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Market Research

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list each item of market and opinion research commissioned since May 1997 by (a) his Department and (b) agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible; what the purpose of each item was; and whether the results were published. [137005]

Yvette Cooper: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. The Department has not incurred any expenditure on market and opinion research.

ProjectAim
Fire SafetyTo measure advertising effectiveness
Stakeholder researchStakeholder attitudes to ODPM
NRU and SEUStakeholder communications
Connection with CommunitiesPublic impressions of communications
Elected Regional AssembliesPublic awareness

To date results have not been published.

Further detailed information on other research projects commissioned by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Dr. Cable: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much his Department spent on (a) opinion polling and (b) market research in the last financial year; and if he will make a statement. [139978]

Yvette Cooper: I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

Ministerial Visits

David Davis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the (a) foreign visits, and (b) visits to within the United Kingdom he has made since 1 April; what the cost was to public funds of each trip; who he met; and what gifts were received. [126913]

Yvette Cooper: The Government publishes the overall costs of all ministerial overseas travel and a list of all visits overseas by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500 on an annual basis. The list for the period 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003 was published by the Prime

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Minister on 16 July 2003, Official Report, column 482W. The next list for the period 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004 will be published at the end of the financial year.

In respect of gifts received, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 14 March 2003, Official Report, column 482W.

Between 1 April 2003 and 30 August 2003, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister travelled on official business within the United Kingdom visiting Ashford (Kent), Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Castle Bromwich, Chester, Coventry, Doncaster, Edinburgh, Harlow Town, Harrogate, Hastings, Hull, the Lake District, Lancaster, Leicester, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Market Warsop, Moreton-in-Marsh, Newcastle, Peterborough, Sandwell, Southampton, Wakefield and Watford at an average cost of £224 per trip. The information requested on individuals who he met is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Multiple Occupation Housing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which counties in England (a) have and (b) have not implemented a houses in multiple occupation registration scheme. [140356]

Keith Hill: On the basis of the Housing Investment Programme 2003 returns, a total of 202 local authorities in England have adopted houses in multiple occupation registration schemes. These local authorities are listed below:


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NM Rothschild and Sons Ltd

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on services provided to his Department by NM Rothschilds since 1997. [139966]

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was established in May 2002 and there have been no contracts with NM Rothschild.

Office Costs

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the estimated cost of running his Departmental office was for each year since it was established, broken down by (a) telephone bills, (b) total staff costs, (c) press and communications, (d) entertainment, (e) alcoholic drinks, (f) non-alcoholic drinks, (g) stationery, (h) office refurbishment and (i) other; and what the estimate for the current year is. [121807]

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 1 July 2003, Official Report, 260W.

The estimate cost of running the Deputy Prime Minister's Departmental Private Office for the current year is £408,000.

All expenditure incurred for running the Deputy Prime Minister's Departmental office is made in accordance with the departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in "Government Accounting".

Performance Monitoring

Mr. Flight: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the performance targets that (a) his Department and (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies are required to meet; and if he will specify for each target (i) who sets it and (ii) who monitors achievement against it. [137965]

Yvette Cooper: Key performance targets for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are agreed as part of the Spending Review and the latest set were published in Spending Review 2002: Public Service Agreements 2003–06 (Cm 5571). The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister monitors progress towards the target along with HM Treasury and PMDU and progress is reported regularly.

Ministers set the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's executive agencies' key targets for 2003–04. These either were or will be announced to Parliament through written ministerial statements—details are as set out as follows. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister regularly monitors performance against each agency's targets. All of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's agencies publish an Annual Report and Accounts at the end of the financial year, which report on their performance against their targets.

I refer the hon. Member to the statements on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's agencies' targets as given on:


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The Fire Service College's targets are expected to be announced shortly. In addition, while Ordnance Survey is a department in its own right, with executive agency status, it reports to the Ministers of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The statement on its targets for 2003–04 was given on 11 April 2003, Official Report, column 35WS.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister sponsors nine executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs); the Audit Commission, English Partnerships, four Housing Action Trusts (Castle Vale, Liverpool, Stonebridge and Tower Hamlets), the Housing Corporation, the Standards Board for England and Thurrock Urban Development Corporation.

Performance targets for executive NDPBs sponsored by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, including outputs to be achieved, are agreed by Ministers and set out in the published business or corporate plan of the NDPB. Copies of plans are available from the relevant body. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister monitors performance against these targets and progress is discussed with Ministers. The outputs and achievements of each executive NDPB are set out in its annual report, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister sponsors seven advisory NDPBs; the Advisory Panel on Beacon Councils, the Advisory Panel on Standards for the Planning Inspectorate, the Building Regulations Advisory Committee, the Community Forum, the Property Advisory Group, the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for England and Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Wales.

No performance targets are set for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's advisory NDPBs. Each advisory body normally sets its own programme of work for each year within its remit to advise Ministers on the particular policy area and agrees this with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. No formal monitoring of performance takes place for these advisory bodies but outputs are set out in each body's annual report.

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