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UK Online

Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what criteria were used in selecting Loudcloud to host the UK online website; and if she will make a statement; [43210]

(2) how many (a) companies and (b) UK companies were invited to tender for the contract to host the UK online website; [43211]

(3) what discussions took place with the Prime Minister's Office regarding the choice of companies invited to tender for the contract to run the UK online website. [43212]

Mr. Leslie: I have been asked to reply.

No discussions took place with the Prime Minister's Office regarding the choice of company selected to run the UK online website.

Negotiations between the Office of the e-Envoy and BT Syntegra on renewal of the UK online contract broke down in autumn 2001. OeE received legal advice that—given the need to maintain continuity of service—the only option was to contract directly for hosting services with BT's proposed sub-contractor, Loudcloud UK, a UK company. Doing so was fully compliant with EC procurement rules.

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Prescription Medicines (Internet Trading)

Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on her Department's monitoring of dot.com chemists and their supply of prescription medicines. [42724]

Ms Blears: I have been asked to reply.

The Medicines Control Agency do not routinely monitor 'dot com' pharmacies. However, their Enforcement Group investigate any illegal activity of which they are made aware, including the supply of prescription medicines via the internet.

WALES

Legal Costs

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what legal costs have been incurred by his Department in each of the last four years. [34293]

Mr. Paul Murphy: The external costs of the former Welsh Office were £568,000 in 1998–99 and £55,000 in the first quarter of 1999–2000.

Since it came into existence in July 1999, the Wales Office has not separately distinguished legal costs.

Accountancy Contracts

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the (a) number and (b) value of contracts awarded by his Department to (i) Arthur Andersen, (ii) Deloitte Touche, (ii) Ernst and Young, (iv) KPMG and (v) PricewaterhouseCoopers accountants in each year since 1997. [34984]

Mr. Paul Murphy: Since its creation in July 1999, my Department has had no contracts with any of these accountancy firms.

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 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. [42108]

Mr. Paul Murphy: My Department was created in July 1999 and has entered no contracts with these accountancy firms.

Publicity Expenditure

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the total real terms expenditure of his Department, its agencies and non- departmental public bodies on publicity in each of the years (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99, (c) 1999–2000, (d) 2000–01 and (e) 2001–02 (i) to date and (ii) as estimated for the whole of the present year; and if he will break these figures down to indicate expenditure on (A) advertising and (B) press and public relations. [36165]

Mr. Paul Murphy: This information is not readily available. However, my Department does not have the sort of executive responsibilities which would generally require advertising or public relations expenditure. It has no agencies or non-departmental public bodies.

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Departmental Staff

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many staff left the service of his Department and its agencies in the year ended 31 March 2001; how many left before attaining the formal retirement age of 60 years; and in respect of how many his Department and its agencies assumed responsibilities for making payments until retirement age. [37543]

Mr. Paul Murphy: The permanent civil servants in my Department are all secondees from elsewhere and so when they leave the Wales Office it is to return to their home Departments.

The Wales Office does not have any agencies.

Correspondence

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the average response time was for responding to departmental correspondence; what percentage of letters took longer than one month for a response; and what percentage took longer than three months for a response in each of the last five years. [37437]

Mr. Paul Murphy: My Department came into existence in July 1999.

During 2001, 26 per cent. of letters took more than one month for a response; 1 per cent. of letters took longer than three months for a response.

Figures for 2000 and for July—December 1999 were held on a different basis and cannot be analysed in the way requested.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the target time will be in 2002–03 for (a) Ministers to reply to letters from hon. Members and (b) officials in his Department to reply to letters received directly from members of the public. [44946]

Mr. Paul Murphy: Fifteen working days in each case.

Refurbishment

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 6 February 2002, Official Report, column 960W, what the cost of refurbishing each ministerial private office was in each year since May 1997. [37901]

Mr. Paul Murphy: Following its creation in July 1999, the Wales Office has redecorated and refurbished its London offices. It is not possible to accurately separate the cost of the work carried out on Ministers' offices from that carried out on other parts of the building.

Ministerial offices in Cardiff are part of the National Assembly for Wales building in Cardiff Bay and the Wales Office meets a proportionate share of the whole cost of maintaining that building.

Advertising

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the publicity and advertising campaigns run by his Department in each of the last four years, specifying the (a) purpose, (b) cost to public funds, (c) number of staff involved and (d) method of evaluation in each case. [39099]

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Mr. Paul Murphy: My Department was created in July 1999. It does not have any service-delivery responsibilities of the type which ordinarily require advertising or publicity campaigns.

Equipment Leasing

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the equipment leasing arrangements entered into by his Department in each of the last four years; and what the cost is to public funds in each case. [39086]

Mr. Paul Murphy: There is no record of my Department entering into equipment leases since its creation in July 1999.

Communications Costs

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the annual budget for communications activities, including press, public relations, marketing and internal communications, was for his Department for each financial year from 1997–98 to 2001–02. [39909]

Mr. Paul Murphy: Since its creation in July 1999 the Wales Office has not budgeted separately for these functions. That approach reflects the small size of the Department and the fact that expenditure on all these items will be modest or, in some cases, zero.

Rail Journeys (Staff)

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy that rail journeys undertaken by staff in his Department should ordinarily be on standard class tickets. [40442]

Mr. Paul Murphy: The Wales Office is committed to ensuring that staff use the most efficient and economic means of travel commensurate with meeting their operational needs. Hence, official rail journeys undertaken by Wales Office staff are in line with the guidance and principles set out in Section 8 of the Civil Service Management Code and the departmental staff handbook.

Ministerial Private Offices

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the running costs were of (a) his Ministers' private offices, separately identifying expenditure on staff, and (b) his Department in each year from May 1997 to the nearest date for which the information is available. [40981]

Mr. Paul Murphy: My Department was created in July 1999 and information on running costs have been given in annual Department reports (Cm 4620 and Cm 5121 available in the Library). Private office costs are not separately identified.

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