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1 May 2003 : Column 482W—continued

Departmental Website

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the total cost of her Department's website was in the last 12 months; and how many hits it received in the same period. [104193]

Mrs. Liddell: The cost of maintaining my Department's website in 2002–03 is estimated at £300. The number of page impressions recorded to February 2003 was 454,482.

Entertainment

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the estimate is of the total spending of her Department in all forms of entertainment in each year from 1994–95 to 2002–03; and if she will make a statement. [92407]

Mrs. Liddell: The Scotland Office was established in its present form on 1 July 1999. Since that date the Department has spent the following on hospitality and entertainment:

£

1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03(4)
10,638	41,275	25,789	38,789

⁽⁴⁾ Estimated

All expenditure on official entertainment is made in accordance with published guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in Government Accounting.

External Reports

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will list (a) the title and subject, (b) the total cost to her Department and (c) the commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by her Department in each year since 1997. [103723]

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

In October 2000, my Department published a report by Colin Buchanan and Partners on "Comparison of Motor Taxation Costs Across Europe". The cost of the report was £5,465.

Ministerial Transport

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what her estimate is of the cost of (a) ministerial cars and drivers and (b) taxis for her Department in 2002. [101851]

1 May 2003 : Column 483W

Mrs. Liddell: The cost of ministerial cars and drivers will be addressed in a letter from Mr Nick Matheson, the Chief Executive of the Government Car and Despatch Agency, to the hon. Member.

The cost of taxis for my Department in 2002–03 was £12,595.

Overseas Visits

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many overseas visits have been made by Scottish Office Ministers in the last 12 months; to where and at what cost; and if she will make a statement. [90445]

Mrs. Liddell: Since 1999, this Government has published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. The Government has also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House.

Information for 2002–03 will be published as soon as possible. All travel is undertaken fully in accordance with the rules set out the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are also available in the Libraries of the House.

Part-time Workers

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment she has made of the impact of the Part-time Workers Directive on staff in her Department. [109270]

Mrs. Liddell: The Scotland Office supports the removal of discrimination against part-time workers and is committed to ensuring that all of its staff achieve a satisfactory work-life balance. Part-time working is only one of several ways in which Scotland Office staff can enjoy additional flexibility in their working patterns.

PFI Schemes

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will make a statement on the expected saving to future funds from the private finance initiative schemes due to become operational in 2003. [105768]

Mrs. Liddell: My Department has no private finance initiative schemes planned for 2003.

Publicity and Advertising

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much (a) her Department and (b) each agency and non-departmental public body sponsored by her Department spent on (i) publicity and (ii) advertising in each year from 1995–96 to 2002–03 (estimated); and if she will make a statement. [92241]

Mrs. Liddell: The Scotland Office was established in its present form on 1 July 1999. Since that date the Department has spent the following on publicity and advertising:

1 May 2003 : Column 484W

£

1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03(5)
26,861	270,494	186,564	10,390

⁽⁵⁾ Estimated

Most of the expenditure related to electoral registration matters.

Working Hours

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what policy on (a) core hours and (b) flexible working hours is operated by her Department and each agency and non-departmental public body for which her Department is responsible. [107610]

Mrs. Liddell: The opportunity to work flexible working hours is available to the majority of staff in the Scotland Office. Core hours are currently 10.00 am to 11.30 am and 2.30 pm to 4.00 pm. The flexible working hours policy is currently under review. The Boundary Commission is the Office's only non-Departmental public body and makes its own arrangements with regard to working hours.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Able Pupils

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the steps he is taking to meet the learning needs of the most able pupils. [110322]

Mr. Miliband: The Government's policy on gifted and talented education is summarised in the 2001 White Paper, "Schools Achieving Success"(Cm 5320, pages 20–22). We aim to provide support through all our key teaching and learning strategies, and through a discrete programme that operates at three levels: intensive school-based activity in areas of disadvantage, provided through Excellence in Cities and related programmes; regional support across Greater London through GATE A, the gifted and talented education arm of the London Challenge; and nationally available resources, including the Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth and a national summer schools programme. We are exploring what further support we can offer to local authorities that do not benefit from Excellence in Cities or the London Challenge.

Advanced Education Award

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on progress with the Advanced Education Award. [110925]

Mr. Miliband: Advanced Extension Awards (AEAs) were examined in summer 2002 for the first time. The uptake was higher than expected; the 6,841 entries for AEAs in 2002 was an increase of some 70 per cent. over the entries for the predecessor Special Papers in 2001. The range of subjects in which AEAs are available will be extended from 2005.

1 May 2003 : Column 485W

Boarding Schools

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the reason for the recent increase in the charges for the welfare inspection of boarding schools; whether notice of the increase was given to the organisations which represent schools with boarders; and what representations have been received relating to the new inspection service from boarding schools. [110355]

Jacqui Smith: I have been asked to reply.

It has always been the Government's policy that the recurrent regulatory costs of the National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) should be borne by providers and purchasers of care. The Government consulted on the framework for fees during the summer of 2001. The consultation document, which was sent to all schools associations, set out how the NCSC was to regulate health and social care, the cost of this, its funding and fees. The costs of registration and inspection and the policy of full cost recovery (and the consequences for later years) were fully set out, as was the need for yearly fee increases.

Since the NCSC came into operation, representations from boarding schools have related to the publication of inspection reports and the clarification of the status of a school for inspection purposes. There have been no comments on the NCSC inspection service.

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 12 March 2003, Official Report, column 297W, on private/public boarding schools, what discussions he has had with (a) the Department of Health, (b) local authorities and (c) the Independent Schools Council regarding placing looked after children in boarding schools. [110941]

Mr. Miliband: My right hon. Friend recently met the Independent Schools Council to discuss a range of issues, including the placement of looked after children in boarding schools. This issue has not arisen to date during his regular discussions with either my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health or local authority representatives.

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