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14 Dec 2004 : Column 1025W—continued
Parliamentary Questions
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many written parliamentary questions tabled in the last Session of Parliament were answered by his Department with the response 'it has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation'. [199970]
Fiona Mactaggart [holding answer 2 December 2004]: The total number of written questions that were answered with the response, "It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation" was 245. Of these, 171 were tabled in the five days leading up to prorogation.
The Department did provide substantive answers to 496 parliamentary questions in the four days up to Prorogation.
Ministers make every effort to answer questions substantively in accordance with performance guidelines and especially before Prorogation. However this is not always possible. Where right hon. and hon. Members did not receive a substantive response it is open to them to re-table their question this Session.
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Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many questions to his Department remained unanswered at prorogation; and what percentage of these Questions had been tabled (a) less than one month, (b) between one and three months and (c) more than three months previously; [200195]
(2) what the average time taken by his Department to respond to a written parliamentary question was in the last parliamentary Session. [200196]
Fiona Mactaggart [holding answer 29 November 2004]: The total number of written questions for which a substantive answer was not provided before the end of Session was 245. Of which 171 were tabled in the five days leading up to Prorogation. The Department did provide substantive answers to 496 parliamentary questions in the four days up to Prorogation. The number and percentage of these unanswered questions tabled less than one month, between one and three months and more than three months previously are provided in the table:
| Number | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of PQs tabled less than one month | 205 | 84 |
| Between one and three months | 26 | 10 |
| Over three months | 14 | 6 |
| Total | 245 |
Note:
Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number
Ministers make every effort to answer questions substantively in accordance with performance guidelines and especially before Prorogation. However this is not always possible. Where right hon. and hon. Members did not receive a substantive response it is open to them to re-table their question this session.
Departmental records show that the average time to respond to a written parliamentary question during the last Session was 14 days.
Police Stations (Essex)
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the police stations in Essex which have been (a) opened and (b) closed in each year since 1979. [199706]
Ms Blears: The management of the police estate and allocation of resources are matters for each police authority and the chief officer.
Port Security
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent on providing security at ports in each year since 1997, broken down by location. [203529]
Mr. Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.
The costs of providing security measures at ports are borne directly by industry and the information is not held centrally. The Department is conscious of the costs associated with implementing measures designed to increase security and will continue to work closely with industry to ensure that the required measures are proportionate, pragmatic and sustainable.
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Special Advisers
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many complaints were made by departmental civil servants regarding the conduct of special advisers between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004; [203470]
(2) whether he has been informed of breaches of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers in his Department since its implementation; [201297]
(3) how many appeals were made by civil servants to the Civil Service Commissioners regarding special advisers in his Department between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004 and when each appeal was lodged. [201380]
Mr. Blunkett: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 8 December 2004, Official Report, column 578W.
Stolen Dogs
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of dogs stolen in England in each of the last three years. [201903]
Ms Blears: This information is not collected centrally.
DEFENCE
Cadet Services
Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) financial and (b) other assistance is given by his Department to (i) sea cadets, (ii) army cadets and (iii) air cadets. [201987]
Mr. Caplin: The Ministry of Defence provides the following, in terms of (a) financial, and (b) further assistance:
The Sea Cadets are run and administered by the Marine Society/Sea Cadet Association (the parent charity). The total budget provided to the Marine Society/Sea Cadet Association and direct by MOD is £9.4 million per year. The use of Naval training establishments and sea training days on HM ships is uncosted.
The Army Cadets are run and administered by the MOD. The total budget provided to the Army Cadets is £50 million, which comprises:
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| Salaries (all forms) | 32 |
| Cadets estate programme. | 14 |
| Travel and subsistence | 1 |
| Cadet activities | 3 |
Further assistance, in the form of the use of Army training establishments and attendance on courses and parades organised and administered by the Regular Army is uncosted.
Air Cadets
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The Air Cadets are run and administered by the MOD. The total budget provided to the Air Cadets for 2004–05 is £22 million.
Further assistance in the form of the use of RAF training establishments and attendance on courses and parades organised and administered by the RAF is uncosted.
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance was given to cadet units in the south-east of England about carrying firearms on Remembrance Sunday; what role Ministers had in issuing guidance; and if he will make a statement. [199442]
Mr. Caplin: Ministers had no role whatsoever in issuing guidance regarding cadets on Remembrance Sunday. All cadet guidance is issued from the various Cadet Force headquarters.
The Air Training Corps did issue specific instructions that all participants in Remembrance Day parades were not to carry drill weapons. In the south-east, (including Eastbourne) the Sea Cadets were told that it was paramount to harmonise with the prevailing view of the other Cadet Forces. The Army Cadet Force and the Combined Cadet Force do not routinely carry either real or drill weapons on parade. As a consequence, no drill weapons were paraded at the Eastbourne Remembrance Day Parade.
Departmental Costs
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the total external spending by his Department was on public private partnership (PPP) consultants in each of the last two years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PPP consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by his Department over this period; and if he will make a statement; [200815]
(2) what the total external spending by his Department was on private finance initiative (PFI) consultants in each of the last two years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PFI consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by his Department over this period; and if he will make a statement. [200814]
Mr. Ingram: The Department maintains a Framework Agreement that provides a list of consultancy companies that have been approved to provide management and related services and legal services consultancy to PPP Integrated Project Teams (IPTs). Companies listed in the Agreement, however, are not always able to provide specialist consultancy services; IPTs are therefore able to engage specialist firms that are not listed in the Framework Agreement.
The use of consultants is monitored but not to the level of detail listed in the question. As a result the information requested in the question is not held centrally and to provide it the Department would incur
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disproportionate cost. However, the information that can be provided regarding the use and cost of consultants is as follows:
| Financial year 2002–03 | Financial year 2003–04 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of companies used | Invoices submitted | Value (£ million) | Invoices submitted | Value (£ million) |
| 19 | 524 | 24.368 | 1,187 | 66.367 |
In addition, over the two year period, two specialist companies were engaged at a cost of £2.231 million.
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