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3 Jun 2003 : Column 24W—continued
World Summit on Sustainable Development
Mr. Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which United Kingdom commitments arising from the World Summit on Sustainable Development (a) have been incorporated into the Department's existing delivery plan for Service Delivery Agreements and (b) will be incorporated in its delivery plan for Service Delivery Agreements in advance of the 2004 Spending Review. [113880]
Mr. Meacher: Defra has lead responsibility for six of the main commitments arising from the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD): oceans issues, fisheries, agriculture, international biodiversity, chemicals and sustainable consumption and production patterns (SCP). My officials are currently ensuring that the commitments on agriculture are integrated into the existing delivery plan for our PSA5 target. The remaining commitments are not yet reflected in the delivery planning system. The outcomes of the 2004 spending review cannot be pre-empted but, in consultation with HM Treasury, I intend to take the opportunity to incorporate these commitments into the system through amending and adding targets and delivery plans where relevant. To this end, my officials are currently working on draft proposals which will be considered in the spending review.
TREASURY
Cambridge MIT Institute Project
Mr. Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the findings of the Comptroller and Auditor General at the National Audit Office on the Treasury's role in instigating the Cambridge MIT Institute project, established between the Cambridge University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. [115454]
Dawn Primarolo: There have been no published findings by the National Audit Office on the Cambridge MIT Institute project.
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Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what formal appraisal was carried out by the Treasury of the Cambridge MIT Institute (CMI) project before it started operation. [115445]
Mr. Boateng: MIT and Cambridge produced a detailed project proposal for the Cambridge MIT Institute (CMI) in June 2000. On the basis of this and a framework agreement, which set out the terms under which CMI would be governed and funded, public funding was allocated to the project, which then began operation. Given the unique nature of the project, and the lack of accurate metrics in its area cf operation knowledge transfer, formal appraisal was not practicable.
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which minister was responsible for the Cambridge MIT Institute (CMI) project between 1998 and 2000. [115446]
Mr. Boateng: As part of his programme of reforms designed to raise productivity growth across the UK economy, the Chancellor of the Exchequer was involved at the inception of the Cambridge MIT Institute (CMI), between 1998 and 2000, to discuss how the project could be set up to forge joint educational and research initiatives in order to improve entrepreneurship, productivity and competitiveness in the UK. The Government's commitment to funding the CMI project for five years was given in November 1999 by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The funding was allocated to the project by the then Chief Secretary to the Treasury during the 2000 Spending Review, which made available resources for the Office of Science and Technology at the Department of Trade and Industry to fund CMI. DTI Ministers are responsible for the management of this budget and the funding of the project.
Customs and Excise
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions his Department has had with the Home Office on Customs and Excise's business plans to cut frontline anti-smuggling staff across the UK; and if he will make a statement. [114978]
John Healey: There will be no cut in overall frontline law enforcement staff across the UK. As a result of the new money announced in the Chancellor's budget statement, Customs anti-smuggling and border security resources will increase overall over the next three years.
E-government
Brian Cotter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list by project the consultancies (a) his
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Department, (b) its non-departmental public bodies, (c) HM Customs and Excise and (d) Inland Revenue have used on e-government projects since 1 January 2001. [115230]
Dawn Primarolo: The consultancies used by the Chancellor's Departments on e-government projects since 1 January 2001 are as follows:
Treasury website project-consultancy from Bates/CCGXM.
(b) No consultancies have been used by its non-Departmental public bodies.
HMCE's eBusiness Programme consists of seven sub-programmes. Consultancies have been utilised within each as follows:
| Project | Consultancy |
|---|---|
| Single View of the Customer | Borland UK Ltd |
| (SvoC) | Cornwell Affiliates |
| DBI Consulting | |
| Detica Ltd. | |
| Methods Application Ltd. | |
| Nesco Group | |
| Parity Solutions Ltd. | |
| Xansa Recruitment Ltd. | |
| e-Human Resources (eHR) | DBI Consulting |
| Electronic Data Systems Ltd. | |
| Methods Application Ltd. | |
| Nesco Group | |
| Oracle Corporation UK Ltd. | |
| Web Channels (Internet) | Methods Application Ltd. |
| Xansa Recruitment Ltd. | |
| e-Services Support (eSS) | Methods Application Ltd. |
| Nesco Group | |
| Case Management (CM) | Detica Ltd. |
| Methods Application Ltd. | |
| Open Text | |
| Parity Solutions Ltd. | |
| Accounts and Payments (A&P) | DBI Consulting |
| Methods Application Ltd. | |
| Nesco Group | |
| Oracle Corporation UK Ltd. | |
| Technology Transformation | Borland UK Ltd. |
| Programme (TTP) | Cornwell Affiliates |
| DBI Consulting | |
| Methods Application Ltd. | |
| Nesco Group | |
| Parity Solutions Ltd. | |
| Xansa Recruitment Ltd. | |
| Across all programmes | Accenture |
The Revenue has engaged consultancies on the following e-business projects.
3 Jun 2003 : Column 27W
Entertainment
Mr. Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 6 May 2003, ref.106256, on entertainment, on what dates he entertained Labour hon. Members at public expense in the last 12 months; and at what cost in each case. [112317]
Mr. Boateng: Paragraph 65 of the Ministerial Code states that:
- "Government property should not generally be used for constituency work or party activities. A particular exception is recognised in the case of Nos 10 and 11 Downing Street, Carlton House Terrace and other official residences where senior Ministers are required to live for the purposes of the job. Where Ministers host Party events in these residences or other Government property, it should be at their own or party expense with no cost falling to the public purse."
EU Savings Directive
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the progress of recent negotiations over the EU Savings Directive. [114301]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by the Chancellor on 20 May 2003 columns 666–67 and to my answer on 26 March 2003 columns 252–53W.
Fiscal Rules
Mr. Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the fiscal rules in connection with the next economic cycle. [115300]
Mr. Boateng: Consistent with the Code for Fiscal Stability, the public finances projections set out in Budget 2003 (HC 500) show that the Government are firmly on track to meet their strict fiscal rules: the average current budget since 1999–2000 is in surplus throughout the projection period, consistent with meeting the golden rule; and public sector net debt remains comfortably below 40 per cent. of GDP, consistent with meeting the sustainable investment rule.
Forecasting
Mr. Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will commission a technical review of the Treasury's forecasting procedures. [115301]
Mr. Boateng: There are no plans to commission such a review at the present time.
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Mr. Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Pre Budget Report public finances projections for 2004–05 in respect of his Budget 2003 are based on the bottom of the forecast range for growth in each year of the projection period. [115468]
Mr. Boateng: The public finance projections have been consistently based on the bottom end of the forecast range for GDP growth in each year of the projection period: there has been no departure from this practice for either the 2002 Pre-Budget Report or Budget 2003.
Mr. Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish the technical studies upon which his growth forecasts are based. [115302]
Mr. Boateng: The Government published a paper "Trend Growth: Recent Developments and Prospects", alongside the April 2002 Budget. This set out the Treasury's latest assessment of the neutral rate of trend growth which is used to anchor the Government's economic forecasts.
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