| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
20 Feb 2008 : Column 742W—continued
Road Traffic Offences
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many (a) parking tickets and (b) speeding fines have been issued for vehicles used by his Department in each of the last 10 years; and what the cost to the public purse of those penalties was in each such year. [183358]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) currently uses five vehicles provided by the Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA). I refer to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Jim Fitzpatrick) on 5 February 2008, Official Report , column 1015W, with respect to these vehicles.
DFID has used one other vehicle for official purposes which was in use until 6 December 2007. This vehicle has not incurred any fixed penalty tickets in the last 10 years.
We do not keep central records of vehicles used by our overseas offices and could not provide information on them without incurring disproportionate cost.
Timor Leste: Overseas Aid
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much international aid and development funding was given to East Timor in 2006-07; and if he will make a statement. [187937]
Mr. Malik: The forum for international aid reporting is the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) which publishes official development assistance (ODA) figures on a calendar year basis. The international aid figures for East Timor for 2006 are shown in the following table:
| Official development assistance for 2006 | |
| East Timor (£ million) | |
Duchy of Lancaster
Mineral Water
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much the Prime Minister’s Office has spent on mineral water in each of the last three years. [187670]
Mr. Watson: The Prime Minister’s Office forms an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
This information is not separately identified in the Cabinet Office accounts and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
V
Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the budget of v has been in each year since its establishment; and how many (a) staff and (b) whole-time equivalent staff are employed by v. [186804]
Phil Hope: The amounts budgeted for v by the Office of the Third Sector since its launch in May 2006 are given in the following table:
| £ | ||
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | |
At the end of January 2008 v had 30 staff, the full-time equivalent of 29.2 staff.
Voluntary Work: Young People
Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate he has made of the number of under 18 year olds who have volunteered on a regular basis in each of the last five years. [186805]
Phil Hope: The last full year figures for number of 16 to 17-year-olds who have volunteered on a regular basis (at least once a month in the previous year) is in the following table:
| England, 2001, 2003, 2005: Regular volunteering—at least once a month | |||
| Percentage | |||
| 2001 | 2003 | 2005 | |
| Source: Citizenship Survey | |||
In the 2003 Citizenship Survey results also showed that 63 per cent. of 11 to 15-year-olds in England and Wales had given help (not regular volunteering) to clubs, groups or organisations in the previous year.
Treasury
Child Benefit: Personal Records
Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the data disc was sent by HM Revenue and Customs to Standard Life containing details of personal pension contributions; when it was discovered to be lost; and when this loss was reported to Ministers. [171492]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 6 December 2007]: The CD containing information for Standard Life left HMRC’s office on 25 September 2007. Standard Life should have received the disc by 27 September but reported that it had not arrived. The courier confirmed to HMRC that the CD was lost on 15 October. A submission on the incident was sent to the Financial Secretary on the same day.
HMRC then informed the Information Commissioner and wrote, with Standard Life, to all customers affected.
Departmental Internet
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the Office of Government Commerce measures the cost effectiveness of departmental websites and online services. [187014]
Angela Eagle: OGC monitors the effectiveness of its own website and online activities through regular review and analysis of usage statistics, which informs OGC’s ongoing activity in this area. OGC does not have responsibility for monitoring the cost-effectiveness of other Departments’ websites or online services.
The Central Office of Information is leading work to standardise the collection of audited figures for departmental website usage. This is to be followed by a second phase of work to standardise the way in which website costs are calculated. Taken together, these two pieces of work will enable departments to assess the cost effectiveness of websites and online services for which they are responsible.
Departmental Surveys
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the results of this year’s HM Treasury staff survey will be published; and if he will place a copy of the report in the Library. [187183]
Angela Eagle: We can confirm that the results from the 2007-08 HM Treasury’s staff survey will be published on its website in due course.
Departmental Telephone Services
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was generated by each (a) 0845 and (b) 0870 telephone code used for customer enquiry lines by his Department’s agencies in each of the last five years. [183954]
Angela Eagle: The UK Debt Management Office (DMO), HM Treasury’s only agency, has generated no revenue from the operation of 0845 or 0870 telephone codes in the last five years. The DMO uses some 0845 telephone numbers but not for income generation purposes.
Tax Allowances: Voluntary Organisations
Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact which the 10,000 mile 40 pence a mile tax ceiling for volunteer car drivers has on the voluntary sector. [188016]
Angela Eagle: The Chancellor keeps the statutory tax free mileage allowance rates for employees under review and considers changes and their impact on all drivers in the context of the Budget and pre-Budget report statements.
As I explained on 12 November 2007 in my reply to my hon. Friend’s earlier question on this subject, there
is no upper ceiling on mileage payments for volunteer car drivers. HMRC allows volunteers to use the approved mileage allowance payment (AMAP) rate for convenience, but it is not mandatory and volunteer drivers can claim tax relief for the full cost of motoring by completing a return, if they wish to do so.
Work and Pensions
Cemeteries
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what date the Health and Safety Executive last provided guidance to local authorities on health and safety with regards to gravestones and memorials. [184699]
Mrs. McGuire: The Health and Safety Executive has provided advice and guidance on health and safety with regards to gravestones and memorials in a number of forms over the years. The last was on 8 March 2007 when Sir Bill Callaghan, former chair of the Health and Safety Commission, was co-signatory to a letter to all chief executives of District and London borough councils and Unitary Authorities, Clerks of Town and Parish Councils and Clerks of Joint Burial Authorities. The purpose of this letter was to remind authorities of the duties they have to manage the risks associated with unstable memorials, but in doing so, to adopt a proportionate approach which reflects the actual risk.
Child Support Agency: Dismissal
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who worked for the Child Support Agency have been fired for gross incompetence since the agency was established. [172985]
Mr. Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. member with the information requested.
Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 20 February 2008:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who worked for the Child Support Agency have been fired for gross incompetence since the agency was established. [172985]
The Department introduced a new personnel computer system incrementally from November 2006, being fully implemented by April 2007. The information provided in the table below reflects data recorded on that system for the number of staff dismissed because of their attendance record on grounds of sickness and gross misconduct. Information is not available from this system prior to April 2007. The Department has never used a category of gross incompetence although it does have one that would relate to unsatisfactory work. However, there are no recorded dismissals in this latter category since the new system was introduced.
| Dismissal reason | April 2007 to December 2007 |
There were 10,010 people employed by the Agency as at the end of December 2007. I hope you find this answer helpful.
Child Support Agency: Repayments
Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the constituent of the hon. Member for Eccles (CSA Ref. 321022527924) will receive the refund and consolatory payment which the hon. Member was informed would be paid by 14 December 2007; and whether the level of consolatory payment will acknowledge the continuing delay in progressing the case. [183906]
Mr. Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested.
Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 20 February 2008:
In reply to your recent parliamentary question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and pensions when the constituent of the hon. Member for Eccles (CSA Ref. 312022527924) will receive the refund and consolatory payment which the hon. Member was informed would be paid by 14 December 2007; and whether the level of consolatory payment will acknowledge the continuing delay in progressing the case. [183906]
As details about individual cases are confidential I have written to you separately about this case.
I hope you find the answer helpful.
Children: Maintenance
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what plans he has to strengthen the obligation on absent parents to notify the Child Support Agency of a change of circumstances including a salary increase; [187344]
(2) what obligation exists on absent parents to notify the Child Support Agency of a change of circumstances including a salary increase. [187345]
Mr. Plaskitt: At present there is no obligation for a non-resident parent to notify the Secretary of State of a change of circumstances unless a Deduction from Earnings Order (DEO) is in place. In these cases the non-resident parent is required to notify the Secretary of State if there has been a change of their employer. We are considering changes that would require the non-resident parent in those circumstances also to inform the Secretary of State of any new employer and salary details.
For the future scheme, we intend largely to base the assessment process for statutory child maintenance arrangements on the latest available gross income data from HM Revenue and Custom (HMRC) with annual reviews to keep maintenance liabilities up-to-date. Either parent will be able to ask for maintenance to be adjusted if the non-resident parent’s income has increased or decreased by 25 per cent. or more compared to the HMRC figure on which the assessment is based. There are no plans to require non-resident parents to report changes in salary other than where there is a DEO in force.
However, subject to parliamentary approval of the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill, non-resident parents will in future be required to notify the
Commission of a change of address. The Commission will not need to make a specific request to the non-resident parent for this information—the requirement will be ongoing. Failure to co-operate will be an offence, punishable upon summary conviction by a fine of up to £1,000.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |