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24 May 2006 : Column 1835W—continued
Leader of the House
Amendments to Legislation
Mr. Amess: To ask the Leader of the House if he will list the occasions when an amendment has been moved by (a) a Labour Back Bencher, (b) an Opposition Back Bencher and (c) an Opposition front bench spokesman to a Bill sponsored by his Department that has been accepted by his Department during the current session; and if he will make a statement. [72102]
Mr. Straw: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons has not sponsored any Bills during the current session.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Amess: To ask the Leader of the House if he will revise the Government’s guidelines for answering parliamentary questions, so that when a Minister replies to an hon. Member’s question that the answer could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost, (a) he will allow hon. Members the option to pay the cost of supplying the information required and (b) he will set out what it would cost to answer the question (i) fully and (ii) partially; and if he will make a statement. [72032]
Mr. Straw: I am happy to receive representation on this issue.
September Sittings
Ben Chapman: To ask the Leader of the House pursuant to his oral answer of 9 May 2006, Official Report, column 168, on September sittings, when he expects to make an announcement regarding the tabling of written parliamentary questions during September. [72940]
Mr. Straw: As my reply on 9 May indicated, I am exploring ways of introducing increased accountability
of the Government to Parliament during the summer adjournment. One possibility would be to resume the practice of September sittings. Failing that it might be possible to introduce a system of allowing the tabling and answering of written questions during a period in September, though this might not now be possible in respect of the current year. The issue remains under consideration within Government.
Small Change Big Difference Campaign
Anne Milton: To ask the Leader of the House what steps his Department has taken following the launch of the Government's “Small Change Big Difference” Campaign. [71999]
Mr. Straw: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons comes within the administrative responsibility of the Privy Council Office. No specific steps have yet been taken by the Department following the publication of this document.
Constitutional Affairs
Amendments to Legislation
Mr. Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will list the occasions when an amendment has been moved by (a) a Labour Back Bencher, (b) an Opposition Back Bencher and (c) an Opposition Front Bench spokesman to a Bill sponsored by her Department that has been accepted by her Department during the current session; and if she will make a statement. [72111]
Vera Baird: My Department has sponsored The Criminal Defence Service Act, The Electoral Administration Bill and The Compensation Bill during the current session.
Information on amendments moved and accepted during the Committee and Report Stage of these Bills is published in the Official Report.
Departmental Expenditure
Mr. Laws: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much has been spent by her Department on media training in each year since 1997-98. [55219]
Vera Baird: The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it from across the Department for Constitutional Affairs, including all courts and judges, would incur disproportionate costs.
Information Commissioner
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what advice the Information Commissioner has provided to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in each of the last three years. [70742]
Bridget Prentice: The Information Commissioner has a general duty under both the Data Protection Act and the Freedom of Information Act to promote the observance of good practice by public authorities and other organisations in compliance with the provisions of both these Acts.
Guidance and advice is made available by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) througha variety of means including the ICO website, presentations by ICO staff at conferences and seminars attended by central Government officials, and by way of the ICO telephone helpline. Advice may also be given to Government Departments by the ICO in the context of specific cases as a result of the Information Commissioner considering complaints under the Data Protection Act and complaints under the Freedom of Information Act. There is no central record of allof these possible interactions with individual Departments.
Information Technology
Chris Huhne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the (a) originally estimated, (b) most recently estimated and (c) out-turn cost was in each of the five largest information technology contracts agreed with outside suppliers over the last five years. [71805]
Bridget Prentice: The Department’s five relevant IT contracts are with: Fujitsu Services; STL; Accenture; Cable and Wireless and Oracle.
(a) The originally estimated costs of these contracts are:
Fujitsu Services (magistrates courts IT systems) was tendered in July 2002 for £232 million over 8.5 years;
STL (magistrates courts IT systems): £38.5 million
Accenture (magistrates courts IT systems): £36 million
Cable and Wireless (for web-hosting): £1.5 million
Oracle—a contract agreement providing licensing for staff to use Oracle software products. Total expenditure since 2003, when the contract was awarded, is £9.7 million.
(b) and (c) all these contracts are ongoing and some will be subject to value for money contract re-negotiation. Therefore out-turn costs do not apply. The current values of each of the contracts are as follows:
Fujitsu Services: £232 million
STL: £38.5 million
Accenture: £36 million
Cable and Wireless: £2.5 million
Press Coverage
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs on how many occasions since 1 April 2003 she has complained to the Press Complaints Commission about the coverage in the press of (a) Ministers or officials and (b) her Department; and how many of these complaints were upheld. [47081]
Vera Baird: Neither I nor my ministerial colleagues have made any complaints to the Press Complaints Commission since April 2003.
Cabinet Office
Disability Access
David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether any building in her Department falls short of disability access regulations. [73045]
Mr. McFadden: All Cabinet Office buildings, with one exception, are compliant with Disability Access Regulations. The non compliant building is due to be vacated later this year.
E-Government
Margaret Moran: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which Departments have not implemented the e-Government Interoperability Framework standards; and when each such Department is expected to have done so. [72506]
Mr. McFadden: The provisions of the e-Government Interoperability Framework apply to individual information technology systems. Data on which systems have complied with the framework standards are not held centrally. The guidance for conducting an Office of Government Commerce Gateway Review 1 (Business Justification) stipulates that for new IT-related projects there should be evidence of compliance with the Framework.
It is established policy that Departments only need make their existing systems compliant when updating, enhancing or replacing these systems. Full compliance by an entire Department therefore depends on the eventual replacement or upgrade of all their systems.
National Youth Volunteering Service
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchyof Lancaster how many times the board of the National Youth Volunteering Service has met since it was established. [70754]
Edward Miliband [holding answer 12 May 2006]: The new charity v, was launched on 8 May 2006. The board of trustees met informally on 10 April 2006 and holds its first official meeting on 12 June 2006.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on what date Rod Aldridge commenced his duties as chairman of the National Youth Volunteering Service; how much he is paid as chairman; and how many days each week he will spend on his duties. [70758]
Edward Miliband [holding answer 12 May 2006]: Rod Aldridge commenced his duties as chairman of v on 3 April 2006. The post of chairman is unpaid and is expected to involve a commitment of around two days a month. Since 3 April, the chairman has spent approximately three working days on business for v.
Tatenhill Airfield Planning Application
Mrs. Dean: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps she is taking to ensure effective and timely consultation with local communities on current planning application (CR/20723/010) for the development of Tatenhill airfield. [70665]
Hilary Armstrong: The Duchy is committed to the regeneration and extension of Tatenhill airfield.
The current planning application was made following a public enquiry into the Draft Local Plan for East Staffordshire borough council in 2005 and the subsequent Planning Inspector's Report in spring 2006 which accepted the Duchy's policy.
No objections to the proposals were submitted during the enquiry and the local authority has agreed to adopt all the recommendations of the inspector within the Local Plan, including those relating to Tatenhill airfield.
Mr. Clarke, the Chief Executive of the Duchy, has met with the local planning authority and attended the annual general meeting of the Tatenhill parish council to explain what was proposed and answer queries. A public statement outlining the proposal was also issued to the planning authority in a supplementary planning statement, which was circulated to all parish councils in the area.
Deputy Prime Minister
China Task Force
Mr. Hands: To ask the Deputy Prime Ministerwhat resources are available to him in his role as head of the China Task Force to facilitate discussion in (a) Mandarin and (b) Cantonese with Chinese interlocutors; and if he will make a statement. [71209]
The Deputy Prime Minister: Interpretation services for meetings with the Chinese Government in my role as chair of the China Task Force are provided either by the Chinese Government or by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and British embassy in China.
Mr. Hands: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will encourage senior officials supporting the work of the China Task Force to learn (a) Mandarin and (b) Cantonese. [71210]
The Deputy Prime Minister: Interpretation services for my meetings with the Chinese Government in my role as chair of the China Task Force are provided either by the Chinese Government or by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and British embassy in China.
While it is not part of my specific role as chair of the China Task Force to encourage senior officials to study languages, deepening ties with China in the field of education is a theme of the China Task Force. This includes looking at mechanisms for Chinese students to study in the UK, and British students to study Chinese and visit China. I fully support more British students choosing to study Cantonese and Mandarin. The work of the task force is supported by Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials, many of whom are proficient in languages relevant to the duties I am required to undertake as chair.
Departmental Staff
Derek Conway: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many civil servants are allocated to work in his ministerial private office; whether he was involved in (a) their appointment and (b) the allocation of duties to those staff; and if he will make a statement. [67796]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Reading, East (Mr. Wilson) and my hon. Friend the Member for South Swindon (Anne Snelgrove) in the House on17 May 2006, Official Report, columns 979-80.
Dorneywood
Norman Baker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the use of Dorneywood by his close personal friends. [67353]
The Deputy Prime Minister [holding answer 2 May 2006]: Use of Dorneywood is governed by the terms of the charitable trust, established in 1942, which owns the property. All previous residents have been required to abide by the terms of the trust, and I have fully done this. Since Dorneywood is a charitable trust, there is no cost to the public purse.
Ministerial Anniversary
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he plans to commemorate his anniversary of 10 years as Deputy Prime Minister. [66225]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I fully intend to mark my 10 years as Deputy Prime Minister at the appropriate time.
In the nine years that I have been Deputy Prime Minister, we have seen over 2 million more jobs created, record investment in our public services, a doubling of the investment in housing, over a million social homes made decent, an increase in the green belt of 26,000 hectares, an increase in the percentage of development on brownfield sites from 57 per cent. in 1997 to 72 per cent. now, the establishment of the right to roam, announcing the establishment of two new national parks, an increase in the UK registered shipping fleet to 12.1 million tonnes in 2004 compared to 3.4 million tonnes in 1997, the successful negotiation of the Kyoto environmental protocol and the achievement of our commitment to reduce UK greenhouse gas emissions
to 12.5 per cent. below 1990 levels several years ahead of target, the renegotiation of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link that is now being delivered on time and on budget and the first new major rail line in the UK for over a century, a £180 billion transport investment programme; which has led to large increases in the use of public transport, cleaner drinking water and a reduction in water leakages since 1997, and an increase in funding to local government of 39 per cent. since 1997, compared to a real terms cut of 7 per cent. in the last four years of the previous Administration, to mention but a few of our achievements.
A lot done, and a lot to do and I look forward to adding to this list between now and the 10th anniversary of holding the office of Deputy Prime Minister.
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