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17 Jan 2006 : Column 1243W—continued
Women's Pensions
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received about improving the pension provision of women who have stayed at home to bring up their children; and if he will make a statement. [34433]
Mr. Timms: The Department for Work and Pensions has received representations from a range of stakeholders such as the Equal Opportunities Commission, the Trades Union Congress, Age Concern and the Fawcett Society on ways to improve the pension position of women.
Ministers have also met with hon. and learned Members with a specific interest in the subject of women's pensions.
We will be assessing all proposals against our five key tests to ensure they are fair, affordable, simple, sustainable and promote personal responsibility. We will keep an open mind, not ruling anything in or out at this time and then come back to the House in the spring with our proposals.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Administrative Costs
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total administration costs of his core Department were in the last period for which figures are available; and whether these are regarded as (a) identifiable and (b) non-identifiable for the purposes of public expenditure statistical analyses. [39842]
Alan Johnson: Total administrative costs for the core Department for 2004–05 were £308 million. Of these £306.6 million are regarded as non-identifiable, and £1.4 million as identifiable, for the purposes of the country and regional analysis exercise, which is published in chapter 8 of the public expenditure statistical analyses.
Bus Services
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will ask the Office of Fair Trading to investigate bus service provision at district council level in metropolitan districts and larger unitary district councils. [41845]
Mr. Sutcliffe: It is for the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), as the UK's independent competition authority, to decide whether to investigate competition issues. If anyone has any evidence of anti-competitive behaviour or market failure in bus service provision they should inform the OFT directly.
Civil Servants
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many and what proportion of each civil service grade in his Department is located in each(a) region and (b) nation of the UK; what the average salary is for each grade; and if he will make a statement. [35924]
17 Jan 2006 : Column 1244W
Alan Johnson: My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Cabinet Office will write to the hon. Member with details for the civil service of the percentage of staff in post by region and grade responsibility and the median salary of staff in post by region and grade responsibility as at 1 April 2004. Copies of his letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Correspondence
Mr. Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the hon. Member for Walsall North will receive a reply to his letter of 2 November sent to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and transferred to his Department. [36229]
Alan Johnson [holding answer 12 December 2005]: The letter from my hon. Friend was not a matter for the DTI and was transferred to the Department for Transport for reply on 6 December.
Credit Card Charges
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Government will introduce legislation preventing credit card companies sending out credit card statements which are received by customers too late for customers to avoid incurring late penalty charges and interest; and if he will make a statement. [41176]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Government have no plans to legislate on this matter. However, in 2004 the Department made regulations that require lenders to give consumers clear information about the key features of credit products before and at the time the agreement is made, including the way in which interest is treated and on default charges. This will help consumers to understand credit products better, shop around for better products and increase competition among UK credit providers.
The Consumer Credit Bill will further improve consumer rights by giving them more effective options to challenge unfairness in credit relationships and to resolve disputes with lenders. It will also improve the powers of the Office of Fair Trading to take action against lenders who exploit or harm consumers.
Damages
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2005, Official Report, column 1006W, on damages, if he will make a statement on each case to which he refers. [37353]
Alan Johnson: All of the cases listed in my answer of 5 December 2005, Official Report, column 1006W, involved settlements with individual members of staff. It is not my Department's policy to provide confidential information relating to the circumstances of each claim from which employees are or might be identified.
Departmental Conferences
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what financial provision his Department has made for branded (a) conference bags, (b) plastic carrier bags and (c) pens for distribution at conferences held by his Department in each of the last three years. [38877]
17 Jan 2006 : Column 1245W
Alan Johnson: The purchase of promotional items of this nature is done on an individual basis for each particular campaign or conference. Therefore, no budgetary provisions are made exclusively for these specific items but they are considered as part of the wider marketing mix.
Departmental Estate
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the former (a) buildings and (b) land of (i) his Department and (ii) (A) non-departmental public bodies, (B) agencies and (C) independent statutory bodies for which his Department is responsible which have been sold since 7 May 1997; what the sale price of each (1) was at the time of sale and (2) is at current prices; and whether the money accrued was (x) retained by his Department and (y) claimed by the Treasury. [40144]
Alan Johnson: There have been no sales of land or buildings on the DTI HQ estate since 1997 based on our office records. Such information on non departmental public bodies and other public bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what (a) land and (b) property his Department owns in Southend West constituency. [41758]
Alan Johnson: The DTI administrative estate does not include any land or property in the Southend West constituency.
Departmental Expenditure
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much the Department and its agencies have spent on (a) the design and production of new logos and (b) employing external (i) public relations and (ii) graphic design agencies in each year since 2000, broken down by project. [33224]
Alan Johnson: A comprehensive list of all projects is not held centrally and to do so could be done only at disproportionate cost. However, we can supply the following:
(a) Design and production of new logos
On identity development and design guidelines towards the rationalisation around the single DTI logo:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 450,000 |
| 2003–04 | 100,000 |
| 2004–05 | 10,000 |
| £ | |
|---|---|
| The re-branding of British Trade International (BTI) to UK Trade and Investment (UKTI): | |
| 2003 | 600,000 |
| The proposal to change the name of the DTI: | |
| 2005 | 30,000 |
17 Jan 2006 : Column 1246W
Information provided from COI shows that the DTI spent the following amounts on:
Accurate figures are not able to be supplied as budgets for this type of expenditure are not held centrally. To do so would exceed disproportionate costs.
Letter from Claire Clancy, dated 17 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.
| £ | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0 | |
| 2001 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 5,000 | Re-branding project |
| 2003 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 530 | Icon for PROOF" (new product) |
| 2005 | 6,500 | Icons for My Companies House" |
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 2000 | n/a |
| 2001 | n/a |
| 2002 | 8,000 |
| 2003 | 9,000 |
| 2004 | 9,912 |
| 2005 | 9,963 |
n/a – not available
17 Jan 2006 : Column 1247W
Letter from Jeanne Spinks, dated 17 January 2006:
You asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the Department and its agencies have spent on (a) the design and production of new logos and (b) employing external (i) public relations and (ii) graphic design agencies in each year since 2000, broken down by project. I have been asked to reply in respect of the Employment Tribunals Service (ETS) which is an executive agency of the DTI.
(b) (ii) Since 2000 the Employment Tribunals Service have spent the following employing external graphic design agencies—£44,328
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 15,514 |
| 2001–02 | 4,560 |
| 2002–03 | 4,358 |
| 2003–04 | 5,396 |
| 2004–05 | 7,970 |
| 2005–06 | 6,530 |
Letter from Ron Marchant, dated 17 January 2006:
I am responding to this parliamentary question, tabled on 25 November 2005, regarding what the Department and its agencies have spent on (a) the design and production of new logos and (b) employing external (i) public relations and (ii) graphic design agencies in each year since 2000, broken down by project.
Figures for 2000–01 and 2001–02 are not readily available and could not be prepared within the deadline set.
Letter from Desmond Flynn, dated 17 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 (2054/2005) asking what the Department and its agencies have spent on (a) the design and production of new logos and (b) employing external (i) public relations and (ii) graphic design agencies in each year since 2000, broken down by project.
The Insolvency Service has not spent any money on the design and production of new logos or employing external public relations companies each financial year from 2000 to date.
Letter from Martin Birdseye, dated 17 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 what the Department and its Agencies have spent on (a) the design and production of new logos and (b) employing external (i) public relations and (ii) graphic design agencies in each year since 2000, broken down by project.
n/a = not available.
(8) NWML spent £300 in July 2005 developing a logo for a new service in respect of the enforcement of the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS) Regulations.
(9) These costs include design for posters for exhibitions, exhibition panels, a biannual corporate newsletter sent to customers, design for leaflets and brochures, design for a CD cover for the NWML video, and design for the Annual Report and Accounts. In 2005–06, NWML has spent £3k YTD.
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the annual expenditure on training and development by (a) his Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body, (ii) executive agency and (iii) other public body for which he 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. [39992]
Alan Johnson: The following table shows the core DTFs expenditure on training and development in each of the last three financial years.
| Amount (£ million) | |
|---|---|
| 2004–05 | 5 |
| 2003–04 | 4.5 |
| 2002–03 | 5.04 |
17 Jan 2006 : Column 1249W
The Department of Trade and Industry is expected to spend £5 million on training and development in period 2005–06. This figure is for core DTI only. The other organisations—NDPBs, executive agencies etc.—have devolved training and development budgets and the cost of collecting this information would be disproportionate.
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the annual expenditure on (a) fixtures and fittings, (b) general office expenses and (c) office equipment was of (i) his Department and (ii) each (A) non-departmental public body, (B) executive agency and (C) other public body for which his Department is responsible in (1) Scotland, (2) Wales, (3) each of the English regions and (4) Northern Ireland in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06 in each case. [40108]
Alan Johnson: Information on these expenditure items within the DTI HQ estate is not available by location and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Such information on non departmental public bodies and other public bodies is not held centrally and again could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much his Department spent on bottled water in 2004–05. [40325]
Alan Johnson: Any costs associated with the provision of bottled water are not separately identified but such facilities are not standard within the DTI HQ buildings.
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