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25 July 2007 : Column 1094W—continued
Departments: Manpower
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people are employed in his Department to work on ministerial correspondence. [152838]
Mr. Hain: No staff are employed specifically to work on ministerial correspondence.
Due to the nature of our role, most people in the Wales Office will have some part in dealing with ministerial correspondence during the year.
Departments: Official Hospitality
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was spent on hospitality by his Department in the financial year 2006-07. [133261]
Mr. Hain [pursuant to the reply, 20 April 2007, Official Report, c. 866W]: The actual cost for hospitality in the financial year 2006-07 was £12,265. The initial figure provided included costs incurred in 2005.
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on hospitality events in each of the last five years. [152837]
Mr. Hain: Prior to April 2004 the Wales Office did not hold data in the format requested; it could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
Hospitality spend in the Wales Office 2004-05 to 2006-07 is as follows:
| £ | |
Departments: Visits Abroad
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many overseas visits were made by (a) officials and (b) Ministers within his responsibility, and at what cost, in each year since 1997. [151643]
Mr. Hain: In respect of overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers, since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. Where non-scheduled aircraft are used this is shown in the list. Information for 2006-07 is currently being compiled and will be published before the summer recess. Copies of the lists are available in the Library for the reference of Members.
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.
Detailed information requested in respect to the number of overseas trips and cost taken by Officials can be provided only at a disproportionate cost, for the years 1999 to 2003-04 as records not held in this format
The cost of official overseas travel since 2004 where officials accompanied Ministers was:
2004-05: £18,238 for one overseas trip.
2006-07: £8,284 for two overseas trips.
Solicitor-General
Price Fixing: Drugs
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Solicitor-General what the costs have been so far of the Serious Fraud Office’s ongoing Operation Holbein investigation. [150722]
The Solicitor-General: The Serious Fraud Office is currently prosecuting nine individuals and five companies for conspiracy to defraud the Department of Health by fixing the prices and manipulating the supply of certain generic drugs, namely, penicillin-based antibiotics, warfarin and the branded drug, Marevan.
The total expenditure for this case up to 31 March 2007, which is the end of the last financial year is as follows:
| Financial year | Expenditure (£) |
Prosecutions
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will ask the Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate to review the decision to prosecute in R v. Payne and Others. [149569]
The Solicitor-General: The Royal Military Police, as is routine practice when defendants are acquitted following a prosecution, is currently reviewing the circumstances that led to the death of Mr. Baha Mousa and the ill-treatment of other detainees by the British Army. The review will assist the police to determine whether there should be a further investigation of the death and ill-treatment. During their review, the police, quite properly, are obtaining legal advice from the Army Prosecuting Authority (APA). It would be inappropriate to review the decision to prosecute Corporal Payne and Others at a time when the APA continues to advise the police on their review. This is in accordance with the CPS Inspectorate’s standard procedure of not reviewing cases which are subject to an ongoing review.
Mr. Bone: To ask the Solicitor-General how many cases the Crown Prosecution Service has re-presented to court which had initially been dismissed due to a technical error in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement. [150864]
The Solicitor-General: Where a case is tried summarily or on indictment and the charges are dismissed by the court, this has the effect of an acquittal. In these circumstances, the prosecution has no opportunity of re-presenting the charges to the court.
Where charges are discharged at the magistrates court in the course of committal proceedings, then the prosecution may, as a matter of law, recommence the proceedings if appropriate.
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) records include no distinct record of the number of cases in which these circumstances arise. The information is held on individual case files, and could be retrieved by locating and examining every relevant file in each CPS office, which would only incur disproportionate cost (Code of Practice on Access to Information, part 2, clause 9).
Scotland
Genetics: Databases
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many Scottish people of 18 years and under have their DNA details retained on a national database. [146239]
David Cairns [holding answer 28 June 2007]: As at end June 2007 there were a total of 15,517 profiles of persons aged 18 years and under on the Scottish DNA database. This represents just over 7 per cent. of the total number of profiles on the Scottish database. Any further questions on this matter should be addressed to the Home Office.
Ministerial Duties
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many meetings his predecessor had with (a) voluntary groups and charities, (b) businesses or business representatives, (c) Scottish parliamentary officials, (d) Members of the Scottish Parliament and (e) political party leaders in his capacity as Secretary of State for Scotland. [152292]
Des Browne: My predecessor has had a range of discussions with voluntary groups and charities, businesses or business representatives, Scottish parliamentary officials, Members of the Scottish Parliament and political party leaders.
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many meetings he has had with (a) the First Minister of the Scottish Executive, (b) leaders of the Conservative, Liberal Democrats, Labour and other parties in Scotland, (c) members of the Scottish Parliament and (d) public servants in Scotland; and how many meetings his predecessor had with each between 3rd May 2005 and 27th June 2007. [152293]
Des Browne: Since my appointment I have spoken with the First Minister on two occasions and met leaders of the Scottish Conservative, Liberal Democrats and Labour parties, members of the Scottish Parliament and public servants in Scotland on at least one occasion. My predecessor had numerous discussions with the First Minister, leaders of the Scottish Conservative, Liberal Democrats and Labour parties, members of the Scottish Parliament and public servants in Scotland between 3 May 2005 and 27 June 2007.
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many meetings he has had with representative organisations since his appointment. [152294]
Des Browne: I have had no meetings with representative organisations since my appointment as Secretary of State for Scotland on 28 June 2007 but a range of meetings are planned during summer recess.
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many times he has visited Scotland on official business since his appointment. [152295]
Des Browne: I have been in Scotland for five days on official business since my appointment as Secretary of State for Scotland.
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many meetings he has had with business and business representatives in his capacity as Secretary of State since his appointment. [152296]
Des Browne: I have had no meetings with business and business representatives in my capacity of Secretary of State for Scotland since my appointment on 28 June 2007 but a range of meetings are planned during summer recess.
House of Commons Commission
Departments: Air Conditioning
Chris Huhne: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much was spent by the House on the hire of mobile air conditioning units in each of the last five years. [151988]
Nick Harvey: Expenditure on the hire of mobile air conditioning units is only readily available for the last four years following a change in the accounting system in 2003. Expenditure was as follows:
| Hire of mobile air conditioning units | |
| Expenditure (£) | |
Paint
Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the (a) brand and (b) chemical composition is of the wall primers and paints (i) usually used for routine maintenance and (ii) being used in the course of the major summer works being undertaken in the House; and what their cost is per litre. [151894]
Nick Harvey: Dulux trade paint is used during the routine maintenance of the Palace. With regards to summer works projects we do not use a standard specification, just individual specifications on each project depending on requirements. The following is a breakdown of the main paints used by maintenance.
| Dulux trade high gloss price: £4.87 per litre | ||||
| Composition | ||||
| EC number | CAS number | Hazardous ingredients | Percentage | Classification |
| Dulux trade vinyl silk price: £4.11 per litre | ||||
| Composition | ||||
| EC number | CAS number | Hazardous ingredients | Percentage | Classification |
| Dulux trade vinyl matt price: £3.35 per litre (white)—£3.85 per litre (magnolia) | ||||
| Composition | ||||
| EC number | CAS number | Hazardous ingredients | Percentage | Classification |
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