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Departmental Publications (Access)

Mr. Goodman: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many and
 
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what proportion of publications issued by his Department are available in (a) Braille, (b) autoprint, (c) large print and (d) easy read format. [194297]

Mr. Lammy: It is my Department policy to make printed publications available in alternative formats on request.

In cases where a significant demand for such formats is anticipated, alternative formats are produced at the same time as the main publication. For example, the application form for lay magistrates is available in both large print and Braille. Easy to read versions have been produced of two of my Department's booklets: "Making Decisions: Helping people who have difficulty deciding for themselves" and the "Guide to the Human Rights Act".

My Department is obliged by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to make online publications accessible and to provide alternative user-friendly formats on request. It adheres to guidelines outlined by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). Online publications are therefore accessible via screen readers and Braille displays, thus allowing users to adjust font sizes and change fore and background colour schemes.

10 per cent. of my Department's online content is available in Portable Document Format (PDF). Alternative user-friendly file formats are available on request.

Large print versions of Court Service leaflets are available on the Court Service website. The Court Service makes its printed publications available in alternative formats on request.

All Public Guardianship Office customer booklets are available in large print on the PGO website or in hardcopy. Their booklets are made available in easy-read format and in Braille on request.

Press Officers

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many press officers the Department and its predecessors have employed in each of the past five years. [196046]

Mr. Lammy: The number of press officers and support staff employed by the Department for Constitutional Affairs headquarters and the Court Service and its predecessor are as follows:

	Press officers	Support staff
2004	(5)16	6
2003	(5)13	5
2002	10	5
2001	6	5
2000	4	5

⁽⁵⁾ This includes the head of news who was appointed in September 2003.

These figures do not include the director and deputy of communications who do speak to the media but on a far more infrequent basis than press officers.

Special Advisers

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many
 
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unpaid special advisers the Department has; what their names are; and which Government (a) bodies, (b) committees and (c) strategy groups each unpaid adviser (i) belongs to, (ii) advises and (iii) works alongside. [194053]

Mr. Lammy: For information relating to numbers and names of unpaid advisers I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 22 July 2004, Official Report, columns 466–70W.

Special advisers, whether paid or unpaid, are employed under the terms and conditions set out in the Model Contract for Special Advisers. Unpaid advisers are appointed in accordance with the requirements of paragraph 51 of the Ministerial Code.

Sustainable Energy (CHP Provisions) Order

Mr. Stunell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what measures his Department (a) has undertaken and (b) plans to undertake to comply with the Sustainable Energy (CHP Provisions) Order 2003. [194437]

Mr. Leslie: My Department is committed to working with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) on Sustainable Development. We continue to progress action and respond positively to targets published by DEFRA against the strands of the Framework for Sustainable Development in the Government Estate. Good progress has been made on energy targets; we already source more than 10 per cent. of electricity from renewable sources and our programme of energy works has achieved significant reductions in consumption and emissions. Use of Combined Heat and Power schemes forms part of our overall strategy; we already participate in a scheme in Sheffield and are currently considering schemes proposed for Nottingham and Birmingham. Subject to financial viability, we will be considering other opportunities for CHP schemes as they arise.

CABINET OFFICE

Performance and Innovation Unit

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what new projects are (a) planned and (b) under consideration for the Performance and Innovation Unit. [194917]

Mr. Milburn: The Performance and Innovation Unit no longer exists. In June 2002 it merged with the Forward Strategy Unit and the Policy Studies Directorate of the Centre for Management and Policy Studies to create the Strategy Unit. New Strategy Unit projects are announced on the Unit's website as Ministers approve them unless they are intended to give confidential advice to ministers.

Departmental Expenditure

Mr. Cameron: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Office has spent on (a) mobile
 
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telephone costs, (b) hospitality and (c) taxi costs in (i) 1996–97 and (ii) the last year for which figures are available. [185240]

Ruth Kelly [holding answer 19 July 2004]: Financial information prior to the 1997–98 financial year was recorded on a previous accounting system and cannot be readily retrieved without incurring disproportionate cost.

Expenditure on mobile telephone is not separately identifiable on the Department's accounting system and therefore the information requested cannot be readily retrieved without incurring disproportionate cost.

The department spent £484,000 on entertainment expenses in 2003–04. This amount includes refreshments provided at meetings, working lunches and other forms of hospitality.

All expenditure on official entertainment and hospitality is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in "Government Accounting". The giving and receiving of hospitality is conducted fully in accordance with the guidance set out in the "Ministerial Code" and "Civil Service Code".

For information on taxi costs I refer the hon. Member to the response given to the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs (Mr. Flight) on 13 November 2003, Official Report, column 397W.

Owing to changes in the Department's accounting system expenditure on taxis since 2002 is not separately identifiable and the information requested could only be provided at disproportionate costs.

Mobile Phones

Mr. Prisk: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many mobile phones were used by (a) Ministers and special advisers and (b) officials in her Department in each year since 1997; how many were (i) lost and (ii) stolen; and what their cost was. [191441]

Ruth Kelly: Information relating to mobile telephones and their cost is not held centrally and is not separately identifiable on the Department's accounting system. It cannot therefore be readily retrieved without incurring disproportionate cost.

HEALTH

Drug Rehabilitation Places

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residential drug rehabilitation places there are, broken down by (a) police authority and (b) government office region. [190932]

Miss Melanie Johnson: We do not have information on the number of residential drug rehabilitation places broken down by police authority.

Residential drug treatment services are registered voluntarily in the residential drug treatment services directory. Based on those who have an entry in the
 
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directory, the numbers of residential drug rehabilitation places within each Government region are shown in the table.

Region	Number of places
East Midlands	80
Eastern	150
London	437
North East	110
North West	292
South East	538
South West	593
West Midlands	57
Northern and Yorkshire	125

Source:
National Treatment Agency residential directory.

It should be noted that drug action teams commonly commission residential drug rehabilitation places outside their own locality or region.

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