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Young People

Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on what subjects and on which dates her Department has recently consulted organisations representing young people; and if she will list such organisations. [52494]

Mrs. Liddell: The responsibilities of the Department require very few consultations. Our consultation on 18 December 2001 on the size of the Scottish Parliament included Youthlink Scotland and the Scottish Youth Parliament. My Department, along with others, carried out a wide-ranging consultation on the SEN and disability Rights in Education Bill on 17 March 2000. This involved consulting a wide variety of young people's representative bodies.

Statutory Instruments

Mr. Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which the competent authority is to which

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members of the public should refer questions relating to (a) the classification of statutory instruments and (b) whether statutory instruments should have been laid before Parliament, with reference to statutory instruments with solely Scottish applicability and which pre-date the establishment of the Scottish Parliament but relate to matters that have been devolved. [53076]

Mrs. Liddell: The relevant authorities are a) the Statutory Instruments Reference Committee, and b) the Scottish Courts.

Solar Panels

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what buildings owned by her Department have solar panels installed. [53496]

Mrs. Liddell: My Department does not own any buildings with solar panels.

Joint Ministerial Committees

Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which joint ministerial committees have met since 1999; what subjects each has discussed; and on what dates each has met. [55601]

Mrs. Liddell: The Joint Ministerial Committees that have met since 1999 are shown in the table. The subjects discussed at each Joint Ministerial Committee are confidential. Where appropriate, news releases have been issued after a Joint Ministerial Committee meeting and can be viewed on the Cabinet Office website www.cabinet-office.gov.uk.

JMC type	Date
Plenary	1 September 2000
Plenary	30 October 2001
Europe	1 March 2001
Europe	8 November 2001
Europe	7 March 2002
Health	7 April 2000
Health	5 June 2000
Health	16 June 2000
Health	26 October 2000
Health	22 October 2001
Poverty	9 December 1999
Poverty	26 May 2000
Knowledge economy	11 February 2000
Knowledge economy	26 May 2000

Ministerial Accommodation

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what publicly owned accommodation is made available to her in her official role; how many nights she has been in residence at each of these properties in the last 12 months; and what the total cost was of maintaining each of these properties in the last 12 months. [55097]

Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 9 May 2002]: I do not have an official residence.

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Sick Leave

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many days of sick leave were taken in her Department last year; how many related to employees suffering (a) stress and (b) other mental health problems; and what the cost was to her Department. [56474]

Mrs. Liddell: In the year to 31 March 2002, 627 days of sick leave were taken in my Department. Details of the causes of absence are not available.

ADVOCATE-GENERAL

Young People

Dr. Starkey: To ask the Advocate-General on what subjects and on which dates her Department has recently consulted organisations representing young people; and if she will list such organisations. [52507]

The Advocate-General: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland, at column 573W.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Communications Costs

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 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. [39922]

Mr. Nicholas Brown: The information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Ministerial Private Offices

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 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. [40989]

Mr. Nicholas Brown: Running cost information for The Department for Work and Pensions, created in June 2001 from the merging of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security, is not yet available.

Departmental running costs, prior to the creation of the Department for Work and Pensions, is accessible in published Department of Social Security annual Appropriation Accounts and, where appropriate, Resource Accounts.

With regard to information on the Department for Education and Employment, I refer the hon. Member to the reply my Right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills gave on 10 April 2002, Official Report, column 114W.

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Ministerial Training

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent by his Department on voice coaching for Ministers and officials in each of the last five years. [52719]

Mr. Nicholas Brown [holding answer 26 April 2002]: No departmental costs have been incurred on voice coaching for Ministers in the Department for Work and Pensions. Information on voice coaching for officials is not collected centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent by his Department on training in leadership skills for Ministers and officials in each of the last five years. [52724]

Mr. Nicholas Brown [holding answer 26 April 2002]: No departmental costs have been incurred on training Ministers in leadership skills in the Department for Work and Pensions. As might be expected in an organisation 130,000 strong, numerous civil servants have received leadership training as part of equipping them for the responsibilities of management. Information on leadership training for officials is not collected centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent by his Department on training by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts for Ministers and officials in each of the last five years. [52717]

Mr. Nicholas Brown [holding answer 26 April 2002]: No departmental costs have been incurred on training, for ministers, provided by the royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in the Department for Work and Pensions. Information on training for officials by particular providers is not collected centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Volunteers

Mr. Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what loss of benefit is applied by the Benefits Agency on service users who voluntarily assist NHS trusts as a result of being in receipt of out-of-pocket expenses; what plans he has to instruct the Benefits Agency to disregard out-of-pocket expenses received by volunteers assisting NHS trusts from calculations for means-tested benefits; what assessment he has made of the Benefit Agency's rules for eligibility for means-tested benefits on the willingness of service users voluntarily to assist NHS trusts; and if he will make a statement. [53305]

Mr. Nicholas Brown: The rules for volunteers already ensure that people do not lose benefit where they are undertaking genuine voluntary work.

There are no specific instructions to Jobcentre Plus or The Pension Service staff about volunteers who help NHS trusts. However, the treatment of volunteers in the benefit system is clearly set out in benefit legislation and in guidance to staff.

People of working age can do unlimited voluntary work without it affecting their benefit, as long as the usual entitlement conditions are met. Cases are decided on an

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individual basis according to the regulations, and people are required to report their participation in voluntary work.

Payments made to people for expenses incurred while undertaking voluntary work are disregarded in full. However, any payment made on top of that may bring into question the person's status as a volunteer. If the Decision Maker finds that the person is not a volunteer, then they are subject to the normal rules regarding work and earnings.

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