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10 Jan 2005 : Column 92W—continued
Regulatory Impact Assessment
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which regulations were not accompanied by a Regulatory Impact Assessment in the measurement of the level of compliance with the Regulatory Impact Assessment process conducted by her Department in (a) December 2003 and (b) June. [205423]
Mr. Miliband: Based on a snapshot of regulatory impact assessment (RIA) compliance in November 2003, and published on 16 December 2003, the level of compliance was 100 per cent.
Based on a snapshot of RIA compliance in June 2004, and published on 22 July 2004, the level of compliance was 96 per cent. RIAs were missing at that time for proposals on identity cards and the Commission for Racial Equality's (CRE) Code of Practice on employment. An RIA for ID cards was subsequently published alongside the draft Bill on 29 November 2004. An RIA on the CRE's Code of Practice will be published when the Code is laid in Parliament in the New Year.
Copies of all RIAs are available in the Library.
Security Passes
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many departmental security passes have been (a) lost and (b) stolen in each year since 1997; [204444]
(2) how many instances of people attempting to use security passes that were recorded as lost or stolen have been recorded in each year since 1997. [204445]
Mr. Miliband: I refer the hon. Member to the answer which the then Minister for the Cabinet Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Paisley, South (Mr. Alexander) gave to the hon. Member for Winchester (Mr. Oaten) on 5 February 2004, Official Report, column 1048W.
The number of lost passes are shown in the table.
10 Jan 2005 : Column 93W
| Number of lost passes | |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 61 |
| 2004 | 15 |
The number of stolen passes are shown in the table.
| Number of stolen passes | |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 10 |
| 2004 | 31 |
No incidents have been recorded in this period of attempted use of lost or stolen passes.
Sickness Absence
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many days sick leave were taken by civil servants in the Department in each year since 1997; and what the sickness absence rate was in each year. [204513]
Mr. Miliband: Sick absence figures for the Cabinet Office are published annually in the report "Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service". Table A of the report gives details of both the average working days absence per staff year and the number of staff years on which that calculation is based for the Cabinet Office . Copies of the latest report for 2003 are available in the Library. Reports for years 1999 to 2002 are available on the Cabinet Office website at: http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management_information/conditions_of_service/caje/publications/index.asp#sickness.
Cabinet Office is committed to managing sick absence effectively. It has in place robust procedures that are supported by comprehensive in house guidance and training for managers and individuals.
Telephone Numbers
Mr. Tyler: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) how many non-geographic 0870 telephone numbers are in use by his Department; and what services can be accessed by calling each of them; [205833]
(2) how much revenue his Department has received from the use of non-geographic 0870 telephone numbers for the period 1 October 2003 to 30 September 2004. [205843]
Mr. Milburn: The Duchy of Lancaster office does not have any 0870 telephone numbers.
Telephone Usage
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what her policy is on the use of telephones in her Department by members of staff for personal (a) domestic and (b) international calls; and if she will make a statement. [206023]
Mr. Miliband:
The Cabinet Office permits the occasional and reasonable use of official telephones, except mobile telephones, for personal domestic calls. Personal use of official telephones for international calls is not permitted.
10 Jan 2005 : Column 94W
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what measures she has taken to ensure that telephones in her Department are not used by staff for making unauthorised personal calls to international numbers. [206024]
Mr. Miliband: The Cabinet Office does not allow the personal use of telephones for international calls.
Direct dialling of international calls is only permitted from specific extensions. International calls can only otherwise be made logging the call through the government operator.
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the estimated cost to her Department of unauthorised personal calls made by members of staff to (a) domestic and (b) international numbers was in the last period for which figures are available. [206022]
Mr. Miliband: All call charges for domestic and international calls from fixed lines on the Cabinet Office estate are encompassed in a standard annual charge per extension irrespective of the number or destinations of calls made.
Television Subscriptions
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many publicly funded pay television subscriptions there are in official residences for which her Department is responsible; and what the cost is of each. [204422]
PRIME MINISTER
Baghdad Visit
Michael Fabricant: To ask the Prime Minister on what day his Office chose 21 December as the date for his visit to Baghdad. [207462]
The Prime Minister: Although discussions began earlier, the date for my visit to Baghdad was fixed in the second half of November.
E-mails
Michael Fabricant: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his Office's policy regarding the retention of e-mails in electronic form (a) after and (b) up to 1 January 2005; and what instructions have been given regarding the deletion of e-mails prior to 1 January 2005. [206951]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Guilford (Sue Doughty) on 21 December, Official Report, column 1605W.
Foreign Press Articles
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 13 December 2004, Official Report, column 822W, on foreign press articles, if he will make it his policy that articles written by members of the United Kingdom Government are deposited in the Library. [207106]
10 Jan 2005 : Column 95W
The Prime Minister: I have nothing further to add to my answer of 13 December 2004, Official Report, column 822W.
Home Secretary
Mr. Heald: To ask the Prime Minister whether the Secretary of State for the Home Department had received his seal of office when he issued his two written ministerial statements concerning International Exercise and the case of A and Others and the Secretary of State for the Home Department on 16 December; and if he will make a statement. [207565]
The Prime Minister: The formalities associated with Ministerial appointments, such as the receipt of a seal of office, are not relevant to the making of statements in the House. Her Majesty the Queen had approved the appointment.
Special Advisers
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions between 31 March 2002 and 31 March 2003 his special advisers travelled abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost. [207190]
The Prime Minister: Information on the travel and accommodation for special advisers who accompanied me on overseas visits is included in the list of Overseas Travel by Cabinet Ministers 2002–03, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the attributable newspaper articles written by his special advisers in their official capacity between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004. [207764]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 6 December 2004, Official Report, column 326W.
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Prime Minister whether his special advisers have used official resources for party political activity. [207765]
The Prime Minister: Special advisers are required to conduct themselves in accordance with the requirements of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.
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