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Television Licences
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the (a) number and (b) total cost of television licences paid for by his Department. [48358]
Mr. MacShane: This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the number of subscriptions to (a) digital terrestrial, (b) digital satellite and (c) digital cable television held by his Department for services in any departmental building from which Ministers work, stating for each subscription its (i) cost and (ii) purpose. [48359]
Mr. MacShane: This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Legal Costs
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what legal costs have been incurred by his Department in each of the last four years. [34287]
Mr. MacShane: The cost of legal advice and representation incurred externally to the department is
- £54,667.70 for the financial year 1998 to 1999
£50,963.21 for the financial year 1999 to 2000
£117,117.11 for the financial year 2000 to 2001.
Gender Strategy
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's gender strategy is. [47697]
Mr. Bradshaw: The FCO's gender strategy is part of a wider Diversity strategy. This was first put in place in March 1999 and updated in January 2002.
Our diversity mission is to create and sustain a culture that values and actively supports and promotes diversity. We are currently focused on retention and work/life balance issues, including flexible working. But our gender activity is continually evolving to meet new challenges.
A copy of our Diversity Strategy will be sent to the hon. Member and placed in the Library of the House.
Relocation
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to relocate executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies under the remit of his Department to Scotland. [47952]
Mr. Bradshaw: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary currently has no plans to relocate to Scotland any of the non-departmental public bodies or one executive agency currently under his remit.
10 Apr 2002 : Column 60W
The British Council in Scotland already has a headquarters in Edinburgh and offices in Glasgow and Aberdeen. In April 2003, twenty posts from the Education and Training Department of the British Council in England will be moved to Edinburgh.
The Britain Russia Centre has its main office in England, but also has a small office in Scotland.
Performance Targets
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of whether the target to release £790 million from overseas estate rationalisation for new investment over the three years to March will be met. [47790]
Mr. MacShane: We await final figures, but believe that the £90 million estate sales target for the triennium FY 1999–2000 to FY 2001–02 will have been achieved.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of whether the target of 25 per cent. of business undertaken electronically by 2002 will be met. [47789]
Mr. MacShane: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 December 2001, Official Report, column 44W.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what new initiatives his Department has taken in 2001–02 to assist in achieving its Public Service Agreement targets. [47181]
Mr. MacShane: Information on progress on PSA targets will be published in the Department's 2002 departmental report.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of whether the target to halve accommodation running costs in London by 2001–02 will be met. [47784]
Mr. MacShane: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 December 2001, Official Report, column 46W.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of whether the target of efficiency gains of £7 million by the end of 2001–02 will be met. [47783]
Mr. MacShane: I am unable to confirm the exact figure for efficiency savings before our accounts for 2001–02 are finalised later in the year. Our present assessment continues to show that we are on target to achieve efficiency gains of approximately £7 million.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of whether the target of £12 million savings by 2001–02 through improved procurement procedures will be met. [47785]
Mr. MacShane: Savings of £10.3 million had been achieved by 31 December 2001.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of performance against the target of full cost recovery by the Government Hospitality Fund. [47786]
10 Apr 2002 : Column 61W
Mr. MacShane: The Government Hospitality Fund has been dissolved and the equivalent budget is now held by Conference and Visits Group (CVG), a new business unit that forms part of FCO Services. Full cost recovery in this area is likely to be achieved during the 2002–03 financial year.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the target of 60 per cent. on internal departmental services to be reviewed under Better Quality Services guidelines by the end of 2001–02 will be met. [47787]
Mr. MacShane: The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster informed Departments on 6 February that he had decided to discontinue the Better Quality Services (BQS) scheme.
Three BQS reviews originally scheduled to be completed by the end of March 2002 are still in progress: Security, Consular Services and Training. These will continue and are all expected to be completed this summer. The reviews of Security and Consular Services were both seriously delayed by the events of 11 September and their aftermath.
The FCO is currently considering how best to conduct internal reviews of effectiveness in future, to provide assurance that high standards of performance, particularly in areas of customer focus and service delivery are achieved and maintained.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the level of sickness absence in 2000–01; and if he expects the target of a 30 per cent. reduction by 2003 to be met. [47788]
Mr. Bradshaw: FCO staff took an average of 5.9 days of sickness absence in 2000–01. Early indications are that we are on course to meet the target of a 30 per cent. reduction by 2003.
New Deal
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people have been employed by his Department in each of the last three years under (a) the New Deal for Young People, (b) the New Deal for the Over 50s and (c) the New Deal for Lone Parents; and at what cost, listed by category, to public funds. [44924]
Mr. Bradshaw: The information is as follows:
New Deal recruits take up existing vacancies so extra costs to public funds are limited to the subsidy, where appropriate, and any additional training and development which may be needed. The cost of the latter cannot be readily identified.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people employed by his Department under the New Deal for Young People in each of the last four years have subsequently (a) found unsubsidised employment for more than 13 weeks and (b) returned to jobseeker's allowance or other benefits. [44906]
10 Apr 2002 : Column 62W
Mr. Bradshaw: The information is as follows:
(a) Four, and (b) the FCO does not monitor this information.
Secondments
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many members of staff were employed by his Department on secondment from non-governmental organisations in (a) 1999, (b) 2000 and (c) 2001. [45228]
Mr. Bradshaw: Secondment refers to all continuous interchange activity of three months or more.
In line with the annual statistical exercise carried out by the Cabinet Office, the number of staff employed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on secondment from non-governmental organisations is broken down by financial year (1 April to 31 March) as follows:
- FY 1999–2000 = 2
FY 2000–01 = 5
FY 2001–02 = 3.
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many members of staff were employed by his Department on secondment from the private sector in (a) 1999, (b) 2000 and (c) 2001. [45269]
Mr. MacShane: The figures (collated by financial year) for private sector secondments to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are as follows:
- 1999–2000: 17
2000–01: 7
Current FY: 10.
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