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10 Dec 2007 : Column 185W—continued
Young Offender Institutions
Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what costs were incurred due to vandalism in young offender institutions in (a) 2005 and (b) 2006. [172725]
Mr. Hanson: The costs of vandalism in the 34 young offender institutions is held at each establishment and forms part of the overall maintenance costs. This information is not held centrally and could be gathered only at disproportionate cost within the given time scale.
Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department takes to ensure the safety of staff within young offender institutions when dealing with disruptive behaviour by inmates. [172726]
Mr. Hanson: Staff are trained in a number of techniques to effectively and safely manage violent or refractory young prisoners. These techniques include the use of de-escalation and interpersonal/communication skills, personal safety techniques and as a last resort control and restraint. The procedures for use of control and restraint are laid out in Prison Service Order 1600.
Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether there is a uniform application of “lights out” policies across all young offender institutions. [172727]
Mr. Hanson: There is no uniform “lights out” policy for young offender institutions. This is a local operational matter for the governor to decide.
Work and Pensions
Children: Maintenance
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to ensure that English wine is served exclusively or at the request of guests at meals, parties and receptions hosted by his Department; and if he will make a statement. [164298]
Mrs. McGuire: All public procurement procedures must comply with the EU directives. The key principles of the treaty, from a public procurement point of view, are the free movement of goods and services, and non-discrimination on the grounds of nationality. This legislation is designed to ensure that all public procurement across the European Union is fair, transparent and non-discriminatory.
This means that the DWP cannot specify that it will only buy goods (e.g. wine) from a particular country or locality, as that would discriminate against producers from other EU member states.
However, the Government are committed to increase opportunities for small and local suppliers to tender for contracts, thus increasing competition and securing better value for money.
Christmas
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what health and safety advice is issued to his Department’s agencies on Christmas decorations. [171846]
Mrs. McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions provides sensible and simple guidance for staff about the potential hazards associated with the use of Christmas decorations in buildings.
This provides practical advice on how to reduce the risk of injury from slips, trips and falls by avoiding trailing wires and not standing on furniture when hanging decorations, and advice that all Christmas lights should be properly tested and checked before use.
Departmental Conditions of Employment
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to ensure that his Department provides references for the translators no longer being used by the Department. [169779]
Mrs. McGuire: Guidance to suppliers on the provision of references is given within the terms and conditions detailed on the “Supplying DWP” section of the Department's internet site. The link to this section is:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/supplyingdwp/doing_business with_dwp/ppn7-03.pdf
Departmental Food
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of (a) beef, (b) lamb, (c) pork and (d) dairy products used in his departmental headquarters were imported products in the most recent period for which figures are available. [166656]
Mrs. McGuire: It is not possible to obtain figures solely for individual headquarter sites.
The following table provides information on the percentage of each product imported for the period 1 July 2006-30 June 2007.
| Percentage | |
Departmental Industrial Disputes
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what contingency plans he has to help those who could be affected by the proposed strikes within his Department; and if he will make a statement. [170773]
Mrs. McGuire: Our contingency plans, which are flexible and proven, include prioritising our resources to ensure that our top priority—to make payments to our customers—is maintained throughout any strike action by staff. We will also maintain access to our services by telephone and wherever possible face to face.
Departmental Manpower
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many civil servants in his Department (a) transferred to other Government Departments and (b) left the civil service in each of the last five years. [162729]
Mrs. McGuire: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for Wallasey (Angela Eagle) on 13 November 2007, Official Report, columns 203-07W.
Departmental Official Hospitality
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what entertainment or hospitality members of his Department’s management board have received in each of the last three financial years; and if he will make a statement. [164738]
Mrs. McGuire: Paragraph 4.3.5 of the Civil Service Management Code sets out the rules on the registration of hospitality. The Government are committed to publishing an annual list of hospitality received by members of departmental boards. The first list for 2007 will be published as soon as it is ready after the end of the current calendar year.
Departmental Pay
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at his Department and its agencies in 2006-07; and what the total cost of those bonuses was. [166829]
Mrs. McGuire: There were 242 bonuses awarded to senior civil servants working at the Department for Work and Pensions and its agencies in 2006-07.
The total cost of those bonuses was £1,787,847.
| Bonus type | Number | Amount (£) |
| (1) Includes bonuses paid outside the DWP senior civil service pay round to: Permanent secretaries (performance bonuses); Staff transferring in from other Government Departments (performance bonuses awarded by the other Department); Newly promoted staff as part of their junior pay award, and Senior civil servants as special bonuses (through the DWP special bonus scheme for staff). | ||
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in his Department and its predecessors were paid over £100,000 in each year since 1997. [167204]
Mrs. McGuire: The information is in the following table.
| Employees with full-time equivalent gross salary (excluding bonuses) greater than £100,000 | |
| Number | |
| Numbers less than five are represented by ‘—’. Notes: 1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. DSS and Employment Service prior to 2002. Source: Mandate provided by ONS. | |
Departmental Redundancies
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost was of redundancies in the Department in the 12 months preceding (a) 30 June 2004, (b) 30 June 2005 and (c) 30 June 2006. [166287]
Mrs. McGuire: Over the three-year period only one member of staff was made compulsorily redundant in the Department. However, in addition, as part of its efficiency programme, the Department has run a number of staff early release schemes on a voluntary basis.
The Department reports financial information based on financial years over the periods April to March. Information is therefore not available on the cost of early release in any of the 12-month periods ending 30 June. Information on the cost of on early release in the 12 months ending 31 March 2004, 31 March 2005 and 31 March 2006 is in the following table.
| Financial Year | Total c ost (£ million) |
Departmental Visits Abroad
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on overnight accommodation for Ministers overseas in the last year. [171331]
Mrs. McGuire: Details of the cost of overseas travel, including the cost of travel and accommodation, are contained in the Overseas Travel by Cabinet Ministers list. The latest list for the period 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 was published on 25 July 2007. Details for the 2007-08 financial year will be published as soon as possible after the end of the financial year. All travel is made in accordance with the Ministerial Code.
Employment
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to increase the involvement of private and voluntary sector organisations in the design and delivery stages of the city strategy. [170113]
Caroline Flint: We are currently in discussion with providers from the private and voluntary sectors and plan to hold an event in January at which we will update them on the city strategy and its progress to date.
At this event, they will also have an opportunity to outline how they plan to work with the pathfinder consortia, influence policy decisions, and play a part in the commissioning strategy. This will enable all parties to work together to improve the way in which support for individual jobless people is co-ordinated and delivered on the ground.
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people seeking to (a) return to work and (b) obtain their first job his Department has assisted to compile a curriculum vitae in each of the last three years. [171519]
Caroline Flint: The information requested is not available.
Jobcentre Plus personal advisers provide information, advice and guidance to help people identify, apply for and secure employment. Tailoring this to individual need, advisers offer support on a range of jobsearch skills, including, where required, help to compile a curriculum vitae (CV). However, we do not maintain data about the number of people personal advisers help personally to compile a CV, or who they may direct to other sources of help, such as programme provision, self-help material such as the Jobcentre Plus Job Kit or local help organisations.
Employment: Marfan Syndrome
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what support his Department makes available to people with Marfan syndrome in job applications. [169342]
Mrs. McGuire: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide my hon. Friend with the information requested.
Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 10 December 2007:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the support made available to people with Marfan syndrome in job applications. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Customers with Marfan Syndrome can access the wide range of programmes provided by Jobcentre Plus. In particular, they may be interested in Pathways to Work or Disability Employment Adviser support.
Pathways to Work currently operates in 18 Jobcentre Plus Districts and will be available everywhere by April 2008. This initiative encourages customers to consider starting or returning to work with the help of the Incapacity Benefit Personal Adviser. Support includes a series of work focused interviews and access to the “Choices” package. The package includes financial incentives, in work support and if appropriate, participation in a joint NHS / Jobcentre Plus Condition Management programme, so they can understand and manage their condition with a view to returning to work. The adviser identifies when, and if other specialist advice or provision is needed.
Anyone who has been diagnosed with Marfan syndrome and who needs to look for specific types of work can seek additional specialist help from the Disability Employment Adviser.
The Disability Employment Adviser can provide information about the range of mainstream and specialist programmes and services that can support disabled people into work. These include New Deal for Disabled People, Work Preparation, Access to Work, WORKSTEP and Residential Training Colleges. The Disability Employment Adviser and customer will draw up an action plan to help the customer move into employment.
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