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Written Answers to Questions

Tuesday 17 January 2006

CABINET OFFICE

Public Appointments

23. Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many current public appointments are fixed term and non-renewable. [42337]

Mr. Jim Murphy: The information is not held centrally. Individual Departments are responsible for setting the terms and conditions for their own appointments. Ministerial appointments to public bodies within the Commissioner for Public Appointments' remit are subject to maximum period of appointment of 10 years to the same board. This is set out in the Commissioner's Code of Practice.

Civil Service

24. Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps the Government have taken to increase diversity in the civil service; and what progress has been made. [42338]

Mr. Jim Murphy: The civil service has made good progress towards increasing diversity, including at senior levels. But there is still more work to do: the Cabinet Office launched a new Diversity 10 Point Plan. Its aim is to build on progress so far to deliver a civil service truly representative of society.

Government Policy

25. Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what role his Department has in improving the strategic coherence of Government policy. [42339]

Mr. Jim Murphy: The Cabinet Office co-ordinates policy and operations across Government through the secretariats and the Government Communication Unit.

Under its objectives the Cabinet Office seeks to improve delivery by building capacity in Departments and the public services through the Delivery and Reform Group.

Special Advisers

26. Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the number and role of special advisers in central Government Departments. [42340]

Mr. Jim Murphy: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 21 July 2005, Official Report, columns 158–62WS.
 
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Regulations

27. Mr. Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement about the progress his Department is making on reforming regulations. [42341]

Mr. Jim Murphy: We are on track to deliver the radical programme of regulatory reform set out in the March 2005 Budget.

The Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill was introduced on 11 January. The Bill will make it quicker and easier to reform out-dated, unnecessary or over-complicated legislation and help bring about a risk-based approach to regulation. Both the administrative burdens measurement project and the simplification programmes are on track, as is the rationalisation of a number of regulators in the public and private sectors.

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agricultural Subsidies

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will consult hon. Members on agricultural subsidies before attending World Trade Organisation talks in Hong Kong. [35176]

Jim Knight: The European Commission has competency for trade negotiations and negotiates within a mandate given to them by the EU member states. The Commission therefore negotiated on behalf of the EU at the World Trade Organisation talks in Hong Kong.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry reported to hon. Members on the whole of the Doha Development Agenda (of which agricultural subsidies is one part) straight after the WTO ministerial conference.

The Government's overall, long-term approach to agricultural subsidies was published in December 2005 and copies have been deposited in the Libraries of both Houses. The aim of this vision paper is to stimulate a full debate with stakeholders within the UK and across Europe on the future of the CAP.

Catering/Entertainment Contracts

Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total value is of (a) catering and (b) entertainment contracts let by her Department; and what value of such contracts has been let in each nation and region of the United Kingdom, including London. [37469]

Jim Knight: From information held centrally, the total value of expenditure by core-Defra on catering contracts in financial year 2004–05 was £281,413; on hospitality was £370,544; and on conference facilities was £1,105,762. The expenditure figures for catering contracts, hospitality and conference facilities for the first six months of financial year 2005–06 are £494,864, £208,394 and £354,162 respectively.

The Department would incur disproportionate costs in breaking down the figures above to each nation and region of the United Kingdom, and London, requested by the
 
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hon. Member. The Department does not hold centrally the requested expenditure information pertaining to its executive agencies, non-departmental public bodies, independent statutory bodies, organisations and bodies financially sponsored by the Department.

Chimpanzee Shooting (Malton)

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the circumstances were surrounding the shooting of a chimpanzee near Malton in December 2005; upon whose authority the animal was shot; by whom; for what reason; and if she will make a statement. [42365]

Jim Knight: My Department has no direct role in decisions regarding the shooting of escaped zoo animals. Zoos are regulated by means of a licensing and inspection regime administered by local authorities. Ryedale district council is responsible for licensing Flamingo Land Zoo where this incident took place. They have notified my Department that they are looking into this issue and considering whether to undertake a special inspection of the zoo.

Climate Change

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received on the outcome of the Montreal climate change talks. [40620]

Mr. Morley: There have been no representations to the Secretary of State on the outcomes of the Montreal climate talks. The outcomes of the conference were highly significant; Kyoto parties agreed to launch a process for agreeing new greenhouse gas targets beyond 2012; all parties agreed to review the framework convention with a view to ensuring a truly global effort to tackle climate change; the protocol was strengthened by the adoption of the Marrakech Accords, compliance mechanism and greater support for the Kyoto mechanisms; and progress was made on support for developing countries.

Departmental Expenditure

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent on external consultants and advisers by (a) her Department, (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which her Department is responsible and (c) each independent statutory body, organisation and body financially sponsored by her Department in each year since May 1997. [39074]

Jim Knight: The Department came into being in July 2001 and the information could be provided only at disproportionate cost as Defra does not hold information centrally identifying expenditure on external consultants and advisers by the Department, and each of its non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, independent statutory bodies, organisations and bodies financially sponsored by the Department in each year since 1997.
 
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I refer the hon. Member to the answers given on 13 June 2005, Official Report, columns 36–37W, and on 21 July 2005, Official Report, columns 1962–63W to my hon. Friend the Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell).

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the annual expenditure on training and development by (a) her Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body, (ii) executive agency and (iii) other public body for which she is responsible in (A) Scotland, (B) Wales, (C) each of the English regions and (D) Northern Ireland was in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06. [39968]

Jim Knight: The Department's central Learning and Development team arranges and centrally funds non-specialist corporate learning and development opportunities (including Management and Leadership courses, Departmental and personal development programmes and Communication skills,) for staff in the core Department and two of its executive Agencies—Pesticides Safety Directorate and Veterinary Medicines Directorate.

Each business area within the Department also holds its own devolved learning and development budget which it uses to fund locally arranged, mostly specialist training, for its staff. Similarly, each non-departmental public body and executive Agency for which the Department is responsible, holds an annual learning and development budget which it uses to fund both specialist and non-specialist training for its staff.

The Department does not currently hold central information on the annual expenditure on locally funded learning and development within the different business areas of the Department. Neither does it hold information on the annual expenditure on learning and development in the non-departmental public bodies or executive Agencies.

The figures in the following table refer only to the annual expenditure on centrally funded corporate courses, departmental and personal development schemes, for staff in the core Department, PSD and VMD, arranged by the Department's central Learning and Development team.

	Annual expenditure (£)
2002–03	1,458,674
2003–04	2,525,656
2004–05	3,578,222
2005–06 planned	2,813,000

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