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3 July 2006 : Column 819W—continued
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2006, Official Report, column 2109W, on waiting times, how many (a) English and (b) Welsh patients had been waiting more than six months for an NHS in-patient operation at English hospitals at the end of April 2006. [82219]
Andy Burnham: The table provides details of the number of patients who have been waiting more than six months for in-patient admission within English national health service provider trusts at the end of April 2006. The data is split down to show patient nationality.
| Number of patients | |
Duchy of Lancaster
Central Office of Information
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, pursuant to the written statement of 22 May 2006, Official Report, column 97WS, on Central Office of Information for performance targets 2006-07, which official is responsible for progress on each of the targets; to whom each person reports; what recent discussions she has had about implementation of each target; what contingency plans are in place in the event that any target is not met; and if she will make a statement. [81174]
Mr. McFadden: Alan Bishop, the chief executive of the Central Office of Information (COI) is responsible for progress on each of the targets and he reports to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
The targets to be set were discussed between myself and Mr. Bishop, in the context of COI's business planning for 2006-07.
Mr. Bishop, together with the management board that he has appointed, reviews progress against the
targets on a regular (at least monthly) basis and implements corrective action, should it be needed.
Mr. Bishop reports progress to me during regular meetings.
Departmental Publications
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what draft Bills have been produced by her Department since October 2005; how many were (a) examined and (b) are planned to be examined by (i) a departmental Select Committee and (ii) a Joint Committee; what draft Bills are still to be produced by her Department; when they are to be published; how many clauses each has; and if she will make a statement. [81255]
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if she will list deposited papers placed in the Library by her Department since 2000; and when each was published. [81258]
Hilary Armstrong: This information is not collected.
Departmental Staff
David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2005, Official Report, column 545W, on departmental staff, why information on the number of staff whose performance has been assessed as unsatisfactory is not available for periods before 1 June 2005. [80759]
Mr. McFadden: On 1 June 2005 the Department established a central database to record all types of personal cases including those staff whose performance had been assessed as unsatisfactory.
Central records prior to that date only show the number of staff who were dismissed owing to unsatisfactory performance. It did not record those unsatisfactory performers who improved and subsequently reached a satisfactory standard.
GovNet Expo 2006
Mr. Gummer: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the cost is to her Department of supporting GovNet Expo 2006. [79219]
Mr. McFadden: The National School of Government will be exhibiting at the event at a cost of £6,000 and VAT.
Speakers from the Cabinet Office and the National School of Government will also be participating in the event at no cost.
Ministerial Responsibilities
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what responsibility she has for (a) communities, (b) civic renewal and (c) the Respect agenda. [78296]
Hilary Armstrong:
As the Minister for dealing with social exclusion in the Cabinet Office, I have a strategic role in overseeing Government activity and supporting other Departments across all these areas. This is in the
context of tackling persistent social exclusion and delivering social justice, which is an over-arching challenge facing Government and cuts across the boundaries of any individual Department.
I am chairing a new Cabinet Committee on Social Exclusion and will be supported by a new Social Exclusion Task Force in the Cabinet Office. Under these auspices the Government will publish an action plan in the autumn setting out policies to reach the most excluded people in society, which will be driven forward by the Task Force.
The Task Force will support the work of the Home Office Respect Unit in delivering the cross-Government Respect agenda, and will complement the leading role of the Department for Communities and Local Government in delivering policies around civil renewal and community cohesion.
A new Office of the Third Sector is being set up in the Cabinet Office, led by, the Parliamentary Secretary, my hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster, North (Edward Miliband), reporting to me. This draws together different parts of Whitehall that deal with voluntary and community sector organisations and social enterprises, strengthening the Government's approach to the sector.
Public Pensions (Transferability)
Anne Milton: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what measures the Government have put in place to assist pension transferability of public pensions for personnel working in Government Departments and agencies who are members of the Civil Service pension scheme. [79768]
Mr. McFadden: All public service pension schemes pay cash equivalent transfer values to other pension schemes in respect of accrued rights in compliance with pensions law. Under the Fair Deal for Staff Pensions there is a requirement to transfer pension rights when employments are transferred to the private sector under public private partnerships/public finance initiatives and subsequent transfers for former public servants. Public service pension scheme members can also transfer accrued pension rights by way of the public sector transfer club. The club is a network of public and private-sector occupational pension schemes which makes it easier for employees who move between employers covered by separate participating schemes to transfer their accrued pension rights.
Transformational Government
Margaret Moran: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the Government plan to include transformational government in the senior civil service competency framework. [80371]
Mr. McFadden:
The Cabinet Secretary launched a new leadership framework for the senior civil service (SCS) on 13 March this year as part of the Professional Skills for Government (PSG) programme. The new framework emphasises the need to deliver results that meet the needs of citizens and customers, to build organisational capability through cultivating innovation
and to provide direction, seizing opportunities for improvement. PSG also prescribes core skills for the SCS including programme and project management, strategic thinking—including the potential impact of information and communication technology—and communications. All of these skills will be key to ensuring that the SCS provides effective leadership for transformational government.
The PSG framework requires members of the SCS to meet additional skills criteria relevant to their area of professional expertise. For IT professionals within the SCS, nine additional skills critical to the successful delivery of large-scale IT-enabled change have been identified in areas such as the development of strategic relationships, management of risk and commercial management.
Youth and Community Service
Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress there has been in setting up the National Youth and Community Service. [79403]
Edward Miliband: Following the recommendations of the Russell Commission, the Russell Commission Implementation Body established the new charity, v, which was launched on Monday 8 May 2006. It aims to engage and inspire one million more young volunteers within five years.
House of Commons Commission
Carbon Emissions
Chris Huhne: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, what recent estimate has been made of the carbon emissions of the House of Commons; what commitment has been made to reducing such emissions; and if he will make a statement. [81121]
Nick Harvey: The total quantity of carbon emissions produced on or attributable to the House of Commons element of the estate is estimated at 2,800 tonnes, 60 per cent. of the 4,700 tonnes produced on the Parliamentary Estate during 2005-06.
The House of Commons, together with the House of Lords, has recently adopted a new energy and water savings policy. Features of the new policy include:
£30,000 is being invested annually in energy and water efficiency initiatives;
The Parliamentary Estates Directorate is participating in Whitehall combined heat and power schemes;
Energy and water audits are used when assessing all proposed new building projects;
Efficient appliances, materials and methods will be used when undertaking new works, repairs and maintenance to buildings;
A target 10 per cent. of electricity to be sourced from renewable sources has been set and has already been met;
A system for energy and water monitoring has been established. This will allow progress against agreed targets to be assessed for the estate as a whole, and for each building. Regular feedback on progress and achievements against
targets will be provided to the Energy Savers Group, senior management and appropriate committees;
Members of staff in each departmental office in the two Houses are involved in energy and water management as nominated Energy Savers;
The awareness of occupants of the Palace is being raised through energy and water saving campaigns. A series of sustainability seminars has been organised by the Parliamentary Estates Directorate;
Staff are encouraged to contribute ideas and suggestions for improving energy and water efficiency, maintain interest, learn from failures and promote success;
Consultants are considering the utilisation of renewable energy systems on the parliamentary estate.
Environmental Management
Chris Huhne: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether the House of Commons (a) is committed to the achievement of environmental management to ISO 14001 standard and (b) has been externally certified as being in compliance with that standard; and if he will make a statement. [81062]
Nick Harvey: The House of Commons has not been externally certified as being in compliance with ISO 14001 standard. The House of Commons Board of Management will be considering the implications of seeking to meet ISO 14001 standard and EMAS accreditation in the autumn. The forthcoming Commission Annual Report (to be published on 12 July) will contain an environmental report.
Officers of the House (Accommodation)
Mr. Dismore: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2006, Official Report, column 1574W, on Officers of the House (Accommodation), what accommodation is made available to the (a) Clerk of the House, (b) Serjeant at Arms and (c) Speaker's Secretary; what the market value of the property is in each case; and if he will make a statement. [81171]
Nick Harvey: The accommodation provided for the Clerk of the House, Serjeant at Arms and the Speaker's Secretary is integral to the parliamentary estate and therefore would not be saleable on the open market. The values shown are those estimated by the Valuation Office Agency:
The Clerk of the House: 3 Parliament Street: £2,825,000
The Serjeant at Arms: 2 Parliament Street: £2,200,000
The Speaker's Secretary: 4 Canon Row: £1,625,000.
Security
Mr. Amess: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2006, Official Report, column 1574W, on security, at which other posts there is limited protection from the elements; and if he will make a statement. [80938]
Nick Harvey: The previous answer referred to comparable security posts generally. There are none on the parliamentary estate.
Shared Office Accommodation
Mr. Dismore: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many hon. Members are in shared office accommodation. [81503]
Nick Harvey: 29 Members are sharing offices with other Members. Of these, 23 Members are occupying accommodation designated for multiple occupancy. A further six Members have chosen to share offices in order to provide accommodation for members of their staff.
Treasury
Bank Accounts (Identity Checks)
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with (a) the Financial Services Authority and (b) banks on the standard of proof of identity required for people to open a basic bank account. [81707]
Ed Balls: Treasury Ministers and officials have discussions with a wide range of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy analysis, development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussions.
Capital Gains Tax
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue implications of replacing capital gains tax taper relief with indexation linked to the consumer prices index; and if he will make a statement. [80663]
Dawn Primarolo: The broad estimate of the revenue implications of replacing capital gains tax taper relief with indexation for 2006-07 is a revenue gain of £2 billion.
The figures are consistent with the assumptions made in Budget 2006 on future asset prices, and take into account the likely taxpayer behavioural responses to the tax change. It has been assumed that taper relief would be replaced completely by indexation and that any taxpayer disposing of an asset from 2006-07 onwards would get indexation relief for the duration of the investment.
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