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26 Feb 2008 : Column 1529W—continued
Children: Voluntary Organisations
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps the Government has taken to include the third sector in strategies to improve the lives of children. [188537]
Kevin Brennan: The third sector has played and continues to play a key role in the development and delivery of Every Child Matters. The sector is strongly represented on the Children’s Plan Expert Groups which were set up in autumn 2007 to support the Department with developing the Children’s Plan and to consider its implementation and the challenges to delivery.
Third sector organisations have been instrumental in the development of many individual policies, for example, Aiming High for Disabled Children (AHDC), the Government’s transformation programme for disabled children’s services. They continue to be key partners as we implement the AHDC programme and are represented on the Ministerial Implementation Group that oversees the programme.
Other groundbreaking areas of the Department’s business where the third sector engagement has been very influential include support for parents, particularly fathers, early years provision, services for children in care and the provision of positive activities for young people. The sector’s capacity to deliver innovative services, to reach out to some of the most disadvantaged and disengaged and to provide a voice for children, young people and families is highly valued by the Department.
Christmas
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether it is his Department's policy to use (a) incandescent light bulbs and (b) LED lights for festive decorations on departmental premises. [173506]
Kevin Brennan: The Department does not currently have a policy, but will undertake a review and where appropriate will move away from incandescent light bulbs to LED lights for festive decorations on the five buildings occupied by my Department.
Departmental Absenteeism
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the total number of absence days of staff in his Department was in 2007. [187891]
Kevin Brennan: The total number of sickness absence days taken by staff in the Department in the period July to December 2007 is 10,404 days.
It is not possible to provide a figure for the whole calendar year as the Department was created as part of the machinery of government changes on 28 June 2007. The total provided here is based on the six-month period 1 July to 31 December 2007 (the latest information available). The rolling average of working days lost per staff member at 31 December 2007 was 7.7. The Department is on target to achieve year on year sickness absence targets agreed with Cabinet Office, including a 2010 target to reduce sickness absence levels to 7.0 days per full-time equivalent member of staff.
Departmental Contracts
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the (a) objective and (b) value was of each contract placed with (i) Deloitte and Touche, (ii) Ernst and Young, (iii) KPMG, (iv) PricewaterhouseCoopers and (v) PA Consulting by his Department and its agencies in each year since 2004-05. [179036]
Kevin Brennan: Historical figures are not available for the Department for Children, Schools and Families and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The Department does not hold a central record for the Department and its agencies, and cannot provide detailed information on the nature of all contracts,
consultancies and other services placed with the stated companies. To do so would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.
Our records for the Department for Education and Skills show the following departmental spend:
| £ | ||||
| Company | 2004/05 | 2005/06 | 2006/07 | Total |
Departmental ICT
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many (a) male and (b) female members of staff working in his Department were issued with personal digital assistants in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement. [181398]
Kevin Brennan [holding answer 24 January 2008]: The information as requested is not readily available centrally within the Department for Children, Schools and Families. To respond fully would involve an information collection exercise that would exceed the recommended disproportionate cost threshold. However, to be helpful, some information is available.
Central procurement records show that the following quantities of personal digital assistants have been purchased by the Department, and its predecessor, the Department for Education and Skills, since 2001. There is no information available centrally to show the number of devices in use by (a) male or (b) female members of staff.
| Calendar year | Number of PDAs purchased |
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many (a) mobile telephones, (b) personal digital assistants and (c) laptop computers issued to staff in his Department or its predecessor were reported (i) lost, (ii) missing and (iii) stolen in each year since 2001. [184349]
Kevin Brennan: The number of items reported as lost, missing, or stolen are as follows:
| Mobile telephone | Laptop | Desktop | PDA | Blackberry | |
Departmental Information Officers
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many (a) press and (b) communications officers his Department employed in each year since establishment. [182526]
Kevin Brennan: The Department for Children, Schools and Families was established in June 2007 and employs the full-time equivalent of 20.5 press officers and 68.4 communication officers.
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department paid in bonuses to press and communication officers in each of the last 10 years; and what the (a) highest and (b) lowest such bonus was in each of those years. [182713]
Kevin Brennan: The Department was created on 28 June 2007. The first bonuses are due to be paid on 1 April 2008.
Departmental Labour Turnover
Mr. Philip Hammond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the percentage turnover of staff was in his Department in (a) the last
12-month period and (b) the last 24-month period for which figures are available. [169030]
Kevin Brennan: In the period February 2006 to January 2007, 202 staff have joined and 653 staff have left my Department. 252 staff joined and 354 left in the following 12 month period to January 2008. Information about turnover rates is not available in the form requested.
Departmental Logos
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the cost was of introducing his Department's new logo; what the reasons were for the decision to change his Department's logo; and if he will make a statement. [188394]
Kevin Brennan: We now have a version of the Department's logo which features a rainbow. This cost £5,460 (excluding VAT) to introduce.
The logo is intended to make a quick visual link between DCSF and the Children's Plan, which itself uses a rainbow illustration to convey the principle of ‘building brighter futures’.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the reasons were for the choice of the new logo featuring a rainbow for his Department; how many alternative logos were designed before the choice was made; and if he will make a statement. [188395]
Kevin Brennan: We now have a version of the Department’s logo which features a rainbow. This is intended to make a quick visual link between DCSF and the Children’s Plan, which itself uses a rainbow illustration to convey the principle of ‘building brighter futures’.
We commissioned three options for this logo, one of which was chosen as the final design.
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the name is of each special adviser in his Department. [163208]
Kevin Brennan: I refer the hon. Member to the response given on 6 December, Official Report, column 1369W.
Mr. Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will list the special advisers employed in his Department and its predecessor since 6 May 1997; and what the (a) start and (b) end date of employment was in each case. [184362]
Kevin Brennan: I refer my hon. Member to the reply given on 16 January 2008 Official Report, column 1269W.
Departmental NDPBs
Mrs. May:
To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the (a) budget
and (b) remit is of each non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department; who the chairman is of each; and to what salary, including bonuses and expenses, each chairman is entitled. [163610]
Kevin Brennan: The Department is responsible for eight Executive Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) and three Advisory NDPBs. Details of the budget and remit of each NDPB, the name of the chairman and their remuneration is published in the Department’s Annual Report 2007 and in Public Bodies 2007, which are available on my Department’s website at:
The following NDPBs are the responsibility of the Department for Children, Schools and Families:
British Educational Communications and Technology Agency;
Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service;
Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy;
National College for School Leadership;
Office of the Children’s Commissioner;
Partnerships for Schools;
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority;
School Food Trust;
School Teachers Review Body;
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