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22 Feb 2005 : Column 587W—continued
Electoral Registration
Mr. Brady: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many people have opted for inclusion in the edited register of electors; and what percentage this is of all electors in the United Kingdom. [216933]
Mr. Lammy:
The Representation of the People Regulations 2002 provide that electors may opt out of the edited version of the register of electors if they do not want their details to be sold to anyone for any purpose. According to statistics provided by the Credit Reference Agencies 29.29 per cent. of eligible electors (representing 13,099,264 people) opted out of inclusion in the edited
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version of the register compiled in 2004. The official figures in respect of the number of electors included in the full version of the register on 1 December 2004 is due to be published by the Office for National Statistics on 24 February 2005.
Mr. Robathan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of letters electoral registration officers sent to (a) service personnel and (b) spouses of service personnel in the last year for which figures are available; and what method of distribution is employed for such letters to military bases. [216358]
Mr. Lammy: This information is not collected centrally. Service personnel and their spouses may register either by way of a service declaration or as ordinary (or overseas) electors. There is no way of distinguishing between the latter and other electors. Royal Mail deliver letters to military bases in the UK. Bases overseas (and HM Ships) are allocated a British Forces Postal Service (BFPO) number. Letters with a BFPO address are posted in the normal way and delivered by the Royal Mail to BFPO Mill Hill London where they are forwarded under arrangements by the Defence Postal and Courier Service to the BFPO address.
Mr. Robathan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what records are kept of letters sent by electoral registration officers to service personnel. [216359]
Mr. Lammy: This information is not collected centrally. Service personnel and their spouses may register either by way of a service declaration or as ordinary (or overseas) electors. There is no way of distinguishing between the latter and other electors. Electoral registration officers will usually keep locally records of registration, renewal letters and reminders to renewal letters posted to those personnel who are registered as service voters.
Mr. Robathan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what procedures electoral registration officers use to contact service personnel serving overseas. [216360]
Mr. Lammy: Electoral registration officers (EROs) will write to whichever address has been supplied to them by the individuals concerned. If service personnel overseas have registered using a British Forces Post Office (BFPO) address, electoral registration officers would send letters to BFPO Mill Hill London by the Royal Mail where they would be forwarded under arrangements by the Defence Postal and Courier Service to the BFPO address.
Mr. Robathan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how often electoral registration officers are required to contact overseas service personnel about their electoral registration obligation. [216361]
Mr. Lammy:
Regulation 25(2) of the Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 requires electoral registration officers to send annually a written reminder to service personnel who are registered by way of a service declaration, whether in the UK or overseas, of the need to make a fresh declaration if they
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wish to remain registered under this method. The reminder is sent to the address at which such personnel are recorded as being most recently resident.
SCOTLAND
Civil Servants
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the cost of the enhanced early retirement scheme for civil servants in his Department was in each year from 1997–98 to 2003–04 and what the estimated cost will be in each year from 2004–05 to 2007–08; and if he will make a statement. [211647]
Mrs. McGuire: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. All staff in the Office are on loan from other Government Departments or other bodies, who remain their employer. The Office has incurred no costs, to date, in relation to the enhanced early retirement scheme. Any future costs would be met by the individual's employer.
Cleaning
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the costs of cleaning the Department were in each year since it was established. [213729]
Mrs. McGuire: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. The Office shares accommodation with the Office of the Advocate-General for Scotland (OAG) and it is not possible to separate all expenditure between the Offices. Since 1 July 1999, direct expenditure on cleaning for the Scotland Office and OAG was:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 1999–2000(69) | 35,199 |
| 2000–01 | 42,145 |
| 2001–02 | 37,753 |
| 2002–03 | 43,732 |
| 2003–04 | 46,663 |
(69)Part year
Departmental Costs
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been spent on official Ministerial (a) business cards, (b) headed paper and (c) compliment slips in each year since 1997. [214959]
Mrs. McGuire: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. The Office provides a number of services to the Office of the Advocate-General for Scotland and it is not possible to separate all expenditure between both Offices. Since 1 July 1999, expenditure by Scotland Office Ministers and the Advocate-General for Scotland was as follows:
(70)Part year
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| Scotland Office | OAG | |
|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003–04 | 110 | 189 |
| 2003–04 | 0 | 62 |
(71)Part year
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been spent on postage by the Department in each year since it was established. [215027]
Mrs. McGuire: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. The Office provides a number of services to the Office of the Advocate-General for Scotland and it is not possible to separate all expenditure between both Offices. Since 1 July 1999, both Offices have spent the following on postage:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 1999–2000 (72) | 1,466 |
| 2000–01 | 8,660 |
| 2001–02 | 10,068 |
| 2002–03 | 12,874 |
| 2003–04 | 12,913 |
(72)Part year
Departmental Expenditure
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many overseas trips, and at what total cost, have been made by his Department 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. [206656]
Mrs. McGuire: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. This information sought is not held in the form requested.
All travel and subsistence is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code, Travel by Ministers and the Civil Service Management Code.
Information relating to overseas travel by Ministers is published on an annual basis. Information for the period 1 July 1999 to 31 March 2004 is available in the Library of the House. Information for the financial year 2004–05 will be published as soon as possible at the end of the current financial year.
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