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Accountancy Contracts

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the contracts agreed by his Department with the five largest accountancy firms since May 1997; and what was the total value of contracts with each. [42102]

Ms Blears: The Department does not centrally hold a record of individual contracts. However our financial records, for the period April 1997 to date, show the Department (excluding Agencies) made highest payments for all professional services (including consultancy and accountancy services) to the following five companies and in the amounts shown:

	FY 1997–98 Value #000	FY 1998–99 Value #000	FY 1999–2000 Value #000	FY 2000–01 Value #000	FY 2001–02 Value #000
PWC	143.7	196.8	244.6	1,039.5	308.3
KPMG	331.7	166.9	222.8	33.0	1,147.7
D & T	72.3	45.4	11.0	55.6	342.7
E & Y	26.2	18.2	0.0	30.9	66.6
A Andersen	51.5	7.2	0.0	1.7	0.0

Flexible Working

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of the staff of his Department are (a) job sharing, (b) term working and (c) engaged in another form of flexible working. [42422]

Ms Blears: Employees working on job-share contracts or term-working are recorded as Xpart-time" workers. It is therefore not possible to identify the number of staff employed specifically on a job-share/term working contract. The Department currently has 496 staff (9.5 per cent.) working part time.

As other forms of flexible working are arranged locally between staff and their managers, we do not centrally record this information.

Staff Numbers

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff have been employed by his Department in each of the last 10 years. [42469]

Ms Blears: I refer the hon. Member to the central answer provided by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister.

Energy Costs

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on energy costs incurred by his Department in each of the last 10 years. [42449]

Ms Blears: The hon. Member is referred to the answer provided by my right hon. Friend the Minister for State at the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs, the Member for Cardiff South and Penarth (Alun Michael) on 19 March 2002, Official Report, column 268W, which includes information on energy costs incurred by the Department of Health.

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Job Sharing

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the extent of job sharing in his Department. [41040]

Ms Blears: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Mr. Cable) on 28 February 2002.

Gender Pay Gap

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the extent of the gender pay gap amongst staff in his Department. [40996]

Ms Blears: We are committed to review our pay systems in response to the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) Task Force XJust Pay" report, in which the Government has committed departments and agencies to review their pay systems by April 2003 and prepare action plans to close any equal pay gaps.

Relocation Expenses

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the payment of relocation expenses to staff in his Department. [41022]

Ms Blears: Payment of relocation expenses is made to staff when their transfer to another location is in the interests of the Department, for example, a compulsory transfer or bulk transfer of work or exceptionally for new recruits on appointment.

Official Visits

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list the official visits to (a) Paris and (b) Brussels made by each Minister in his Department in 2001 and the mode of travel used; and what guidance is provided to Ministers in his Department on the choice of mode of travel for such visits; [38150]

(2) if he will list the official visits within the UK outside London made by each Minister in his Department in 2001, giving for each (a) the origin and destination and (b) the mode of travel used; and what guidance is provided to Ministers in his Department on choice of mode of travel for official visits. [38186]

Ms Blears: 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 Library.

The additional detailed information requested in respect of UK travel is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Policing Costs (Commonwealth Games)

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Greater Manchester Police in respect of the policing costs of the 2002 Commonwealth Games; what estimate he has made of the costs of (a) policing and (b) other security measures related to the Commonwealth

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Games; and what proposals he has made to ensure that the policing and other security costs are appropriately funded. [27126]

Mr. Denham: I have had discussions with the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police (David Wilmot) about the policing costs of the games. On 30 January 2002, I announced that my right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary (Mr. Blunkett) had approved a special grant of #3 million. We have asked officials with Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary to look closely at the total additional costs estimated by the Chief Constable. On the basis of their further assessment we will consider whether any further grant would be justified.

Other security costs fall to the organisers of the Commonwealth Games, who are confident that they can be met from existing budgets.

Class A Drugs

Mr. Hawkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent analysis his Department has made of the number of offenders whose offences were related to their addiction to Class A drugs who had previously taken cannabis. [44976]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth [holding answer 21 March 2002]: On 23 October last year, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary (Mr. Blunkett) asked the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to review the scientific literature on cannabis, including the so-called Xgateway theory". Their analysis of this theory can be found in section 4.6 of their Report, XThe classification of cannabis under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971", which was published on 14 March 2002. The Report says that it is not possible to state, with certainty, whether or not cannabis use predisposes users to dependence on Class A drugs. Nevertheless, the risks (if any) are small and less than those associated with the use of tobacco or alcohol.

There is a link between Class A drugs and crime. Preliminary findings from the drug testing programme, currently being piloted in Staffordshire, Nottingham and Hackney, show that 55 per cent. of offenders arrested for trigger offences (property crime, robbery and Class A drugs offences) tested positive for heroin and/or cocaine (including crack cocaine). The number who previously used cannabis is not known.

Correspondence

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department intends to reply to the letter of 6 December 2001 from the hon. Member for Aylesbury about case reference B 1087668.[45143]

Angela Eagle [holding answer 21 March 2002]: I wrote to the hon. Member on 26 March 2002. I am sorry for the delay in replying.

Visas (Slovakia)

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will remove the visa requirement for residents visiting the UK from Slovakia. [45147]

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Angela Eagle [holding answer 21 March 2002]: I have no plans at present to lift the visa requirement for Slovakian nationals.

Rami Mehsen

Mr. Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will make a decision on the case of Mr. Rami Mehsen (ref. GAT/37568), a constituent of the hon. Member for Putney. [45261]

Angela Eagle [holding answer 25 March 2002]: I wrote to my hon. Friend on 26 March 2002 about this matter.

Human Rights Act Compliance

Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training has been provided by the Government to assist (a) charitable organisations and (b) Citizens Advice Bureaux in ensuring that their activities comply with the Human Rights Act 1998.[45385]

Angela Eagle [holding answer 25 March 2002]: No training has been provided by the Home Office to assist (a) charitable organisations and (b) Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB) with the Human Rights Act 1998.

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