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14 Apr 2003 : Column 498W—continued
Departmental Expenditure
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much his Department spent on (a) publicity, (b) promotions, and (c) hospitality in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [103230]
Mr. Leslie: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) was created following the Machinery of Government changes on 29 May 2002. The table shows the Office's expected spend on publicity, including fire safety advertising; promotions, including housing, planning and neighbourhood renewal initiatives; and hospitality; from 1 June 2002 to 31 March 2003.
| £000 | |
|---|---|
| Publicity | 5,830 |
| Promotions | 5,150 |
| Hospitality | 14 |
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much was spent by his Department, its predecessors and its agencies on external consultants, in each year since 1997; what annual cost savings this expenditure resulted in; and if he will make a statement. [103231]
Mr. Leslie: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Invoices
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the occasions on which (a) his Department, (b) agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department failed to pay valid invoices within 30 days or after the agreed credit period in the financial year 2001–02. [104325]
Mr. Leslie: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created in May 2002. The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Pay
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress has been made with the pay review in his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible, with particular reference to the gender pay gap; and if he will make a statement. [106755]
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Mr. Leslie: Following the Government's response to the Equal Opportunity Commission Task Force 'Just Pay' report, all departments and agencies are committed to reviewing their pay systems by April 2003 and to prepare action plans to close any equal pay gaps. The Cabinet Office has issued guidance to assist in these reviews. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and its agencies are on course to complete the reviews by the end of April. non-departmental public bodies were not formally covered by the commitment, but they are undertaking reviews as a matter of good practice.
E-Voting
Mr. Watson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what safeguards are being put in place to ensure that e-voting does not make it easier for dishonest individuals to abuse the system. [108953]
Mr. Leslie: There is a range of measures in place to guard against abuse in the e-voting pilots. This includes the use of voter specific PIN numbers and passwords, real time electronic registers to cast and record votes and systems to prevent an electronic vote being cast where voter identification has been used previously. Should a voter find that a vote has already been cast in his name, he will be entitled to ask for a tendered ballot in the normal way. All pilot authorities are under a legal obligation to report instances of fraud to the Police and the Electoral Commission, the appropriate authorities to investigate alleged electoral abuse. The Commission will conduct a thorough post-election evaluation exercise looking at all aspects of the programme, including fraud and security, to consider what lessons need to be learnt for the future.
Mr. Watson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what is being done to maintain public confidence in the security and privacy of the electoral system in the introduction of further e-voting pilots in May. [108982]
Mr. Leslie: All e-voting pilots will be subject to pre-election independent security checks and post-election surveys and evaluation, the results of which will be made available to participating authorities and the public. E-voting authorities are required to work closely with all stakeholders including the public to demonstrate how their arrangements do not enhance the opportunity for fraud or undermine the secrecy and security of the poll. This includes use of public testing demonstrations and voter awareness programmes to gauge opinion and instil public confidence.
Employment Relations Act
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many staff in his Department have taken time off from work in order to attend to domestic incidents as provided for by the Employment Relations Act 1999. [108343]
Mr. Leslie: Responsibility for authorising and monitoring time off is devolved to individual management units within the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, and this information could be collected only at disproportionate cost. Staff in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Headquarters, the Agencies, and the Government Offices are provided with the ability to apply for special leave to deal with a range of domestic
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incidents subject to the approval of line management. This special leave provision is generally more generous than that required under the Employment Relations Act 1999.
Energy White Paper
Llew Smith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how his Department was consulted in the preparation of the Energy White Paper, Cm.5761. [109020]
Mr. McNulty: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was consulted in the preparation of the Energy White Paper primarily through a Ministerial Cabinet Sub-Committee on Energy Policy attended by ODPM Ministers and chaired by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister. Officials were also closely involved through a variety of inter-Departmental arrangements specifically set up for the Energy White Paper.
Entertainment Costs
Mr. Gray: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he has entertained Labour hon. Members at public expense in the last 12 months; and at what cost. [106392]
Mr. Leslie: All meetings between my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister and hon. Members which have included refreshment have been working meetings on departmental and Government business.
Government Grant
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the government grant per head for 2003–04 is for each London borough. [108661]
Mr. Raynsford: The following table gives formula grant, ie Revenue Support Grant, Redistributed Business Rates and Police Grant (for the City of London), per head for each London borough.
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It is not possible to calculate the total amount of grant that each London borough will receive for the period 2003–04 as some grant allocations have not yet been announced.
Sustainable Communities
Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment of the liveability of the plans for the growth areas in the Sustainable Communities-Communities plan (a) has been carried out and (b) is planned to be carried out; and if he will make a statement. [107989]
Mr. McNulty: The individual growth area studies looked at the long term sustainable growth options within each area. Further assessment of the sustainability of the growth areas will be carried out as a part of the review of Regional Planning Guidance for each area. As indicated in Sustainable Communities: Building for the future, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is committed to bringing together the best of design and planning to ensure that the built environment in new and expanded communities is of a high quality, and the surrounding countryside is protected and enhanced.
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