| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
20 Jan 2006 : Column 1639W—continued
NORTHERN IRELAND
Department for Rural Development
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will break down the Department for Rural Development's Roads Service Budget for 2006–07 by main budget heading. [44059]
Mr. Woodward: The chief executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin, dated 19 January 2006:
You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a parliamentary question regarding the break down of the Department for Rural Development's Roads Service Budget for 2006–07 by main budget heading. I have been asked to reply as these issues fall within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service, an agency within the Department for Regional Development.
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Admin | 76.0 |
| Other resource | 93.9 |
| Capital | 107.9 |
It should be noted however, that these amounts are subject to amendment as a result of the in-year budget monitoring rounds, which form part of the public expenditure process.
Departmental Vehicles
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cars are (a) owned and (b) leased by his Department; what models the cars are; what type of petrol each model requires; and what the fuel efficiency is of each model. [41349]
Mr. Hain: The information requested is as follows:
| Model | Petrol | Fuel efficiency mpg |
|---|---|---|
| Ford Mondeo | Unleaded | 36.4 |
| Vauxhall Vectra | Unleaded | 37.2 |
| Vauxhall Omega | Unleaded | 23.2 |
| Vauxhall Combo Van | Diesel | 53.4 |
20 Jan 2006 : Column 1640W
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Coercive Abortion
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government have taken during its G8 and EU presidencies to tackle coercive abortion; and if he will make a statement. [41762]
Mr. Thomas: Our presidencies of the G8 and the EU delivered significant results for development and for increasing assistance for health. We did not focus on tackling coercive abortion. Our policies and work on reproductive health, and our support to organisations such as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and International Planned Parenthood Foundation (IPPF), are about promoting choice and challenging coercive abortion. UK officials have raised the issue bilaterally in appropriate circumstances.
Departmental Expenditure
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the annual expenditure on vehicles 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. [40000]
Mr. Thomas: For details of expenditure on Ministerial vehicles provided to the Department by the Government Car and Despatch Agency I refer the hon. Member to the letter of 20 December 2005 from the Chief Executive of the Government Car and Despatch Agency to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker). Copies of this letter are available in the Library.
One other vehicle is leased by DFID in London, for which the costs (including the driver) are as follows:
20 Jan 2006 : Column 1641W
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 0 |
| 2003–04 | 0 |
| 2004–05 | 48,000 |
| 2005–06 | (10)48,000 |
(10) estimated
Information on expenditure on vehicles overseas is not held centrally and cannot be obtained without incurring a disproportionate cost.
There are no non-departmental public bodies (NDPB)s or agencies for which DFID is responsible. Our one other public body, CDC Group PLC, based in London, incurred no expenditure on vehicles over this period.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was spent by his Department on refreshments in each year since 1997. [41245]
Mr. Thomas: The amounts spent by DFID on refreshments (including working lunches, and refreshments at meetings) is as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 10,000 |
| 1997–98 | 24,000 |
| 1998–99 | 43,000 |
| 1999–2000 | 62,000 |
| 2000–01 | 48,000 |
| 2001–02 | 55,000 |
| 2002–03 | 82,000 |
| 2003–04 | 219,000 |
| 2004–05 | 303,000 |
| 2005–06 | 253,000 |
Expenditure is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in "Government Accounting".
In 2003–04, DFID introduced new procedures to draw together administration costs, including those entertainment costs which had previously been recorded on country programme budgets. These changes have improved transparency and management of administration costs, but mean that figures from 2003–04 now include entertainment costs that were previously funded by country programmes and as a result are not comparable with earlier years.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many (a) laptops and (b) mobile phones his Department bought in each year since 1997; and what the cost of each category of equipment was in each year. [41266]
Mr. Thomas: The numbers and cost of laptops and UK mobile phones purchased by DFID in each financial year since 1997 was as follows:
20 Jan 2006 : Column 1642W
The cost of laptops, and the number and cost of mobile phones, in the year before 1999 could not be obtained without incurring a disproportionate cost.
Mobile phones are purchased locally at each DFID office. The figures in the table show the number of mobile phones on the UK contracts. The numbers at each overseas office cannot be provided without incurring a disproportionate cost.
DFID has made a substantial investment in laptop computers and mobile phones in the last three years as part of a structured move to new ways of working. Over half of DFID's staff now use a laptop instead of a desktop computer. This enables staff to work while travelling, and from DFID offices and other locations away from their normal base.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on IT systems in each year since 1997; what the purpose of each system is; what the outturn against planned expenditure of each system was; and what the (a) planned and (b) actual date of completion was of each system. [41325]
Mr. Thomas: DFID has let three major IT contracts since 1997.
The Human Resources (HR) system had a projected supplier cost at tender of £1.18 million and was due to be implemented in 30 months. The first four modules were implemented in 36 months at a total supplier cost of £1.22 million. The HR system project was superseded by an HR Transformation project which aims to radically change the way HR services are delivered and improve people management. The HR Transformation project is primarily a business change project but includes the remaining modules of the HR system project and a number of small IT components. This project is currently on track to deliver to time and budget.
The Quest Electronic Document and Record Management system had a projected supplier base cost at tender of £8.98 million and was due to be implemented in 24 months. The Quest project is currently on track to deliver in 27 months. The projected total supplier cost is £10.76 million. This includes a number of additional cost options available under the original contract.
The Aries Finance, Procurement and Reporting System, had a projected base supplier cost at tender of £11 million and is due to be implemented in 36 months. A number of additional cost options are available under the contract. The Aries project is currently on track to deliver to time and budget.
20 Jan 2006 : Column 1643W
DFID has also let a number of small IT related contracts. However, our central records do not distinguish IT contracts, so provision of details for these contracts would incur disproportionate costs.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |