| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
26 Jan 2004 : Column 80W—continued
Civil Servants (Disabilities)
Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made in meeting targets for the proportion of people with disabilities in senior posts in her Department. [145997]
Ms Hewitt: In 2000, benchmarks for staff with disabilities in DTI were set across all grades. Targets set internally for staff in senior civil service were:
| Benchmark for SCS posts | |
|---|---|
| 2000 (base year) | 3.8 |
| 2002 | 3.9 |
| 2004 | 4.2 |
| 2005 | 4.7 |
The Cabinet Office publishes statistical information about senior civil servants with disabilities on its website http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/statistics/documents/pdf/
26 Jan 2004 : Column 81W
disability-pct03.pdf. This shows that as of 1 April 2003, 4.0 per cent. of DTI HQ staff in the senior civil service had a disability.
I have recently launched the DTI Disability@Work strategy to further improve career opportunities for staff with disabilities. I expect this will benefit staff at all levels and help increase our representation throughout the grades over time.
Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will set out the number of employees in her Department who have a disability, broken down by disability type. [148987]
Ms Hewitt: The information requested is in the following table:
| Type of disability | Number of staff(11) |
|---|---|
| Hearing impairment | 33 |
| Visual impairment | 23 |
| Speech impairment | (12)— |
| Learning difficulty | 5 |
| Mental illness | 13 |
| Mobility impairment | 70 |
| Physical co-ordination | 32 |
| Reduced physical capacity | 78 |
| Severe disfigurement | (12)— |
| Other | 29 |
| Total staff with disabilities | 287 |
| Total DTI staff | 4,031 |
(11) Data as at 1 January 2004.
(12) Five or less individuals; the DTI code of practice precludes us from reporting the numbers to preserve confidentiality.
Clergy Employment Rights
Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 3 December 2003, Official Report, column 102W, when she will make an announcement regarding the implementation of section 23 of the Employment Relations Act 1999 in relation to employment rights for clergy. [149818]
Mr. Sutcliffe: We have been considering the current coverage of employment protections as part of the Employment Status Review, including the position of the clergy; we hope to publish a Government response shortly. The Government believe that all workers should be treated fairly, and welcomes the fact that the Church of England is giving serious consideration to the issue of employment protections for its clergy.
Credit Agencies
Jane Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if her Department will put in place regulations to oblige credit agencies to update their records on individuals; and if she will make a statement. [145399]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Individuals have the right, under existing legislation, to ask for their credit reference file
26 Jan 2004 : Column 82W
to be amended if it contains information which is incorrect or which is about people with whom they have no financial connection.
If the credit reference agency refuses to comply with an individual's request they can ask the Information Commissioner to assess whether or not this decision is correct under the Data Protection Act 1998.
The Information Commissioner can be contacted at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF or on 01625 545700.
Departmental Advertising
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much (a) her Department and (b) each agency and non-departmental public body sponsored by her Department spent on (i) advertising and (ii) information campaigns in each year since 1995–96; what her estimate is for 2003–04; and if she will make a statement. [149721]
Ms Hewitt [holding answer 21 January 2004]: For expenditure on advertising by my Department through COI from 1995–96 to 2000–01. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Mr. Cable) on 20 November 2001, Official Report, column 162W. Expenditure for 2001–02, 2002–03 and 2003–04 (to date) was £6,610,240, £13,741,906 and £2,044,497 respectively. These figures include advertising by the Small Business Service and exclude VAT.
Information on publicity expenditure from centrally held budgets is contained in the Government's Expenditure Plans and, more recently, the DTI's annual Departmental Report, which are available in the Libraries of the House. Figures relating to other information campaigns, and information on publicity and advertising by NDPBs, are not held centrally and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
Letter from Claire Clancy to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 26 January 2004:
- I am responding to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on behalf of Companies House, which is an Executive Agency of the DTI. The expenditure on publicity and advertising is as follows:
| 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | Forecast 2003–04 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publicity | 199 | 237 | 322 | 252 | 343 |
| Advertising | 391 | 401 | 586 | 526 | 491 |
Data for years 1995–96 to 1998–99 are not readily available and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Letter from Desmond Flynn to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 26 January 2004:
- The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply to you on behalf of The Insolvency Service in respect of your question (2003/980) asked how much (a) her Department and (b) each agency and non-departmental public body sponsored by her Department spent on (i) advertising and (ii) information campaigns in each year since 1995–96; what her estimate is for 2003–04.
26 Jan 2004 : Column 83W
- Information on expenditure by The Insolvency Service Executive Agency through the Central Office of Information is only available from 1999 onwards. This publicity is the release of information on successful orders to disqualify directors under the Disqualification of Directors Act 1986. The expenditure was:
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 115,000 |
| 2000–2001 | 112,000 |
| 2001–2002 | 119,000 |
| 2002–2003 | 81,000 |
| Estimated to end 2003–04 | 80,105 |
No other publicity or information campaigns have been carried out by The Insolvency Service in the period 1995 to date.
Letter from Roger Heathcote to Mr. Malcolm Bruce dated, 26 January 2004:
- You tabled a question on 19 January 2004 to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, asking how much (a) her Department and (b) each agency and non departmental public body sponsored by her Department spent on (i) advertising and (ii) information campaigns in each year since 1995–96; what her estimate is for 2003–04; and if she will make a statement. I have been asked to reply in respect of the Employment Tribunals Service (ETS) which is an executive agency of the DTI.
- The Employment Tribunals Service has not had and will have no expenditure on advertising or information campaigns for the years in question.
Letter from Caren Fullerton in Ron Marchants' absence to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 26 January 2004:
- I am replying to this parliamentary question, tabled on 19 January 2004, regarding the amount spent on advertising and information campaigns.
- The Patent Office, an executive Agency of the DTI, has undertaken a number of activities aimed at highlighting the important contribution to innovation in the knowledge economy made by Intellectual Property to business, education and the wider community throughout the UK. The priority has been to develop partnerships with key organisations to deliver this message through the network of business advisors and information providers available in the UK to create an "IP literate society".
- To achieve this aim we have used strategic advertising to target specific audiences. New guidance literature on patents has been developed which underline the office's commitment.
| £000 | |
|---|---|
| 1995–96 | 1,963 |
| 1996–97 | 1,719 |
| 1997–98 | 8,908 |
| 1998–99 | 12,364 |
| 1999–2000 | 2,951 |
| 2000–01 | 7,391 |
| 2001–02 | 4,822 |
| 2002–03 | 3,596 |
| 2003–04 | 1,500 |
The amount spent on information campaigns is only available from 2000–01. To obtain figures for early years would involve disproportionate costs. These figures are:
| £000 | |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 30,037 |
| 2001–02 | 82,814 |
| 2002–03 | 104,651 |
| 2003–04 | 160,000 |
In addition to the above the Patent Office maintains two internet websites (www.patent.gov.uk and www.intellectual-property.gov.uk which are used to advertise our services and events.
26 Jan 2004 : Column 84W
Letter from Dr. J. W. Llewellyn to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 26 January 2004:
- The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply on behalf of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) to your question about the Agency's spend on advertising and information campaigns for each year since 1995–96.
- The Agency has a small publicity budget but the financial figures do not differentiate between advertising and information campaigns. Figures are not easily retrievable prior to 1999–2000. Expenditure on publicity for each year since 1999–2000 is as follows:
| Expenditure (£000) | |
|---|---|
| 1995–96 | Not available |
| 1996–97 | Not available |
| 1997–98 | Not available |
| 1998–99 | Not available |
| 1999–2000 | 37 |
| 2000–01 | 59 |
| 2001–02 | 88 |
| 2002–03 | 60 |
| 2003–04 (Estimate) | 80 |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |