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9 Jan 2006 : Column 277W—continued

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what controls are placed on minerals imported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to verify their source and method of extraction; and if he will make a statement. [39926]

Ian Pearson: The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a signatory of the Kimberley Process under the terms of which exports of rough diamonds must be accompanied by a government issued certificate stating that they have not been sold to fund armed conflict.

Departmental Assets

Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the 10 most valuable (a) movable and (b) immovable assets owned by his Department. [27388]

Alan Johnson: The Department of Trade and Industry has the following most valuable assets under headings (a) movable and (b) immovable recorded on their fixed asset register as at 31 March 2005.
£

Assets	Value
(a) Moveable assets
Furniture fixtures and fittings
Pool—purchases 2002–03	3,390,872.04
Pool—purchases 2003–04	2,259,345.24
Pool—purchases 2001–02	1,387,884.41
Pool—purchases 2004–05	352,077.04
Abbey Orchard Street	267,900.00
Plant and Machinery
Variable speed drives	147,028.62
Lift safety equipment	116,000.00
IT Equipment
Telecommunications cabling	63,726.65
Realtis telecommunications equipment	53,910.99
Plant and Machinery—air conditioning	36,288.77
(b) Immovable assets
Building—National Physics Laboratory, Teddington	94,081,689.48
Land—National Physics Laboratory, Teddington	7,112,228.31
Building—Cobalt 60 Building, Teddington	4,449,633.24
Building—National Weights and Measure Laboratory, Teddington	4,004,669.91
Building—Chadwick Building, Teddington	3,705,654.56
Building—Bushy House, Teddington	1,737,974.39
Land—National Weights and Measure Laboratory, Teddington	1,334,889.97
Building—The Core Store building, Edinburgh	1,330,000.00
Building—Thompson Building, Teddington	1,209,253.27
Building—Advance Pressure Vessel, Teddington	259,753.88
Land—British Maritime Technology, Teddington	104,697.25
Building—British Maritime Technology, Teddington	94,227.53

Departmental Branded Materials

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the suppliers of branded (a) LP bags, (b) plastic carrier bags and (c) pens used by his Department in each year since 1997. [38262]

Alan Johnson: A response cannot be provided to this question as the Department's records do not capture this level of detail. Finding this information would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.
 
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Departmental Costs

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Tradeand Industry what the (a) salary bill was and (b) administrative costs were for his Department in (i) each (A) nation and (B) region of the UK and (ii)London in 2004–05. [35876]

Alan Johnson: The Department's total paybill for 2004–05 was as follows, from the Department's Resource Accounts for 2004–05.

	£000
Wages and salaries	246,848
Social security costs	22,115
Other pension Costs	34,876
Sub total	303,839
Less: Recoveries in respect of outward secondments	(1,600)
Total net costs	302,239

An analysis of these costs by national and regional spend is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

Departmental Expenditure

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to his answer of 12 December 2005, Official Report, column 1661W, on departmental expenditure, if he will estimate the cost of branded (a) LP bags, (b) plastic carrier bags and (c) pens in each year since 1997. [38263]

Alan Johnson: A response cannot be provided to this question as the Department's records do not capture this level of detail. Finding this information would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.

Departmental Property

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was paid by his Department in 2004–05 in rent for properties in (a) total, (b) each (i) region and (ii)nation of the UK and (c) London. [35959]

Alan Johnson: In 2004–05 my Department paid £29.6 million rent ex VAT for properties on its HQ estate. This comprised £28.296 million (London), £0.155 million (Yorkshire and Humberside) and £0.061 million (North East) in England and £1.094 million in Scotland.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was paid by his Department in rates to each local authority in the UK in 2004–05; and how much was paid in (a) each (i) nation and (ii) region of the UK and (b) London. [35994]

Alan Johnson: The Department paid £9.708 million in rates for buildings on its HQ estate in 2004–05. In England this comprised £9.318 million (Westminster), £0.078 million (Wandsworth) and £0.139 million (Lambeth) in London, £0.060 million (Sheffield) in Yorkshire and Humberside and £0.019 million (Stockton) in North East region. In Scotland this comprised £0.055 million (Edinburgh) and £0.245 million (Aberdeen).
 
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Departmental Salaries

Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the 10 highest-paid employees in his Department; what the (a) job title and (b) salary
 
9 Jan 2006 : Column 280W
 
including bonuses is of each; and whether the individual concerned is (i) a civil servant and (ii) a contractor in each case. [27572]

Alan Johnson: Details of the highest paid employees in DTI are as follows:

Position	Pay Band	Bonus
(a) Permanent Secretary, Department		(a) Potential to earn a bonus of up to £16,000 in
of Trade and Industry	Within the permanent secretary pay range	the 2005 pay round depending on performance
(b) Chief Scientific Adviser to HM	of £130,350 to £264,250	(b) Potential to earn a bonus of up to 20 per
Government and Head of the Office of		cent. per annum depending on performance.
Science and Technology
Director General, Business Group
Director General, Energy	Within the senior civil service pay band 3 range	Potential to earn bonuses of up to £8,000 in the 2005
Director General, Special Projects	of £93,139 to £198,197	pay round depending on performance
The Solicitor and Director General, Legal
Group
Chief Economic Advisor and Director
General, Economics
	Fixed term appointments—salaries within the
	senior civil service pay band 3 range of £93,139	Potential to earn bonuses of up to 15 or 20 per cent.
Chief Executive, Small Business Service	to £198,197 or the senior civil service pay band 2	per annum depending on performance
Director, Information and Workplace	range of £75,606 to £159,659
Services
Director General of Research Councils
Director General, Innovation Group

The DTI uses contractors from time to time but they are not members of the staff of the Department.

Departmental Staff

Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many of his Department's employees have taken early retirement in each year since 1997. [34039]

Alan Johnson: The number of employees who have taken early retirement in each year since 1997 are shown in the following table.

	Number of employees
1997	54
1998	26
1999	25
2000	27
2001	22
2002	30
2003	24
2004	140

The above figures include those who have retired voluntarily with an actuarially reduced pension, those who have retired with benefits under the Civil Service Compensation Scheme (CSCS) and those who have retired on ill-health grounds. Most of the departures in 2004 were as a result of a flexible early retirement scheme under the CSCS.

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff are employed by his Department in each (a) region and (b) nation of the UK; and if he will make a statement. [35923]

Alan Johnson: The figures requested are published in Civil Service Statistics. Table D of these statistics covers permanent staff numbers (FTE basis) in each Department and agency. Civil Service Statistics are available in the Libraries of the House and at the following address on the Cabinet Office Statistics website: http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management_ of_the_civil_service/statistics/civil_service_statistics/index.asp

Data on staffing levels in the civil service are now collected quarterly from Departments and agencies via a quarterly ONS survey, as part of the remit to measure the size of the public sector as a whole. Details of the new methodology can be found on the ONS website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/articles/nojournal/PSE_ final.pdf

Civil service staffing trends by Department are published by the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis via its statistics website. http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management_information/statistical_information/statistics/index.asp

The most recent figures, as at 30 June 2005, were published on 6 October 2005.

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff were employed by non-departmental public bodies and agencies for which he has responsibility in 2004–05 in (a) total and (b) each (i) nation and (ii) region of the UK and (c) London. [35964]

Alan Johnson: Total Executive NDPB staff numbers as at 31 March 2005, for which my Department is responsible, are recorded in Public Bodies 2005, a coy of which is in the Libraries of the House and which is available online at: http://www/civilservice.gov.uk/the_ thefuture_of_the_civil_service/agencies_and_public_ bodies/publications/pdf/public_bodies/publicbodies 2005.pdf.
 
9 Jan 2006 : Column 281W
 

However, the NDPB data do not detail the regional breakdowns. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

The agency chief executives will individually send to the hon. Member details relating to their own organisations.

Letter from Ron Marchant, dated 9 January 2006:

I am responding to this parliamentary question, tabled on 6 December 2005, regarding how many staff were employed by non-departmental public bodies and agencies for which he has responsibility in 2004–5 in (a) total and (b) each (i) nation and (ii) region of the UK and (c) London.

Patent Office staffing figures as at 1 March 2005 were:

	Number
Total	1,023
Each nation
England	(50)19
Wales	1,004
Scotland	0
Northern Ireland	0
Each region	0
In London	19

⁽⁵⁰⁾London

Letter from Martin Wyn Griffith, dated 9 January 2006:

I am responding to this parliamentary question, tabled on 6 December 2005, regarding how many staff were employed by non-departmental public bodies and agencies for which he has responsibility in 2004–5 in (a) total and (b) each (i) nation and (ii) region of the UK and (c) London.

Small Business Service staffing figures as at 31 March 2005 were:

	Number
Total	355
Each nation
England	355
Wales	0
Scotland	0
Northern Ireland	0
Each region
NE	5
NW	9
YH	118
EM	7
WM	5
E	4
SE	5
SW	5
In London	197

On 31 March we closed our regional teams and passed responsibility for those activities to the regional development agencies. We retain headquarters offices in Yorkshire and London.

Letter from Jeff Llewellyn, dated 9 January 2006:

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 how many staff were
 

9 Jan 2006 : Column 282W
 

employed by non-departmental public bodies and agencies for which he has responsibility in 2004–05 in (a) total and (b) each (i) nation and (ii) region of the UK and (c) London.

The National Weights and Measures Laboratory had 47.3 fte staff at 31st March 2005. All were employed at Teddington, Middlesex.

Letter from Clare Clancy, dated 9 January 2006:

I am responding to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on behalf of Companies House, which is an Executive Agency of the DTI.

The number of staff employed in our offices in 2004/5 as a total, and individually is as follows:

	Total employees (including part-time)	Full-time equivalent posts
Cardiff, Wales	1,244	1,127
Edinburgh, Scotland	38	36
London, England	9	9
Total	1,291	1,172

Letter from Graham Horne, dated 9 January 2006:

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 (2318/2005) asking how many staff were employed by non-departmental public bodes and agencies in 2004–05 in (a) total and (b) each (i) nation and (ii) region of the UK and (c) London.

As at 31 March 2005 a total of 1,806 staff were employed by The Insolvency Service.

By nation of the UK these staff were distributed as follows:

	Number
Wales	48
Scotland	33
England	1,725

The split for Insolvency Service Regions is shown below. These are not the same as government regions but are based on county court jurisdictions.

	Number
North East	179
North West	208
Midlands	403
South West	169
South East	166
Anglia	158
Croydon/Watford	81
London	409

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