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28 Oct 2002 : Column 596W—continued

Census Website

Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many people have visited the 1901 Census website since its relaunch; and if he will make a statement. [77281]

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Ms Rosie Winterton: The 1901 Census website went back online as a test site on 27 August 2002. up to 21 October over 1.4 million people have visited the site. They have conducted 14 million searches and downloaded 600,000 images of the census pages.

Consultancies

David Davis: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will list external (a) public relations/communications companies, (b) advertising and

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marketing companies, (c) management consultancies, (d) accountancy companies, (e) banking firms, (f) individual consultants and (g) other specialist consultancies used by her Department since June 2001; what actions those consultancies/companies have performed within her Department; and what costs have been incurred through use of these consultancies/companies. [74687]

Yvette Cooper: The Department's use of external companies/consultancies, in the categories requested and between 1 June 2001 to 31 August 2002, was as follows:

Companies/consultancies used between June 2001 and August 2002Net expenditure with companies/consultancies listed and services performed
(a) Public relations/communications companiesPublic Relations/Communications Services: #0.007 million
Analogue Gyrographic Communications Ltd.Design of a website and design of an annual report
(b) Advertising and marketing companiesAdvertising and marketing services: Nil expenditure
None
(c) Management consultancies and specialist consultancies(12) Management and specialist consultancy services: #7.36 million(13)
PA Consulting Group
CMG UK Ltd.
ASE Consulting
AMTEC
Banner McBride
C. International Ltd.
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Stanton Marris Ltd.
PKF
Metropolitan Investigations
Acrobat
Butcher Doulton Communications
BDO Stoy Hayward
Arthur D. Little
Parity Penna
Inform Consulting
Insight Consulting Ltd.
Suffolk CCWS
TSO Consulting
BMI Health Services
Yale Consulting
Deloitte Consulting
Paver Downes
WS Atkins Planning and Management Consultants Ltd.
Wheelers
CESG
VP Treen
Mc Bains Cooper
R. Verney
Team Management Systems
Lombard Street
Cornwall Associates
ORC International
DBi Consulting Ltd.
Gartner
Solving AEM Ltd.
Improcom Ltd.
Ward Dutton
BMRB
Ionnan
Kelly Services
SchlumbergerSema
CMC
Hays Consultancy and SolutionsProvision of expert professional advice and support on specific, time-limited tasks, usually in connection with projects, but sometimes in support of the on-going operation of the Department. Services performed include customer and market surveys, risk assessments, provision of technical advice (eg on IT security, health and safety), undertaking specific studies and reviews and supporting the implementation of major projects and programmes. The current level of expenditure reflects the wide-ranging and fast-paced programme to modernise the courts and the tribunal system to increase efficiency, provide better customer service, and value for money for the tax payer. Delivering such a programme has necessitated the use of external expertise and skills to supplement the Department's own resources.
(d) Accountancy companiesAccountancy services #0.29 million
Kidsons
Deloitte Consulting
PKF
SD Partners Ltd.General accountancy advice and advice on pension arrangements
(e) Banking firms Banking services: Nil expenditure
None
(h) Individual consultants(14)(15)
(i) Other specialist consultancies(15)(15)

(12) Management and specialist consultancies are listed together as many consultancies provide both types of service.

(13) #0.34 million of the #7.36 million was with individual consultants.

(14) In addition to the management and specialist consultancy companies listed, 33 individual consultants were used.

(15) See (c).


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Correspondence

Ian Lucas: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Wrexham of 8 August, in respect of Mr. and Mrs. Jones. [77310]

Yvette Cooper: The letter of 8 August on behalf of Mr. and Mrs. Jones was passed to the Chief Executive of the Court Service for reply as he had already been dealing with the issues involved. He replied to the letter on 24 October.

Further to this matter I have written to my hon. Friend today.

Ian Lucas: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will instruct the chief Executive of the Court Service to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Wrexham of 8 August. [77311]

Yvette Cooper: The Chief Executive of the Court Service replied to the letter of my hon. Friend the Member for Wrexham of 8 August on 24 October.

Departmental Job Vacancies

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department 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 her Department for jobs located in (i) London and (ii) the south east between 1 April 2001 and 31 March; and what is the total employment for each civil service grade. [76552]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The following table provides the information requested.

GradeSIP LondonSIPSEVacancies LondonVacancies SE
AA720339131132
AO1,38963232761
EO1,37626827238
HEO6438817314
SEO33923883
Grade 73063640
Grade 6 and above1736290
Total4,9461,3591,084248

Election Dates

Mr. Watson: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if the Lord Chancellor

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will estimate the saving to public funds of holding the next European elections and local elections on the same day; and if she will make a statement. [76248]

Yvette Cooper: We have made some broad estimates of the likely costs of holding the European parliamentary and local elections on the same weekday in 2004. These suggest that savings may be in the region of #20 million which would represent a saving approaching 25 per cent. compared with the cost of holding these elections on separate days.

Appeals Tribunals

Mr. Drew: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will make a statement on her Department's policy on regional appeals tribunals. [77069]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Pensions Appeals Tribunals currently have four permanent regional hearing centres and access to an additional four. Hearings are listed according to the hearing centre identified as most local to an appellant. Appellants are given the opportunity to request for hearings to be held at an alternative centre.

PRIME MINISTER

Energy Policy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Prime Minister when he intends to respond to the recommendation in the PIU Energy Review that departmental responsibility for energy efficiency and CHP policy be located with other aspects of energy policy. [77434]

The Prime Minister: The PIU recommended that the Government should consider whether responsibility for energy efficiency and CHP policy be located with other aspects of energy policy by the end of 2003. The Government will consider the options in the context of its current review of energy policy, which will lead to a White Paper in the new year.

Foot and Mouth

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Prime Minister what his role is in relation to authorisation of the use of the armed forces in the event of outbreaks of foot and mouth disease. [76296]

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The Prime Minister: Decisions in relation to the deployment of the armed forces would be taken in the normal way. Lead responsibility for dealing with an outbreak of foot and mouth disease remains with DEFRA, and the procedures for involving the armed forces are clearly stated in the Interim Foot and Mouth Disease Contingency Plan.

Cabinet Office Civil Contingencies Secretariat also have a key role in securing a Government-wide co-ordinated response should a disease emergency occur. This is also outlined in the Interim FMD Contingency Plan.


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