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23 Oct 2006 : Column 1627W—continued
United Nations
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which candidate for the Latin American seat on the UN Security Council the UK supports; and what consultations she undertook before determining such support. [96360]
Dr. Howells: It is long standing UK policy never to reveal voting intentions or decisions for UN Security Council elections. We are giving the candidatures of Guatemala and Venezuela full consideration. In forming a view, we are taking into account candidates’ contributions to the work of the UN, particularly on issues of international peace and security.
The UK places the greatest importance on the continued effectiveness of the Security Council and we hope that whoever is elected will contribute positively to its work.
Wine Directive
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made in respect of the European Union wine directive. [89917]
Barry Gardiner: I have been asked to reply.
The European Commission published its options paper “Towards a sustainable European wine sector” and an accompanying impact assessment on 22 June 2006. This is not a proposal, but a Commission Communication analysing the situation on the EU wine market and setting out various options for the reform of the current regime. Defra has undertaken a formal consultation on the Commission's Communication, which closed on 9 October 2006 (http://defraweb/corporate/consult/wine-reform/index. htm). We will be considering the responses received in order to inform a detailed UK negotiating position. But in the discussions to date, we have welcomed the Commission's Communication, which clearly sets out the case for reform and identifies a good range of options for discussion. We expect the Commission to present detailed legislative proposals early in 2007.
Duchy of Lancaster
Catering Services
Mr. Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many complaints were made about the Cabinet Office canteen service in the most recent year for which figures are available. [96391]
Mr. McFadden: During the period Sunday 1 January 2006 to Thursday 19 October 2006, four complaints were received about the Cabinet Office canteen service.
Civil Service Salaries
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the average salary is of (a) a permanent secretary, (b) a deputy permanent secretary, (c) a permanent under-secretary, (d) a senior executive officer and (e) an executive officer in her Department. [95495]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 20 October 2006]: The salaries of permanent secretaries in the Cabinet Office are contained in the Annual Report on Senior Salaries, produced by the Senior Salaries Review Body. This was last published in March 2006 and is available in the Library for the reference of Members.
The title of deputy permanent secretary is no longer used in the Cabinet Office. The average salary of director generals (equivalent to the old grade 2) in the Cabinet Office is £108,765. The title of permanent under-secretary is no longer used in the Cabinet Office either. The average salary of directors (equivalent to the old grade 3) in the Cabinet Office is £85,180.
The Cabinet Office does not have a specific senior executive officer grade. The Cabinet Office combines higher executive officer and senior executive officer into one grade, called B2. The average salary of a B2 in the Cabinet Office is £28,648. The Cabinet Office does have an executive officer equivalent grade, called B1. The average salary for a B1 in the Cabinet Office is £22,938.
Civil Service Year Book
Mr. Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when the next edition of the Civil Service Year Book will be published. [96370]
Edward Miliband: The next edition of the Civil Service Year Book (the 45th edition) is due to be published on Friday 15 December 2006.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if she will state the month and year for which the 44th Civil Service Year Book provides a snapshot. [96371]
Edward Miliband:
The 44th edition of the Civil Service Year Book was published on Monday 31 July 2006. The information for the edition was initially gathered from Government Departments up to
the end of March 2006 but all departmental entries were updated following the completion of the Cabinet reshuffle in May 2006.
Council Tax
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 29 March 2006, Official Report, column 1031W to my hon. Friend the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles), on council tax (official residences), whether the Cabinet Secretary has activated revised guidance to Ministers on their liability following the decision of the Chancellor of the Exchequer to occupy the flat above 10 Downing Street. [94712]
Hilary Armstrong: The Cabinet Secretary provided guidance to Her Majesty’s Treasury following the decision of the Chancellor of the Exchequer to occupy the flat above 10 Downing Street.
Departmental Expenditure
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the total cost was of producing the Cabinet Office’s Sharing the Leadership Challenge video. [94468]
Mr. McFadden: The Sharing the Leadership Challenge video was produced in February 2006 as a management tool for use across Government to enable senior officials and management in taking forward the efficiency agenda. The total cost of production including editing, associated fees and VAT was £18,385.03
The Government have embarked upon a programme of wide scale change around shared services, and particularly around corporate shared services (HR, Finance, IT) as part of the transformational Government agenda.
Experience from the private and public sectors demonstrates that these changes can only be made with significant leadership commitment. The DVD was designed to help senior management across Whitehall understand how they can enable this.
Departmental Redundancies
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many redundancies there were in her Department in each year since 1997; what the cost of such redundancies was in each year; how many temporary staff were employed in each year; and how many staff were seconded by outside organisations to posts within her Department in each year. [95264]
Mr. McFadden: The Department did not have any redundancies in 1997 or subsequent years. It follows the principles of the civil service Efficiency and Relocation Support Programme to minimise recourse to compulsory redundancies and facilitate a common approach to the redeployment of surplus staff across the civil service wherever possible. This includes
managing downsizing through natural wastage, review of temporary staff, redeployment and voluntary departures.
The Cabinet Office has utilised framework agreements with a number of recruitment agencies for the provision of temporary agency workers at administrative and secretarial levels. These temporary staff are hired by line managers contacting the agency directly. Departmental records are not structured in a way which allows numbers of agency staff used to be identified. Information on the number of staff seconded in to the Cabinet Office from both private and public sector organisations since 1997 is shown in the following table.
| Total | |
Deputy Prime Minister
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 4 September 2006, Official Report, column 1720W, on the Deputy Prime Minister, how many civil servants from the Cabinet Office Parliamentary Branch provide support to the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office; how many civil servants from the Infrastructure Division provide support to the Deputy Prime Minister and her Office; and how many civil servants from the Cabinet Office Communication Group are supporting the Deputy Prime Minister’s website development. [94713]
Hilary Armstrong: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 4 September 2006, Official Report, column 1720W. Civil servants from the Cabinet Office who provide support to the Deputy Prime Minister do so as part of their existing duties.
Ministerial Visits
Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if she will list the places she visited during her recent visit to Scandinavia; who accompanied her; and what the cost was of her visit. [96475]
Hilary Armstrong: All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the “Ministerial Code” and “Travel by Ministers”, copies of which are available in the Library for the reference of Members. All official travel is undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the “Civil Service Management Code”, a copy of which is also available in the Library for the reference of Members.
I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 24 July 2006, Official Report, column 86WS. Information for 2006-07 will be published as soon as possible after the end of the financial year.
Official Residences
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 25 July 2006, Official Report, column 1637W, on official residences, whether the agency and specialist subcontractors providing maintenance to the Deputy Prime Minister’s official residence includes cleaners. [94697]
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 25 July 2006, Official Report, column 1637W, on official residences, whether the Total Facilities Management service provided by Ecovert FM for the maintenance of Admiralty House includes (a) linen and laundry, (b) porters, (c) internal plants and (d) catering services. [94714]
Hilary Armstrong: The Total Facilities Management Contract includes all of the above items for the non-residential areas of Admiralty House only.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which Ministers are occupying a flat in Admiralty House; and which Ministers have vacated a flat in Admiralty Arch since May 2006. [94858]
Hilary Armstrong: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Mr. Prentice) on 12 June 2006, Official Report, column 883W.
Since then, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Margaret Beckett) and my right hon. Friend the Minister for Europe (Mr. Hoon) have vacated their residences in Admiralty House. My right hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor has been allocated one of the flats in Admiralty House. He will not take up residence but will use it for official entertaining and other engagements.
Rebranding
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if she will list the occasions since 1997 (a) Departments and (b) agencies have been rebranded; and at what cost in each case. [95338]
Hilary Armstrong: Corporate branding is a matter for individual Departments. No central records are kept.
Regulatory Costs
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if she will publish the assessments of regulatory costs imposed by each Department contained in the recent Cabinet Office review. [95682]
Mr. McFadden: Departments will publish information from the Administrative Burdens Measurement Exercise in their Simplification Plans later this year. Plans will be placed in the Library for the reference of Members.
Deputy Prime Minister
Consultants
Mr. Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many external consultants work for his Department. [96399]
The Deputy Prime Minister: None.
Departmental Expenditure
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much his Office has spent on taxis in the last 12 months. [93118]
The Deputy Prime Minister: For information relating to financial year 2005-06, I refer the hon. Member to the answer which will be given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman). Expenditure for this financial year will be accounted for in the department’s annual report and accounts in the usual way.
Departmental Office Equipment
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many staff in his Office are provided with Blackberrys or similar mobile email equipment. [95833]
The Deputy Prime Minister: None.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his new office has a staff canteen. [96383]
The Deputy Prime Minister: Staff have access to the Cabinet Office canteen situated in 22 Whitehall.
Estimates
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he plans to table an estimate to vote funding for his new Department. [95926]
Mr. Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) of 9 October 2006, Official Report, column 72W, on his ministerial office and staff, when his Department will apply for a Parliamentary Vote to fund his Department; and what annual budget he will seek. [96393]
The Deputy Prime Minister: In due course.
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