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Press and Public Relations

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people were employed in a press or public relations function in her Department on 1 January in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001 and (f) 2002. [39944]

Mrs. Liddell: The Scotland Office was established in its present form on 1 July 1999.

The Department had four press officers on 1 January 2000; four press officers on 1 January 2001; and four press officers on 1 January 2002.

Gender Pay Gap

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment she has made of the extent of the gender pay gap among staff in her Department. [41007]

Mrs. Liddell: My Department is currently considering how best to take forward an equal pay review, in conjunction with the Scottish Executive.

Job Advertisements

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will list the job advertisements placed by her Department in the last 12 months specifying where the advertisements were placed and the cost in each case. [39059]

Mrs. Liddell: No external advertisements for staff have been placed by my Department in the last 12 months.

Age Discrimination

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what her Department's policy is towards age discrimination. [42569]

Mrs. Liddell: My Department has taken steps to integrate age into equal opportunities policies and is committed to ensuring that there is no unfair discrimination on the basis of age. Action on diversity has and will continue to tackle any negative attitudes towards older staff particularly through the training and development of managers and through the monitoring of recruitment, selection and appraisal statistics.

8 May 2002 : Column 202W

Accessible Documentation

Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if all documentation provided by her Department is available in formats accessible by the visually impaired. [41988]

Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 11 March 2002]: My Department is committed to providing information in an accessible form. If information is requested in an alternative format every effort will be made to supply it.

Unpaid Advisers

Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will list the names of the unpaid advisers appointed by her and her predecessors since June 1997, stating in each case (a) the date of their appointment, (b) the duration of their appointment and (c) the project or projects on which they have been engaged. [43384]

Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 25 March 2002]: The Scotland Office was established in its present form on 1 July 1999.

My predecessor had one unpaid special adviser between June 1999 and January 2001. His duties were to provide advice to the Secretary of State across a range of topics within his ministerial responsibilities.

Property Protection

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what new measures her Department took in 2001–02 to protect its property from theft or damage. [47321]

Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 10 April 2002]: My Department's security measures to protect its property from theft or damage are reviewed regularly. No additional measures were required in 2001–02.

Television

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will list the number of subscriptions to (a) digital terrestrial, (b) digital satellite and (c) digital cable television held by her Department for services in any departmental building from which Ministers work, stating for each subscription its (i) cost and (ii) purpose. [48343]

Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 10 April 2002]: My Department has no subscriptions to digital television services.

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will list the (a) number and (b) total cost of television licences paid for by her Department. [48342]

Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 10 April 2002]: No television licence is required for equipment used for official purposes.

Public Appointments

Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to her answer of 22 April, Official Report, column 66W, on appointments, whether the only public appointments she makes are to the Boundary Commission for Scotland. [52865]

Mrs. Liddell: Yes.

8 May 2002 : Column 203W

Digital Equipment

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many digital radios are owned by her Department for use in departmental buildings from which Ministers work; and what the (a) cost and (b) date of purchase of each radio was. [52847]

Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 26 April 2002]: No digital radios have been purchased by my Department.

ADVOCATE-GENERAL

Property Protection

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Advocate-General what new measures her Department took in 2001–02 to protect its property from theft or damage. [47254]

The Advocate-General [holding answer 10 April 2002]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Redundant Churches

Mr. Cox: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, how many redundant churches have been sold in each of the last five years. [54200]

Mr. Bell: Sixty-five redundant churches were sold for alternative uses during the period from 1997 to 2001. The annual breakdown is:

	Number
1997	19
1998	14
1999	11
2000	9
2001	12

A smaller number was leased or otherwise disposed of for alternative use during the same period.

The Commissioners' annual report gives details of the uses found for these buildings and is available in the House of Commons Library.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Entertainment Costs

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 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. [34373]

8 May 2002 : Column 204W

Malcolm Wicks: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Cabinet Office on 14 February 2002, Official Report, column 560W.

Benefit Recipients

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Northavon (Mr. Webb), of 29 January 2002, Official Report, column 261W, on benefit recipients, how many and what proportion of pensioner households are expected to be eligible for (a) pension credit, (b) housing benefit and (c) council tax benefit after October 2003. [42565]

Mr. McCartney: Information on the number of pensioner households eligible for housing benefit and council tax benefit is not available. For pension credit estimates, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East (Dr. Kumar) on 23 April 2002, Official Report, column 204W.

Equal Treatment

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he has established a baseline for policy appraisal against which to measure progress on equal treatment; and what progress has been achieved; [44383]

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the subject of each gender impact assessment drawn up by his Department since June 1997, indicating in each case whether the outcome has been (a) put out to consultation and (b) published. [44385]

Mr. McCartney: Within the Department for Work and Pensions it has been for our separate agencies and businesses to adopt, as appropriate, the Policy Appraisal for Equal Treatment guidelines issued in 1998. Detailed information about adherence to these guidelines, and to baselines, is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

However, this Department is fully committed to equal treatment in the conduct of all aspects of its business, be it policy development, staff management, or providing a service to its wide range of customers. Recent reforms to the child support system, bereavement benefits and pension sharing all embrace the principles of equal treatment. Gender is one strand to be considered along with race, disability, age and sexual orientation.

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