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CABINET OFFICE

Departmental Boards of Directors

Mr. Allen: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list Government Departments which have boards of directors; and if he will make a statement. [15637]

Mr. Hutton: I have been asked to reply. All United Kingdom central Government Departments are managed by boards made up of executive members drawn from senior officials and some non-executive members. The name and structure of these boards vary across Departments to reflect individual organisational and legislative needs. Non ministerial Departments are set up by individual statues which may have prescribed structures.

A code of good practice for corporate governance in central Government Departments was introduced in August 2005 to help departments to manage their business more effectively. It is a key part of the improvements in financial and risk management, and efficiency which is being promoted across central Government Departments. I have placed a copy of the code in the Library.

Departmental Expenditure

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the total expenditure saved was in each of the last three years as a result of implementing recommendations by management consultancies within his Department and its predecessors. [14824]

Mr. Hutton: The Cabinet Office has not engaged management consultants in any of the last three years specifically in order to make recommendations to save money.

Government Car and Despatch Agency

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many cars the Government Car Agency has, broken down by the form of fuel used. [15836]

 
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Mr. Jim Murphy: The responsibility for the provision of ministerial cars and drivers has been delegated under the terms of the Framework Document to the Government Car Despatch Agency. I have asked its Chief Executive Mr. Roy Burke to write to the hon. Member. Copies of his letter will be placed in the Library.

Hampton Review

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether all proposals from the Hampton Review will include comprehensive race equality impact assessments. [15510]

Mr. Hutton: The proposals contained in the Hampton Review are being taken forward by a number of different agencies across Government. In some cases, the implementation of the Hampton proposals will require a Regulatory Impact Assessment, and where appropriate those RIAs will include impacts on race equality.

Ministerial Vehicles

Dr. McCrea: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans there are to replace cars in the ministerial fleet with cars which use alternative fuel technology. [15265]

Mr. Jim Murphy: The responsibility for the provision of ministerial cars and drivers has been delegated under the terms of the Framework Document to the Government Car Despatch Agency. I have asked its chief executive Mr. Roy Burke to write to the hon. Member. Copies of his letter will be placed in the Library.

Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) how many complaints the Parliamentary Ombudsman has received from hon. Members in the last 12 months, broken down by constituency; [15564]

(2) how many complaints the Parliamentary Ombudsman has received since 2001, broken down by Government Department. [15565]

Mr. Hutton: All complaints to the Parliamentary Ombudsman are referred by Members of Parliament.

Details on the number of complaints made to the Parliamentary Ombudsman, broken down by Government Department, are set out in the annual
 
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reports of the Parliamentary Ombudsman, copies of which are available in the Library of the House and can also be accessed on line at www.ombudsman.org.uk.

Private Finance Initiative

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 13 June 2005, Official Report, column 112W, on private finance projects, what total value of assets and liabilities for the project is recorded on the Government Balance Sheet; what proportion of assets and liabilities is listed; what the accounting treatment is for assets and liabilities; and whether it is compatible with (a) generally-accepted accounting practices and (b) international financial reporting standards. [15964]

Mr. Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Resource Accounts 2004–05 (Notes to the Departmental Resource Accounts Nos.1—Statement of Accounting Policies; 1.16; and 27) copies of which are available in the Library.

Recycled Tyres

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what the policy of the Government car service is on using recycled tyres on its vehicles; and how often this policy is reviewed; [15087]

(2) whether the Government car service plans to introduce a mandatory percentage of recycled tyres for use on its cars. [15088]

Mr. Jim Murphy: The responsibility for the provision of ministerial cars and drivers has been delegated under the terms of the Framework Document to the Government Car Despatch Agency. I have asked its Chief Executive Mr. Roy Burke to write to the hon. Member. Copies of his letter will be placed in the Library.

Strategy Unit Drugs Report

Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the reasons were for withholding parts of the Strategy Unit Drugs Report; and if he will make a statement. [16394]

Mr. Hutton: The undisclosed parts of the Strategy Unit Drugs Report were withheld under the Freedom of Information Act. Sections 35 and 36 of the Act apply to the undisclosed information as it relates to the formulation of Government policy and the free and frank exchange of views. Section 23 of the Act applies to some of the undisclosed information, as the information was supplied by or relates to bodies dealing with security matters (in this case the National Criminal Intelligence Service, NCIS).
 
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HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Cleaners' Pay

Sarah Teather: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what discussions have taken place between House officials and MITIE Cleaning and Emprise Services regarding pay of cleaners in the House; and if he will make a statement. [15139]

Nick Harvey: Since the beginning of this dispute, the authorities of the House have held a series of meetings with MITIE and EMPRISE Services and have devoted considerable time and effort in working with them to identify possible ways of increasing the pay and improving the conditions for their staff, while continuing to deliver the services detailed within the contract. This has allowed MITIE to offer a pay increase to their staff from £5.20 to £6.00 per hour funded through internal efficiency savings. The company has made it clear that where posts are lost as part of the efficiency savings, individuals will be offered transfer to other MITIE sites wherever possible. In addition, work on improved on-site accommodation for MITIE staff has now been completed. These facilities will be available for use from today.

Explanatory Notes

Mr. Amess: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if he will make explanatory notes to bills available online in PDF format; and if he will make a statement. [15481]

Nick Harvey: There are currently no plans to do so, in the absence of significant demand for such a service. I refer the hon. Member to the replies I have given today to his question on the availability of PDF documents on the parliamentary website.

Official Report

Mr. Amess: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if he will make the Official Report available online in PDF format; and if he will make a statement. [15478]

Nick Harvey: There are currently no plans to do so. I refer the hon. Member to the reply I have given today to his question on the availability of PDF documents on the parliamentary website.

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