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19 Jun 2006 : Column 1612W—continued
Young Athletes
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to ensure that sufficient facilities exist in West Yorkshire (a) for the coaching of young athletes and (b) where such athletes can train and compete. [77681]
Mr. Caborn: The Government have, through a number of programmes, made substantial investment into the provision of facilities in West Yorkshire for young athletes. The investments include;
£27,571,000 through the New Opportunities Fund School programme.
£2,659,007 through the Community Club Development Programme.
£1,418,900 through the Community Sports Coaches Scheme, with a further £1 million of partnership funding, which has helped to appoint 74 community coaches in West Yorkshire.
£20,000 into the Step into Sport programme through West Yorkshire Sport.
Prime Minister
Black/Asian Employees
Keith Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister how many (a) black and Asian and (b) other people are employed in his press office. [74349]
The Prime Minister: For these purposes my Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Mr. McFadden) today.
Departmental Chief Accounting Officer
Chris Huhne: To ask the Prime Minister what the (a) name, (b) professional and academic qualifications and (c) relevant experience are of the chief accounting officer of his Office. [76710]
The Prime Minister: For accounting purposes my office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Hilary Armstrong) today.
Departmental Staff
David Simpson: To ask the Prime Minister how many of his staff are (a) under and (b) over 55 years of age. [77317]
The Prime Minister: For these purposes my Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Mr. McFadden) today.
David Simpson: To ask the Prime Minister how many people over the age of 55 years have been recruited by his Office in each of the last three years. [77318]
The Prime Minister: For these purposes my Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Mr. McFadden) today.
Dorneywood Trust Deed
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of the 1942 Dorneywood Trust Deed. [78415]
The Prime Minister: Copies of the Trust agreement are available in the Library in the House.
Health Service Statistics
Mr. Harper: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the oral answer of 24 May 2006, Official Report, column 1477, what geographical area he referred to when giving statistics for health services. [77069]
The Prime Minister: The geographical area referred to was the Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area. My answer included work force figures for Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA and the new mental health service at the Gloucestershire Partnership National Health Service Trust.
House of Lords (Nominations)
Mr. Mudie:
To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 5 June 2006, Official Report, columns
118-19W, on House of Lords nominations, how many of the 4,090 people nominated for a non-party peerage were interviewed; and whether the Commission's undertakings on confidentiality and the principles of the Data Protection Act 1998 applied to the process extend to the names of those nominated. [76601]
The Prime Minister: This is a matter for the House of Lords Appointments Commission.
Meetings (Back Benchers)
Bob Russell: To ask the Prime Minister if he will offer to all Back-Bench hon. Members individual private meetings following his slot for oral questions. [78213]
The Prime Minister: I meet, when appropriate, hon. Members of all parties at a time of mutual convenience.
Social Exclusion
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Prime Minister which Government Minister is responsible for tackling social exclusion; and in which Government Department the civil servants responsible for this issue are located. [78266]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the press notice on Machinery of Government Changes issued by my Office on 5 May, a copy of which is available on the Number 10 website. I also refer the hon. Member to the press notice on Social Exclusion issued by the Cabinet Office on 13 June, a copy of which is available on the Cabinet Office website. Copies of both press notices have also been placed in the Library of the House.
Special Envoys
Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister which individuals have acted for him as Special Envoys since May 2005; what their function was in each case; and which countries each has visited. [76286]
The Prime Minister: In his capacity as Special Envoy to Afghanistan, Lieutenant-General John McColl helped coordinate high-level dialogue between President Karzai and me. Lieutenant McColl visited Afghanistan in his capacity as Special Envoy.
My right hon. Friend the Member for Cynon Valley (Ann Clwyd) is a Special Envoy on Human Rights in Iraq. My right hon. Friend has visited Belgium, Iraq and the United States since May 2005, to report back to me on developments regarding human rights issues in Iraq, as well as raising issues with Iraqi and international interlocutors.
My noble Friend right hon. Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean is a Special Envoy to the Two Kingdoms Dialogue (UK-Saudi Arabia), reporting to my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary. My noble Friend accompanied the then Foreign Secretary my right hon.
Friend the Member for Blackburn (Mr. Straw) to Riyadh in April 2006 and co-chaired the one-day Two Kingdoms Dialogue conference. In October 2005 I also appointed my noble Friend as my Special Representative to assist the Government's efforts to conclude Memoranda of Understanding, and associated arrangements, to facilitate the deportation from the UK of foreign nationals who represent a threat to the national security or whose presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good, with a number of Middle East and North African countries.
In his capacity as my special representative to the Sultan of Brunei, Lord Powell of Bayswater undertakes meetings to discuss a wide range of matters of bilateral interest as well as regional and international issues.
In respect of Lord Levy I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 17 March 2006, Official Report, Columns 2581- 82W.
Veterans' Day
Mr. Harper: To ask the Prime Minister what events he will be hosting in Downing Street on Veterans' Day in celebration of veterans; and to which (a) individuals, (b) groups and (c) hon. and right hon. Members invitations to such events have been extended. [77530]
The Prime Minister: I will be holding a reception at Downing Street to mark Veterans' Day. Representatives from nearly 40 Veterans associations, along with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. Browne), my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr. Brown) and my hon. Friend the Minister for Veterans (Mr. Watson) have been invited. Those attending the reception have been selected to represent as broad a range of veterans' experience, service and age as possible.
Deputy Prime Minister
Ministerial Residences
Mrs. May: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many staff work in his official residences. [71073]
The Deputy Prime Minister: None.
Duchy of Lancaster
Black/Asian Employees
Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many (a) black and Asian and (b) other people are employed in her Department's press office. [74364]
Mr. McFadden: Information on ethnicity is collected on a voluntary basis.
Where the information requested results in a figure of five or less these figures are not released as disclosure could lead to the identification of the people involved.
Unfortunately, on this occasion, I am unable to provide the information.
Departmental Chief Accounting Officer
Chris Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the (a) name, (b) professional and academic qualifications and (c) relevant experience are of the Chief Accounting Officer of her Department. [76817]
Hilary Armstrong: The Accounting Officer for the Cabinet Office is the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Gus O’Donnell KCB.
Sir Gus has a first class honours degree in economics from the University of Warwick and an M. Phil in economics from Nuffield College, Oxford. These courses covered a wide range of subjects, including accountancy. He also worked as a research assistant on a project to show the impact of various methods of adjusting companies’ financial accounts to allow for the effects of inflation. He then spent four years lecturing in economics and econometrics at the University of Glasgow.
Sir Gus has served as permanent secretary to HM Treasury (2002 to 2005), Managing Director, Macroeconomic Policy and International Finance (1999 to 2002) and as Director of Macroeconomic Policy and Prospects (1998 to 1999). He has also worked as the UK’s executive director to the IMF and World Bank (1997 to 1998) and as Head of the Government Economics Service, the UK’s largest employer of professional economists (1998 to 2003). He has undertaken training throughout his career in a wide variety of subjects, including management and leadership.
Accounting Officer is a role that the permanent secretary combines with his/her personal responsibility for the overall organisation, management and staffing of the Department and for Department-wide procedures in financial and other matters. The Accounting Officer is assisted in the discharge of these duties by suitably qualified and experienced senior managers.
Departmental Staff
David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many of her staff are (a) under and (b) over 55 years of age. [77269]
Mr. McFadden: As at 31 December 2005, there were 1,821 staff employed by the department. Of these 1,590 staff were under age 55 and 231 were age 55 or over.
David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people over the age of 55 years have been recruited into her Department in each of the last three years. [77270]
Mr. McFadden: The number of people over the age of 55 years recruited into the Department in each of the last three years are shown in the table.
| Number of staff | |
Foreign Travel
Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much was spent on foreign travel by her Department in each of the last eight years. [76053]
Hilary Armstrong: The Cabinet Office Resource Accounting System does not hold information on overseas travel by officials detailed to the level that is required to answer this question, and it could be answered only at disproportionate cost.
Since 1999 the Government have published, on an annual basis, the total costs of all ministerial overseas travel and a list of all visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500. This information is available in the Library. Information for the financial year 2004-05 was published on 21 July 2005, Official Report, column 158WS. Information for the financial year 2005-06 is in the process of being collated and will be published shortly.
All foreign travel under taken by Ministers and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code.
Illegal Immigrants
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many illegal immigrants have been discovered to be employed by her Department in each year since 2001; in what capacities they were employed; how many were discovered as part of a criminal investigation; and what the nature was of the charges brought against them. [73953]
Mr. McFadden: No illegal immigrants have been employed directly by the Department.
Legislation
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) which Government Bills sponsored by her Department are still to be introduced during the current Session; and when, and into which House, each will be introduced; [77500]
(2) what plans she has for legislation in the next Session of Parliament; and if she will make a statement. [77501]
Hilary Armstrong: I refer the hon. Member to the response given by my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House of Commons on 16 June 2006, Official Report, column 1431W.
Staff Absenteeism
Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many working days were lost to her Department and its executive agencies in each year since 1997 due to staff absenteeism, expressed as the average annual number of absent days per employee; and what the estimated total cost to her Department and its agencies of absenteeism was in each year. [77256]
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