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7 Nov 2006 : Column 1170W—continued
Single Equality Scheme
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what resources are available from his Department to educational institutions to assist them enacting the Higher Education Funding Council for England single equality scheme; and if he will make a statement. [99668]
Bill Rammell: There are no resources specifically targeted at implementing the single equality scheme as it does not make any additional requirements on institutions. Higher education institutions are individually subject to the requirements of equality legislation and the single equality scheme is designed to complement the work that is taking place and to offer support and guidance where needed. The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) also funds the Equality Challenge Unit to support the HE sector in the UK.
In allocating £6.5 billion to HEFCE this year to distribute between higher education providers, we drew particular attention to the responsibilities institutions have in relation to equal opportunities and said we expected to see them continuing to contribute fully in this area.
Teenage Pregnancy Unit
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) who the Head of the Teenage Pregnancy Unit is; what relevant specialist qualifications he or she holds; what his or her career has been to date; where the post was advertised; how many persons applied for the post; how many were short-listed for interview; and if he will make a statement; [97939]
(2) who the members of the Teenage Pregnancy Unit are; what relevant specialist qualifications each holds; what the career of each has been to date; when each was appointed and by whom; where each vacancy was advertised; how many persons applied for each post; how many were short-listed for interview; where the Teenage Pregnancy Unit is located; how much was spent by it on (a) office accommodation, (b) staff costs, (c) travel and subsistence and (d) staff bonuses in each year since the unit's inception; and if he will make a statement. [97940]
Beverley Hughes: The Head of the Teenage Pregnancy Unit is Marcus Bell, who transferred to the post in June 2004. Mr. Bell is a career civil servant who joined the Department in 1989.
The Teenage Pregnancy Unit is an integral part of the Department for Education and Skills. In addition to the Head of the TPU, it currently has seven members, whose responsibilities are as follows:
| Job title | Responsibilities |
|
Delivery and implementation of the teenage pregnancy strategy | |
All members of the TPU must maintain their competence at the appropriate standard for their official duties.
The costs for the Unit are as follows:
(a) Office accommodation: It is not possible to identify separately the accommodation costs of individual units or teams within the overall Department. This information is therefore not available.
(b) Staff costs and, (c) travel and subsistence: The following table shows TPU staff salary costs and travel and subsistence costs from December 2003 when the Unit moved into the Department for Education and Skills from the Department of Health.
| £ | ||
| Financial year | Staff costs (i.e. salaries) | Travel and subsistence |
| (1) 2003-04 costs relate to period from 1 December 2003 only, i.e. point at which TPU moved from the Department of Health to DfES (2) 2006-07 costs are for period up to 30 September 2006 only Note: Figures rounded to nearest £. | ||
(d) Staff bonuses: These costs are included within the salary cost figures shown in the table.
Prime Minister
Age and Disability Discrimination
Lorely Burt: To ask the Prime Minister what factors he took into account when allocating responsibility for age and disability discrimination to the Department for Work and Pensions. [99994]
The Prime Minister: I believe this best meets the needs of this Government.
Burma
John Bercow: To ask the Prime Minister (1) whether Burma was raised in discussions with the Indian Prime Minister during his recent visit to the UK; [100298]
(2) what recent discussions he has held with the Chinese Government on the situation in Burma. [100299]
The Prime Minister: I have had no recent discussions on Burma with the Chinese or Indian Governments. However, the Government continue to raise the subject of Burma at the United Nations and in all international forums.
Most recently, my right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade discussed Burma with the Indian Deputy Foreign Minister and the Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister. I refer the hon. Member to the answers given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade to the hon. Member for Cotswold (Mr. Clifton-Brown) on 19 July 2006, Official Report, column 488W, and to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) on 22 June 2006, Official Report, column 2145W.
I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Islington, North (Jeremy Corbyn) on 16 October 2006, Official Report, column 975W, and to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Davies) on 9 October 2006, Official Report, column 2W.
Gifts
Tim Loughton: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 26 October 2006, Official Report, column 2030W, on gifts (1) on how many occasions gifts have been given to overseas dignatories at public cost in each of the last five years; [99673]
(2) what the average cost was of gifts given to overseas dignatories at public cost in each of the last five years; what the costs were of (a) the most expensive and (b) the least expensive gift given; and if he will make a statement. [99674]
The Prime Minister: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 26 October 2006, Official Report, column 2030W.
Ministerial Meetings
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister what (a) matters were discussed and (b) decisions were taken in his meeting with Chancellor Merkel of Germany on 3 November; and if he will make a statement. [100112]
The Prime Minister: I discussed a wide range of issues with Chancellor Merkel during her recent visit, including climate change, the situation in the Middle East, and the German presidencies of the European Union and the G8. I also refer the hon. Member to the press conference I held with Chancellor Merkel on 3 November. A transcript of this is available on the No. 10 website and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
Pathways to the Future Project
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister what the (a) remit and (b) membership is of the new energy and environment review team set up under the Pathways to the Future project. [97211]
The Prime Minister: Details are available on the Cabinet Office website at:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/secretariats/economic_and_domestic/policy_review/
Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.
Pingot Josa Malaysia Medal
David Mundell: To ask the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of a Ceremonial Secretariat document dated 21 December 2005 relating to the Pingot Josa Malaysia medal. [100282]
The Prime Minister: Information relating to internal advice is not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.
Deputy Prime Minister
Departmental Expenditure
Mr. Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much his Office has spent on taxis since the recent machinery of Government changes. [96388]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 October 2006, Official Report, column 1626W.
Departmental Offices
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the (a) total floor space and (b) estimated rateable value is of his offices. [95832]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office my hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster, North (Edward Miliband) on 19 July 2006, Official Report, column 527W, and the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster today.
Departmental Staff
Harry Cohen: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if his Office will (a) carry out an age audit of its staff to establish an age profile of its workforce, (b) negotiate an age management policy with trade unions and employees to eliminate age discrimination and retain older workers, (c) identify and support training needs and offer older staff flexible working to downshift towards retirement and (d) extend to over-fifties the right to request to work flexibly and the right to training with paid time off; and if he will make a statement. [96491]
The Deputy Prime Minister: Most of the staff in my Department are seconded from the Department for Communities and Local Government. I therefore refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on 30 October 2006, Official Report, column 39W.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) whether his Office recognises the International GCSE as an acceptable substitute for a GCSE for the purposes of recruitment; [96723]
(2) what proportion of vacancies in his Office in the last 12 months required candidates to have at least a grade C in (a) English and (b) mathematics GCSE. [96744]
The Deputy Prime Minister: Most of the staff in my Department are seconded from the Department for Communities and Local Government. I therefore refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.
Departmental Travel
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much has been spent by his Office on (a) chartering aircraft and (b) non-scheduled air travel, in each of the last five years. [96221]
The Deputy Prime Minister: 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. Details of the cost of overseas travel undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more are published annually. Information for 2005-06 was published on Monday 24 July 2006. Copies of the lists are available in the Library for the reference of Members.
The Deputy Prime Minister’s Office was formed on Friday 5 May 2006. Since then, I have not taken any such flights in the UK.
Ministerial Facilities
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the top 10 moveable assets are in accommodation provided to him out of public funds. [96244]
The Deputy Prime Minister: The Deputy Prime Minister’s Office was created on Friday 5 May 2006. The assets used by my Department are predominantly provided by the Cabinet Office and the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost was to public funds of his telephone use from his official residence in Admiralty House in (a) 2004-05 and (b) 2005-06. [96385]
The Deputy Prime Minister: On the costs of telephone calls in my official residence in Admiralty House in 2004-05, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 27 March 2006, Official Report, column 832W, to the hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald). The cost of telephone calls in 2005-06 was £183.59.
Ministerial Telephone Records
Mr. Swire: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his Department’s policy is on maintaining records of telephone calls made by Ministers. [95570]
The Deputy Prime Minister: Ministerial calls are monitored by officials. Records of calls are not maintained, though notes of action points are made as appropriate.
Ministerial Travel
Mr. Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 25 July 2006, Official Report, column 1614W, on ministerial travel, how much he spent on domestic (a) flights and (b) rail travel in his official capacity in 2005-06. [96398]
The Deputy Prime Minister: Information relating to the cost of my domestic rail and air travel alone is not held in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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