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25 Jun 2007 : Column 556W—continued


Departments: Aviation

Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many flights to overseas destinations were taken by (a) civil servants and (b) Ministers in his Department in each of the last three calendar years; and what the total cost of such flights was. [144930]

Bill Rammell: 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 of the House. Information for the financial year 2006-07 is currently being compiled and will be published before the summer recess. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.

Information requested on overseas travel undertaken by civil servants across the whole Department is not held centrally and could be provided only by incurring disproportionate cost.

Departments: Credit Cards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent by staff in his Department via departmental (a) credit, (b) procurement and (c) fuel cards in each of the last three years. [145291]

Mr. Dhanda: The Department for Education and Skills spent the following amounts via departmental credit, procurement and fuel cards in each of the last three years.

Amount (£)

2004/05

Credit cards

3,102

Procurement cards

342,329

Fuel cards

29,205

2005/06

Credit cards

5,734

Procurement cards

328,261

Fuel cards

62,328

2006/07

Credit cards

26,955

Procurement cards

384,062

Fuel cards

51,369


Departments: Delivery Unit

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 4 June 2007, Official Report, column 117W, on Departments: Delivery Unit, (1) what factors were taken into account in deciding to carry out a joint review of the Building Schools for the Future programme; [144459]

(2) if he will place in the Library copies of the terms of reference for the joint reviews of (a) Building Schools for the Future, (b) primary and secondary
25 Jun 2007 : Column 557W
school standards, (c) pupil attendance and (d) pupil behaviour; [144461]

(3) what the findings were of the joint review of Building Schools for the Future. [144978]

Jim Knight: The reports and other associated documentation following joint PMDU reviews are confidential advice to Ministers and are not put into the public domain. This includes terms of reference and other documentation connected with the substance of the review.

Departments: Energy

Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many energy saving lightbulbs were purchased by his Department for use on the departmental estate in (a) 2005 and (b) 2006. [144929]

Mr. Dhanda: This information is not held within the Department.

Departments: Foreign Relations

Mr. Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many Memoranda of Understanding are in force as a result of agreements with foreign governments entered into by Ministers in his Department; and what executive actions each entails. [144472]

Mr. Dhanda: Ministers have signed a number of bilateral agreements, including some formal Memoranda of Understanding, with a number of countries, including Brazil, China, France and Germany. Most of these are typically based on collaboration in education and training, including the exchange of best policy practice, teacher and student mobility programmes and institutional partnerships. These are delivered largely, though not exclusively, through the British Council.

Departments: Home Working

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people in his Department have been allowed to work from home for part of the week in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement on his Department’s policy on home working. [143885]

Mr. Dhanda: The information requested is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

I can however confirm that home working is available to all staff in the Department for Education and Skills and currently 50 per cent. of staff can access the Department’s IT infrastructure from home.

Departments: Marketing

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which advertising and marketing campaigns were run by (a) his Department and (b) its
25 Jun 2007 : Column 558W
agencies in each of the last five years; which external agencies were involved; and what the cost was of each campaign. [144625]

Mr. Dhanda: The information is as follows.

(a) The Department’s central Advertising and Publicity Budget is used to fund a wide range of publicity activity, including advertising and marketing campaigns. Expenditure from this budget in the last five years is as follows:

£000

2002-03

14,091

2003-04

16,943

2004-05

12,489

2005-06

9,391

2006-07

10,686


In addition to expenditure from this central budget, individual departmental programme budgets are often used to fund marketing activity, including advertising. It is not possible, except at disproportionate cost, to separately identify all this activity. However, it is possible to itemise all the Department’s spend on advertising, as this is centrally placed through the Central Office of Information. This is as follows:


25 Jun 2007 : Column 559W
£000( 1)

2002-03

Adult Basic Skills

5,478

Childcare Recruitment

2,741

Aim Higher

2,645

Connexions

1,320

HE Funding

655

Foundation Degree

549

Total

13,790

2003-04

Adult Basic Skills

6,673

Aim Higher

4,190

Childcare Recruitment

2,987

Foundation Degrees

2,814

Connexions

2,608

Total

20,170

2004-05

EMA

1,995

Sure Start Month

127

Adult Basic Skills Gremlins

4,247

Teenage Pregnancy (DFES contribution)

980

Student Finance

867

DFES Classified/Recruitment Advertising

31

EMA

1,559

Fast Track Teaching

69

Foundation Degrees

483

DFES Childcare

281

Need to Know

275

Parents Centre

172

Total

11,088

2005-06

EMA

1,261

Teenage Pregnancy

1,081

Childcare Recruitment

591

Adult Basic Skills

1,570

Student Finance

2,057

Parents Centre

143

Foundation Degrees

634

Fast Track Teaching

18

DirectGov Parenting Franchise

440

DirectGov Education and Learning Franchise

85

Need to Know

54

Total

7,939

2006-07

Student finance

2,476

Adult basic Skills

1,805

Teenage pregnancy

1,534

Child care recruitment

405

Children and Young people’s workforce insert

45

Total

6,265

(1) Includes spend on advertising from within the central Advertising and Publicity Budget, included in the previous table.

The Department uses advertising as part of information campaigns to inform the public about how our policies affect them and how they can best take advantage of the educational and learning opportunities available to them. All of our campaigns follow the guidelines on propriety and value for money which apply to Government information.

All of our advertising is commissioned through the Central Office of Information.

(b) Spend on advertising and marketing by Departmental agencies and non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally.

Departments: Official Visits

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which destinations he visited in an official capacity between 17 May and 17 June. [144549]

Alan Johnson: During the dates specified, I visited the following places in the UK in an official capacity.


25 Jun 2007 : Column 560W
Date visited Destination

21 May

Bristol

23 May

Birmingham

31 May

Belfast

8 June

Leicester


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 House Library. Information for the financial year 2006-07 is currently being compiled and will be published before the summer recess. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.


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