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Recruitment
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many net additional staff his Department has recruited in each month since June 2001 at (a) executive officer level and (b) administrative level. [52432]
Mr. Leslie: The net additional staff recruited in the Cabinet Office including Government Car and Despatch Agency and Central Office of Information since June 2001 at (a) executive officer level and (b) administrative level:
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Civil Servants
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many job vacancies there were at (a) administrative assistant or equivalent, (b) administrative officer or equivalent, (c) administrative executive officer, (d) higher executive officer, (e) senior executive officer, (f) grade 7 principal and (g) all positions above grade 7 level in each Government Department for jobs located in (i) London and (ii) the south-east in each year since 1995. [52093]
Mr. Leslie: This information is not held centrally for all Government Departments; the following is for the Cabinet Office only.
Recruitment records have been held electronically and centrally since 1 April 2001; therefore the figures provided are for the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 only. Figures prior to 1 April 2001 and divided between London and the south-east could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Figures on Government Office's senior civil service posts advertised could not be provided as Government offices do not collect this information centrally.
| Grade/payband | Number of posts advertised |
|---|---|
| Senior civil service | 38 |
| Band A (grade 6 and 7) | 159 |
| Band B2 (grade HEO and SEO) | 232 |
| Band B1 (grade EO) | 195 |
| Band C2 (grade AO) | 214 |
| Band C1 (grade AA) | 58 |
Electronic Services
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what is being done to increase the usage of Government Departments and agencies websites and the take-up of their electronic services. [55989]
Mr. Leslie: A survey published by the Office for National Statistics in April 2002 shows that 19 per cent. of UK internet users have used or accessed government/official services online.
The UK online national media campaign is playing a key role in persuading more individuals to get online and enjoy the benefits of e-commerce and e-government services. In addition, the range and scope of take-up targets for e-services are being considered as part of the Spending Review.
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Dr. Kumar: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress has been made by each Government Department and agency towards the Prime Minister's target for electronically available services by 2005. [55984]
Mr. Leslie: The last survey of Department's progress in meeting the target showed that just over half of services (274) are available electronically. The following breakdown by Departments and agencies was included in the National Audit Office report, "Better Public Services through e-government", published on 4 April 2002:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| British Trade International | 1 |
| Department for Culture, Media and Sport | 4 |
| Department for Education and Skills | 36 |
| Department for International Development | 2 |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 54 |
| Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions | 45 |
| Department for Work and Pensions | 5 |
| Department of Health | 14 |
| Department of Trade and Industry | 32 |
| Export Credits Guarantee Department | 2 |
| Foreign and Commonwealth Office | 8 |
| HM Treasury | 6 |
| Home Office | 29 |
| Land Registry | 1 |
| Lord Chancellor's Department | 4 |
| Ministry of Defence | 14 |
| Office for National Statistics | 3 |
| Ordnance Survey | 7 |
| Public Record Office | 7 |
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps are being taken to encourage Government sector agencies to put in place management information to monitor usage of their websites and electronic services, and to play back this information to the content providers and divisions responsible for originating web materials and internet services. [56001]
Mr. Leslie: Since December 1999 Government webmasters have been tasked with collecting particular statistics on usage. This advice has been updated and revised in the "Guidelines for UK Government Websites: Framework for Senior Managers" published in November 2001.
A much larger handbook for web management teams, that was widely consulted on within Government for a year and is scheduled for final publication in mid-May, recommends customer relationship management techniques and other means for ensuring evaluation of websites. The forthcoming "Quality Framework for UK Government Web Design" gives guidance in building in user testing in order to continually improve website content.
A newly-developed central infrastructure being delivered by the Office of the e-Envoy will provide central server hosting and applications. A new statistical analysis solution will be part of the offering for Departments that use this service.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister of the central Government Departments and agencies required to meet the Prime Minister's target for electronically available services by 2005, how many hits the (a) most and (b) least used have received in the last year; and what steps are being taken to analyse user behaviour. [56000]
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Mr. Leslie: The latest Office for National Statistics data shows that 3.84 million citizens use the internet to use or access Government services.
Since 1999 all Government websites have been given guidance on the key statistics they should collect. The "Guidelines for UK Government Websites" specify that at a minimum:
- the number of users (visitors)
number of visits (unique visits)
and number of page impressions (page views)
should be collected. Further performance and access statistics are recommended in addition to these minimum statistics.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the role played by the development of electronic public services in making the UK a congenial location for e-business and e-commerce to develop. [55874]
Mr. Leslie: The Government recognise the key role played by electronic service delivery on the development of the UK's e-commerce environment. The scale of Government interaction with business and the public, through its own supply and distribution chains, places it in a position to be a strong driver of e-commerce.
A broad assessment was published in "e-commerce@its.best.uk" in 1999. Subsequently our strategy for leveraging e-Government as a key driver for growth of the wider e-economy has been set out in the UK online annual reports published by the e-Minister and the e-Envoy in 2000 and 2001.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what information he publishes about the development of central Government services on the web. [55988]
Mr. Leslie: The second UK online annual report was published by the e-Minister and e-Envoy in December 2001. The report sets out the progress that has been made in meeting the Government's objectives for being at the forefront of the knowledge economy.
Among its five overarching themes is 'getting Government online'. The report also provides an updated UK online strategy, setting out the commitments made by the Government to further the e-Agenda.
Each month, the e-Minister and e-Envoy provide a joint report to the Prime Minister. These reports set out the progress on the UK online strategy.
There are also a number of development frameworks and guidance documents published. Among the key documents are:
- e-Government Interoperability Framework Version 4
e-Government Metadata Standard
Guidelines for UK Government Websites: Framework for Senior Managers
Framework for e-Service Delivery.
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