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Departmental Expenditure

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 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. [202459]

Phil Hope: The total external spending by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on Private Finance Initiative consultants was £260,274.04 in 2003 and £44,281.00 in 2004. Seven consultancy firms were used by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister over this period.

The additional information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much has been spent by his Department on (a) new furniture and (b) hired furniture in each year since 1997. [205618]

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

All expenditure incurred by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in the purchase and procurement of services and items is made in accordance with the departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Government Accounting. Where possible the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister purchases furniture through centrally negotiated contracts, always ensuring that the materials used accord with the Sustainable Development in Government initiative.

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much the Department spent on first class travel in each year since 1997. [206574]

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created following the Machinery of Government changes on 29 May 2002. The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

All travel complied with the requirements of the Ministerial Code, Travel by Ministers and the Civil Service Management Code.

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many overseas trips, and at what total cost, have been made by his Office in each year since 1997; and what the costs of (a) flights, (b) internal travel, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence were of each trip. [206651]

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created following the Machinery of Government changes on 29 May 2002. The detailed information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
 
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Since 1999, the Government publishes, on an annual basis, the total costs of all ministerial overseas travel and a list of all visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500. Copies of the lists are available in the Library of the House. All travel is conducted in line with the requirements of the Ministerial Code.

All travel by staff is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code.

Departmental Properties

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many properties are held by the Office; what total floor space these properties provide; how many properties are vacant; and how much floor space vacant properties comprise. [206484]

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is responsible for 29 leasehold and freehold properties making up a total net Internal Area of 209,985 m2. This figure includes 20,212 m2 that is occupied by other Government Departments but does not include space that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister occupies in Other Government Departments' buildings. Although the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has overall responsibility for the buildings occupied by Government Offices, they carry out functions on behalf of ten Government Departments.

There were no properties vacant as at 1st December 2004.

Departmental Staff

Keith Vaz: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) how many of the staff employed by his Department have a declared disability; [205772]

(2) how many women there are in senior positions in his Department. [205773]

Yvette Cooper: The Cabinet Office collects and publishes annually statistical information on the civil service by Department. These include data on the number of women in senior positions in Departments and on the number of staff who have a declared disability.

The latest available information at April 2004 is available in the Library of the House and on the civil service website at the following addresses.

http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management_information/statistical_information/statistics/publications/xls/gender_apr04_4nov04.xls

http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management_information/statistical_information/statistics/publications/xls/disability_apr04_4nov04.xls

Derbyshire Fire Authority

Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much funding was made available to the Derbyshire fire authority in each of the last five years. [207517]

Mr. Raynsford: For 2004–05, Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Authority (FRA) received £17.542 million in Formula Grant. For FRAs Formula Grant is equal to the sum of Redistributed Business Rates and Revenue Support Grant. Derbyshire FRA is a combined fire authority which gained major precepting status in
 
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2004–05. Previously, funding was received from the constituent authorities of Derbyshire county council and Derby city council. Formula Grant for these constituent authorities included provision for education, personal social services, highways maintenance and environmental, protective and cultural services as well as fire services and capital expenditure. As there are no restrictions on local authority decisions to spend Formula Grant it is not possible to say how much Formula Grant was made available for Derbyshire FRA in these years. For the purposes of calculating the 2004–05 figure, an indicative amount was calculated to show what would have happened in 2003–04 if Derbyshire FRA had been a major preceptor at that time. This amount was calculated to be £16.706 million, however this is an indicative amount only.

For 2004–05 Derbyshire FRA also received £0.456 million transitional funding in recognition that there may be a lag between costs and savings of fire and rescue service modernisation.

For 2004–05 Derbyshire FRA received £0.875 million in Supported Capital Expenditure (Revenue). It received £0.815 million basic credit approvals in 2003–04, £0.873 million in 2002–03, £0.727 million in 2001–02 and £0.727 million in 2000–01.

In 2004–05 Derbyshire FRA received grants of £50,544 from the Community Fire Safety (CFS) Innovation Fund and £95,642 capital to establish a programme of Home Fire Risk Checks targeted on the most vulnerable households and combined with installation of free 10 year smoke alarms and, where justified, automated fire suppression systems. It also received £33,796 from the Arson Control Forum Innovation Fund in 2001–02.

According to the provisional local government finance settlement for 2005–06 Derbyshire FRA will receive £18.520 million formula grant, a 5.6 per cent. increase on 2004–05, and £0.882 million SCE(R). It is also due to receive a further £50,544 from the CFS Innovation Fund and £95,642 capital grant for Home Fire Risk Checks.

E-mails

Sue Doughty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his Department's policy is in relation to the storage and deletion of e-mails; and whether this policy has been reviewed in the past 12 months. [206756]

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister continues to implement well established policies and procedures for the review and disposal of files in accordance with its administrative needs and the Public Records Act.

E-mail messages that form part of the official record are saved for as long as business needs require and stored corporately in accordance with departmental record management procedures. Further e-mail guidance is available on the National Archives web site at: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/electronicrecords/advice/pdf/managing_e-mails.pdf.
 
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This policy is regularly reviewed to ensure that the amount of e-mail kept locally by staff remains within the e-mail system quota in force at the time to ensure efficient running of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's IT infrastructure.

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