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22 Feb 2005 : Column 547W—continued
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Autonomy plc
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what contracts for which her Department is responsible have been awarded to Autonomy plc. [212205]
Ms Hewitt: The Department has not directly awarded any contracts to Autonomy plc.
Chartered Aircraft
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money her Department has spent on chartering aircraft in each of the past five years. [213689]
Ms Hewitt: Travel by Ministers" makes it clear that special flights may be authorised when a scheduled service is not available, or when it is essential to travel by air, but the requirements of official or parliamentary business or security considerations or urgency preclude the journey being made by a scheduled service. In respect of overseas travel by Ministers, since 1999 the Government has published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. Where RAF/private charter aircraft are used this is shown in the list. The Government has also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2004–05 will be published in due course.
No costs have been incurred by the Department in the last five years on chartering aircraft for internal flights.
Civil Service Salaries
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average annual increase in gross salary was for the year 2003–04 for (a) staff below the senior civil service and (b) the senior civil service in her Department. [208108]
Ms Hewitt: The available information for average annual increases in salary for DTI staff is presented as follows:
| Gross salary(59)(£) | |
|---|---|
| (a) Staff below the senior civil service(60) | 1,070 |
| (b) Senior civil service(61) | 3,436 |
(59)Annualised increase in gross salary ie salary before deductions for tax, national insurance etc.
(60)Based on the pay award made on 1 August 2003.
(61)Based on the pay award made on 1 April 2003.
Note:
These figures do not include the DTI agencies.
Cold Calling/Doorstep Selling
Mr. Robathan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she expects to have completed her consultation on cold calling and doorstep selling;
22 Feb 2005 : Column 548W
whether she expects to propose legislative measures in relation to these matters; and if she will make a statement. [216420]
Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 21 February 2005]: Responses to the consultation are currently being analysed by officials and these will inform decisions on how best to proceed. Careful consideration is also being given to the impact of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD) which may address many of the high pressured sales techniques of the sector.
Departmental Contracts
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many contracts in her Department have been granted to (a) EDS, (b) Fujitsu and (c) jointly in each of the last two years; whether they were open to competition; for what they were granted; for how much; over what period of time; and if she will make a statement. [211611]
Ms Hewitt: The information requested is as follows:
(a) From 2003 to 2004 four contracts were awarded to EDS. Three of these related to the broadband aggregation project and one related to management information.
(b) The DTI has a long-term PFI contract with Fujitsu and orders to Fujitsu during this period were under this contract. The type of orders related to our existing IT infrastructure and associated services and applications. The PFI contract was of course the subject of a major competition and extends until 2014.
The DTI is not disclosing the amounts for these particular contracts as this information is protected by Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (commercial prejudice).
(c) No contracts were awarded jointly to EDS and Fujitsu.
Departmental Properties
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many properties are held by the Department; what total floor space these properties provide; how many properties are vacant; and how much floor space vacant properties comprise. [206495]
Ms Hewitt: The Department has the lead responsibility for accommodation in twelve buildings on its HQ estate with a total floor space of 98,500 sq m. There are no empty properties.
EU Committees
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the Committee for implementation of multiannual framework programme for actions in the reinforcement of international co-operation (Synergy) met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement. [215915]
Ms Hewitt:
The committee to which the hon. Member refers no longer meets. Aspects of its work have, since 2003, been undertaken by the Intelligent Energy Europe programme committee.
22 Feb 2005 : Column 549W
This committee met on the following dates in Brussels:
The meetings were attended by a DTI and a Defra official.
European Constitution
Mr. Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if she will make a statement on the impact of the Charter of Fundamental Rights within the EU Constitution on industrial relations law in the UK; [214353]
(2) if he will make a statement on the impact of the Charter of Fundamental Rights within the EU Constitution on the rights of workers in the UK. [214354]
Mr. Sutcliffe: I refer my hon. Friend to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs on 9 September 2004, Official Report, columns 133–35WS, which made it clear that the Charter of Fundamental Rights will have no practical impact upon UK industrial relations law or the rights of UK workers. The full statement is available in the Library of the House.
The provisions of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms are addressed to the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the European Union with due regard to the principle of subsidiarity and to the member states only when they are implementing Union Law. The Charter does not extend the scope of application of Union Law beyond the existing powers of the Union or establish any new power or task for the Union. Nor does it modify powers and tasks defined in the other parts of the constitutional treaty, which specifically excludes EU action on legislative areas such as pay, the right of association, the right to strike and the right to impose lock-outs.
UK legislation on industrial relations maintains a balance between workers' rights to pursue legitimate disputes and employers' rights to conduct business without disruption from illegitimate industrial action. The Charter will not alter that balance.
External Consultants
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what work was commissioned by her Department's executive agencies to be carried out byexternal consultants and advisors in 2003–04. [210279]
Ms Hewitt: I have asked the Chief Executives listed as follows to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Ron Marchant to Mr. Stephen O'Brien, dated 21 February 2005:
I am replying on behalf of the Patent Office to the above parliamentary question concerning work commissioned by the Department of Trade & Industry's executive agencies to be carried out by external consultants and advisors in 2003–04.
The Patent Office has a limited requirement for such services. The cost of work carried out in 2003/04 by external consultants and advisors was £32,000 and covered surveys and feasibility studies for minor building alterations, staff objective setting and the implementation of an EC Directive.
Letter from Desmond Flynn to Mr. Stephen O'Brien, dated 21 February 2005:
The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply to you directly on behalf of The Insolvency Service in respect of your question (2004/837) requesting information on money spent on external consultants and advisors in 2003–04.
Money spent on external consultants and advisors during April 2003 to date amounts to £34,000. This expenditure was broken down between £18,000 on a Race Equality Impact Study and £16,000 on The Insolvency Service Help Line.
Letter from Dr. J W Llewellyn to Mr. Stephen O'Brien, dated 21 February 2005:
The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply on behalf of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) to your question regarding what work was commissioned by her Department's executive agencies to be carried out by external consultants and advisors in 2003–04.
NWML commissioned external consultants and advisors to carry out work on a wide range of issues including Electronic Records Management, Market Surveillance, performance monitoring and IT Development in 2003/04. The total cost of their work was £68k.
Letter from Claire Clancy to Mr. Stephen O'Brien, dated 21 February 2005:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what work was commissioned by her Department's executive agencies to be carried out by external consultants and advisors in 2003–04.
I refer to the above Parliamentary Question that you have raised. I am replying to you as Chief Executive of Companies House.
| £ | |
|---|---|
| IT consultancy | 880,165 |
| Management consultancy | 51,431 |
| Consultants for accommodation project | 69,838 |
| Total | 1,001,434 |
Letter from Jeanne Spinks to Mr. Stephen O'Brien, dated 21 February 2005:
You asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what work was commissioned by her Department's executive agencies to be carried out by external consultants and advisors in 2003–04. I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Employment Tribunals Service.
The major work commissioned was to research the benefits of, and develop the business case for, a computerised case-handling system which in addition will allow the sharing of information with Acas.
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