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Statutory Instruments

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the statutory instruments issued by his Department in the last 12 months, indicating (a) the purpose of each and (b) the cost of each to (i) public funds, (ii) businesses and (iii) individuals. [36231]

Mr. Leslie: The Cabinet Office has issued one statutory instrument during the last 12 months:

SI 2001 No. 1587 The Superannuation (Admission to Schedule 1 to the Superannuation Act 1972) Order 2001 the purpose of which was to add to and remove from the list of Other Bodies and Offices covered by the Superannuation Act 1972.

The cost of implementation to (i) public funds was nil, (ii) businesses nil and (iii) individuals nil.

Entertainment Costs

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list for 1997–98 and each subsequent financial year the amount spent by (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies in respect of hotel and other similar privately-provided accommodation (i) in the UK and (ii) abroad for (A) Ministers, (B) staff and (C) other persons; if he will list the proportion of this cost incurred in respect of (x) food and (y) alcohol in each case; and if he will list the average cost per hotel room or similar unit of accommodation provided in each case. [34390]

Mr. Leslie: Since 1999 this Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. The Government have also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. The 1999 list contained information on all such visits undertaken from 2 May 1997 to 31 April 1999. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House.

All travel is undertaken fully in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.

The additional detailed information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list for 1997–98 and for each subsequent financial year, including the current year to date, the amount spent by (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non- departmental public bodies on (i) food and (ii) alcohol, indicating how much was spent on guests, and how much in respect of (A) Ministers and (B) staff, broken down to show how much was provided directly by his Department and how much reclaimed. [34452]

Mr. Leslie: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

14 Feb 2002 : Column 560W

Refurbishment

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his estimate is of the cost of buildings refurbishment carried out by his Department in each of the last four years. [27958]

Mr. Leslie: Information requested covering 1997–98 to 2000–01 (inclusive) is as follows:

	£
1997–98	935,000
1998–99	4,139,000
1999–2000	16,694,000
2000–01	15,763,000

Note:

Figures include fees, furniture/office equipment and VAT

The increase between 1998–99 and 1999–2000 is mainly attributable to the commencement of the project to refurbish Admiralty Arch (completed in 2000–01) and the Ripley and Kirkland buildings (due for completion in 2002–03). The Ripley and Kirkland project is a major change project involving a complete refurbishment (including the installation of new mechanical, electrical and plumbing services and lifts). This will create modern office space. When the project is completed this will form 22 Whitehall; one of the Department's major buildings.

Ms Walley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) how much has been spent on timber for the refurbishment of the Ripley and Kirkland building; [35686]

(2) how much certified timber has been used in the refurbishment of the Ripley and Kirkland building; and what proportion of the total timber purchased for this refurbishment this represents; [35685]

(3) what action was taken by his Department to ensure that timber procured for the refurbishment of the Ripley and Kirkland building was sourced (a) sustainably and (b) legally. [35684]

Mr. Leslie: Approximately £460,000 of timber is being used in the refurbishment of 22 Whitehall (the Ripley and Kirkland buildings). With the exception of around £50,000 of timber which has been reclaimed (ie it is recycled) the remainder is all certified.

The contract used with the main contractor for the refurbishment of 22 Whitehall places a requirement on the contractor to provide timber from certifiable sustainably managed sources upon which certificates are to be made available. Evidence provided by the main contractor indicates that all the timber supplied so far has been derived from sustainable and legal sources, ie the timber has been purchased under certified logging schemes. Secondments

Dr. Cable: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the names of staff who have been seconded to his Department from the private sector since May 1997, indicating (a) the names of the organisation from which each has come, (b) their responsibilities and civil service grades within his Department, (c) the organisation responsible for paying their salary and (d) the start and end dates of their secondment. [35842]

14 Feb 2002 : Column 561W

Mr. Leslie: Secondments are part of the interchange programme, which promotes the exchange of people and good practice between the civil service and other organisations. Before an interchange can occur all parties must be satisfied that no conflict of interest arises.

The secondees to the Cabinet Office, in the table, between May 1997 and 1 February 2002, worked in a variety of jobs from Cabinet Office B2 (equivalent to Higher Executive officer) to the senior civil service. They worked in a wide range of areas where we could benefit from their knowledge and expertise from the private sector.

14 Feb 2002 : Column 562W

I am not prepared to identify individual secondees by name or responsibilities for reasons of employee confidentiality. Secondees are employed on the basis that they can contribute valuable expertise and good practice to the civil service, and on the basis that no conflict of interest arises. Where appropriate, their names are published in directories such as the Civil Service Year Book, as are those of permanent staff. But they are not separately identified as being on secondment.

In all cases agreements are reached with the parent organisation on the salary reimbursed by the Cabinet Office to ensure it fall in the civil service pay range appropriate to the post.

Completed secondments into the Cabinet Office from the private sector from May 1997

Personal grade	Start date	Loaned organisation	Termination date
SCS	1997	Alexander Blackford Communications	1999
A	9 November 1998	National Westminster Bank	9 November 1999
SCS-4	1 January 1999	Andersen Consulting	31 December 2000
A	4 January 1999	PricewaterhouseCooper	31 August 2000
SCS-1	4 May 1999	Oracle	30 April 2001
A	10 May 1999	BT	5 May 2000
A	17 May 1999	KPMG	30 June 2001
A	June 1999	PricewaterhouseCoopers	2000
A	23 August 1999	Frontier Economics Ltd.	31 December 1999
A	9 September 1999	BT	28 July 2000
A	27 September 1999	Carillion	19 October 2001
A	27 September 1999	KPMG	12 May 2000
A	4 October 1999	Wragg and Co.	24 February 2000
SCS-1	25 October 1999	Unilever	19 October 2001
A	6 December 1999	Andersen Consulting	21 July 2000
A	6 December 1999	Hay Management Consultants	17 May 2000
A	13 December 1999	Microsoft Ltd.	21 July 2000
A	10 January 2000	PricewaterhouseCoopers	10 January 2002
A	7 February 2000	Zurich Financial Services	7 April 200
A	17 April 2000	Hay Management Consultants	28 July 2000
B2	27 March 2000	British Airways	23 March 2001
A	3 July 2000	Energis	31 October 2000
SCS-3	18 September 2000	European Bank for Reconstruction and Development	16 March 2001
A	21 November 2000	GlaxoSmithKline	30 June 2001

Source:

Central Cabinet Office records

Secondees currently in the Cabinet Office from the private sector

Personal grade	Start date	Loaned organisation
A	9 November 1999	Marks and Spencer plc
SCS-1	13 March 2000	Sun Microsystems
B2	16 October 2000	BUPA
B2	29 January 2001	Environmental Resources Management Ltd.
A	2 April 2001	Ford Motor Company
A	23 April 2001	KPMG
A	23 April 2001	Worksystems Inc.
SCS-1	4 June 2001	Oxera Consulting Ltd.
A	18 June 2001	Oracle
A	16 July 2001	Attfield James Ltd.
A	25 June 2001	Financial Times
A	1 October 2001	Arthur Andersen
A	1 August 2001	Bates, Wells and Braithwaite
A	3 October 2001	PriceWaterhouseCoopers
A	22 October 2001	Unilever
SCS-1	1 November 2001	ICI
A	19 November 2001	Accenture
A	3 January 2002	KPMG
B2	3 January 2002	KPMG

Source:

Central Cabinet Office records

Tom Brake: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many staff were seconded between (a) BP, (b) Shell, (c) Enron, (d) Exxon-Mobil, (e) Conoco, (f) Texaco and (g) TotalFinaElf and his Department in (i) 1999–2000, (ii) 2000–01 and (iii) April 2001 to the latest date for which figures are available. [33214]

Mr. Leslie: During the period 1 April 1999 to 1 February 2002 there were no secondees into or out of the Cabinet Office from: BP, Shell, Enron, Exxon-Mobil, Conoco, Texaco or TotalFinaElf.

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