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25 Oct 2004 : Column 1053W—continued
Engagements
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list his public engagements carried out in the week from 18 October. [193672]
Mr. Milburn: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I provided to the hon. and learned Member for Harborough (Mr. Garnier) on 20 October 2004, Official Report, column 720W.
Ministers' Private Offices
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the running costs of Ministers' private offices in her Department have been in each year since 1997. [191377]
Ruth Kelly: For information on the running costs of Ministers' private offices, the Cabinet Office parliamentary branch and the ministerial correspondence and support team given proposed by the then Minister for the Cabinet Office on 17 July 2003, Official Report, columns 500–01W. The cost for 2003–04 is £1.015 million.
Parliamentary Questions
Dr. Julian Lewis:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when she will reply to Questions (a) references (i) 189701, (ii) 189717 and (iii) 189718 tabled by the hon. Member for New Forest, East on 15 September,
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(b) references (A) 189988 and (B) 189991 tabled by the hon. Member for New Forest, East on 16 September and (c) reference 191819 tabled on 12 October by the hon. Member for New Forest, East for Named Day Answer on 18 October. [193427]
Ruth Kelly: I refer the hon. Member to the responses I gave on 20 October 2004, Official Report, columns 720–21W, on 21 October 2004, Official Report, columns 894–95W and today.
I will answer the remaining outstanding PQ in due course.
Special Advisers
Dr. Lewis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will list (a) the numbers, (b) the names and (c) the salaries and ancillary costs of all special advisers employed by her Department in each year since 1997. [189718]
Ruth Kelly: Since 2002 the Government have published an annual report on the numbers and costs of Special Advisers.
For information for the years 2002–04, I refer the hon. Member to answers provided by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 22 July 2004, Official Report, columns 466–70W and 16 July 2003, Official Report, columns 328–29W.
Since 1997, the Government have regularly published information about the numbers and cost of special advisers and this information is available in the Library.
TREASURY
Employment Statistics
Tom Cox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many new jobs have been created within the Greater London area during the last 12 months. [192678]
Mr. Timms:
Statistics of new jobs created in Greater London are not available.
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Consultancy Projects
Mr. Maples: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the contracts awarded by his Department to consultants in each of the last five years, stating in each case (a) the name of the consulting company, (b) the value of the contract and (c) the purpose for which the contract was awarded; and if he will make a statement. [191729]
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many consultancy firms or companies have been retained by the Department since June 2001; what the projects are for which each has been retained; and what the total is of the fees paid or incurred in each case. [193428]
Mr. Timms: Available information for the Chancellor's Departments is given as follows:
Inland Revenue obtains consultancy services through its own centrally negotiated framework agreements with suppliers and other pan-Government contracts (e.g. the Office of Government Commerce's S-Cat agreement).
Detailed breakdown of every consultancy firm used under these central frameworks in the last five years could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Overall Departmental spend (excluding VAT) on external consultants and advisers in the last two financial years is as follows:
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 2003–04 | 55 |
| 2002–03 | 35 |
Information relating to spend from 1999–2000 to 2001–02 is not available. The central frameworks cover a range of consultancy and advisory services, including:
IT and Telephony
Human Resources
Management Consultancy
Market Research
Social and Economic Research
Strategic, High Level Management Projects
Learning Services
Benchmarking
The total spend on consultants for the core Treasury (i.e. excluding DMO and OGC) in the last two years was as follows:
| £ million | ||
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | Capital | |
| 2002–03 | 3.03 | 0.78 |
| 2003–04 | 6.16 | 1.4 |
It would be possible to list individual contracts, or provide information for years prior to 2002–03, only at disproportionate cost.
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Her Majesty's Customs and Excise
HM Customs and Excise spent the following amounts on consultants in each of the last five years:
| £ | Number of suppliers | |
|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 52,736,408 | 170 |
| 2000–01 | 68,373,468 | 283 |
| 2001–02 | 58,505,131 | 261 |
| 2002–03 | 28,701,440 | 209 |
| 2003–04 | 39,224,901 | 203 |
A further breakdown by value of individual contract is not available.
Office for National Statistics
A detailed breakdown is being placed in the Library of the House.
Customs and Excise (Tax Collection)
Simon Hughes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) cost of collecting and (b) cost yield ratio was for all taxes collected by HM Customs and Excise in each year since 1997. [192774]
Dawn Primarolo: Data on the cost of collection, and so on the cost/yield ratio, "for each tax/duty" collected by HM Customs and Excise is not available for this period. Yield data for each tax/duty is published in the Department's Annual Report and Accounts. That Report also includes details of aggregate resource usage against each of the Department's high-level objectives. The Department's next Annual Report and Accounts, for 2003–04, will be published later this year.
Employment (Tynemouth)
Mr. Alan Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the economically active population in Tynemouth constituency (a) in May 1997 and (b) at the latest date for which figures are available. [193329]
Mr. Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Alan Campbell, dated 25 October 2004:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about economic activity. (193329)
The statistics available for the Tynemouth Parliamentary Constituency relate to the twelve month periods ending February 1998 and February 2003. In these periods the numbers of people economically active aged 16 and over were 42,000 and 43,000 respectively.
These estimates from the Labour Force Survey are, as with any sample survey, subject to sampling variability.
Employment (Worcester)
Mr. Michael Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the economically active population in Worcester (a) in May 1997 and (b) now. [193097]
Mr. Timms:
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
25 Oct 2004 : Column 1057W
Letter from Mr. Len Cook to Mr. Michael Foster, dated 25 October 2004:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about economic activity. (193097)
The statistics available for the Worcester Parliamentary Constituency relate to the twelve month periods ending February 1998 and February 2003. In these periods the numbers of people economically active aged 16 and over were 49,000 and 53,000 respectively.
These estimates from the Labour Force Survey are, as with any sample survey, subject to sampling variability.
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