedly for the costs incurred
by Treasury special advisers on official travel overseas. I still
have not received an answer:
(i) I first asked about Treasury Special
Advisers on 10 March 1999.
The response of 30 March referred me to a previous
answer which, in turn, referred back to two other answers—neither
answering the question. The only "relevant" information
gleaned was that the travel arrangements were "consistent
with the Ministerial Code".
(ii) On 22 April I asked again and was referred
back to the response of 30 March.
(iii) Next I asked the reason for withholding
the information. On 27 July I was referred to an answer given
to the Labour MP, Ivor Caplin.
This stated: "All travel by Treasury Ministers
and special advisers is conducted in line with the principles
set out in the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management
Code" and referred to a document which had been placed in
the Library.
This document lists the dates, destinations and
purposes of travel by Treasury Special Advisers but does not list
the cost.
(iv) When the House returned from the summer
recess I asked again, enumerating the costs I wanted to be disclosed.
The response had two elements. The first referred
me back to the document in the Library listing the dates, destinations
and purpose of travel but not the cost. The second stated: "The
cost of overseas travel by special advisers accompanying Treasury
Ministers was included in the figures in the Prime Minister's
answer of 17 June 1999 to the Member for Stalybridge and Hyde
(Mr Pendry).
There are two parts to the figures mentioned.
The first lists the total expenditure on Special Advisers, in
which case the Treasury are saying that their expenditure is included
in the £10.9 million spent on Special Advisers since the
election.
The second part states: "A list of all visits
overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or
more during the period 2 May 1997 and 31 March 1999 has been placed
in the libraries of the House." This does not refer directly
to special advisers but states: "The numbers of staff accompanying
the Minister are shown in brackets ( )." The page for
the Chancellor of the Exchequer does not have any numbers shown
in brackets which implies that no staff accompanied him.
This is directly contradicted by the "Official
Travel Overseas by Treasury Special Advisers" paper. For
example, from 3-6 May 1998, it lists Ed Balls and Charlie Whelan
as having visited Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta for "Chancellor's
speaking engagement and meetings". The Prime Minister's figures
mention the trip but do not mention any accompanying officials.
2. IGNORING THE
QUESTION:
(i) I asked The Secretary of State for Environment,
Transport and the Regions to list the total number of occasions
when special advisers had travelled abroad in an official capacity.
He replied that there were no occasions when special advisers
in his department had travelled abroad in an overseas capacity
unaccompanied by Ministers (ref 329, c57w). I was forced
to table another question to obtain the information I was seeking,
that is, whether accompanied or not.
(ii) I asked the Secretary of State for Education
and Employment to list the total number of occasions when special
advisers had travelled abroad in an official capacity. He replied
that there were no occasions when special advisers in his department
had travelled abroad in an overseas capacity unaccompanied by
Ministers (ref 329, c159w). Similarly, I was forced to
table another question to obtain the information I was seeking.
(iii) I asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer
the size (a) in absolute terms and (b) as a percentage of each
department's spending head of the margins to cover uncertainties
built into departmental spending plans. I did not receive a satisfactory
answer (ref 318, c340-1w).
(iv) I asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer
if Mr C Whelan was fulfilling duties formerly fulfilled by a career
civil servant. This was not responded to (ref c0308, c100w).
3. IGNORING PART
OF THE
QUESTION:
(i) I asked the Secretary of State for International
Development, inter alia, to list the places visited by
special advisers. This was not responded to (ref 331, c 325w).
(ii) I asked the Secretary of State for Defence,
inter alia, the total cost of compliance with the Working
Time Directive. This was not responded to (ref 327, c689w).
(iii) I asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
inter alia, with whom his special advisers' contracts of
employment had been made. This was not responded to (ref 302,
c708w).
4. DISPROPORTIONATE
COST:
Compliance costs of the Working Time directive:
(i) Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
I was told that compliance costs could only be obtained at disproportionate
cost. In a letter written on behalf of the Chief Executive of
the Patents Office, I was told that "there would be a disproportionate
cost in calculating the total cost to the Office of compliance
with the Working Time Regulations, but we do not believe it to
be significant" (ref 329, c92w).
(ii) Secretary of State for Defence. I was
told that "details of staff who have voluntarily agreed that
the 48 hour working week need not apply in their case are not
held centrally and the information could only be provided at disproportionate
cost" (ref 327, c689w).
(iii) Secretary of State for Scotland. I
was told that "compliance costs are not kept centrally and
could only be provided at disproportionate cost" (ref
327, c779w).
(iv) Secretary of State for Environment,
Transport and the Regions and Education and Employment: I was
told that "compliance costs are not held centrally and could
only be provided at disproportionate cost" (ref 327, c726-7w).
(v) Secretary of State for the Home Office:
I was told that "compliance costs are not kept centrally
and could only be provided at disproportionate cost" (ref
327, c834w).
(vi) Secretary of State for Wales: I was
told that "compliance costs . . . could only be provided
at disproportionate cost" (ref 328, c53-4).
(vii) Secretary of State for the Cabinet
Office: I was told that "Compliance costs are not kept centrally
and could be provided only at disproportionate cost" (ref
328, c205w).
Andrew Tyrie MP
14 April 2000
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