Written Answers to Questions
Monday 30 June 2008
Prime Minister
Cabinet
Robert Neill: To ask the Prime Minister if he will hold meetings of the Cabinet outside London. [211596]
The Prime Minister: There is no reason why the Cabinet cannot meet outside of London. It has done so in the past and we shall consider it where appropriate in the future.
Departmental Conferences
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister what the (a) scheduled date and (b) title was of each conference proposed to be hosted by his Office which was cancelled before taking place in each of the last 10 years; and what costs were incurred in respect of each. [215182]
The Prime Minister: The information requested is not held centrally.
Departmental Manpower
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 1 May 2008, Official Report, column 624W, on departmental manpower, (1) how many of the people in each unit are special advisers; and how many staff there are in the Political Office; [214744]
(2) what the official descriptions are of the jobs in the categories (a) private office, (b) Number 10 Policy Unit, (c) press officers, (d) strategic communications unit and (e) research and information; and who is employed in each category; [214745]
(3) how many staff in his Office (a) are classified as Government communicators and (b) have access to the Government Communication Network. [215115]
The Prime Minister: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 1 May 2008, Of ficial Report, column 624W.
Food
Mr. Paice: To ask the Prime Minister (1) how much was spent by 10 Downing Street on (a) food and (b) food of British origin in each of the last five years; [214879]
(2) from which five countries of origin the greatest amount of food was procured by 10 Downing Street in the last year for which figures are available; and what the (a) cost and (b) quantity procured was in each case. [214880]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my predecessor (the right hon. Tony Blair) on 31 January 2007, Official Report, column 303W.
George Bush
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister whether consideration was given to arranging for President Bush to fly into a military airport on his recent visit to the UK; and if he will make a statement. [214393]
The Prime Minister: It has been the practice of successive Governments not to comment on security matters.
Nuclear Power: Private Sector
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he had with private sector nuclear operators in the United Kingdom prior to his speech on 22nd June to the International Oil Summit in Jeddah. [214312]
The Prime Minister: My officials and I have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals on a range of subjects. I also refer the hon. Member to the press briefing given by my spokesman on 23 June 2008. A transcript of this is available on the No. 10 website:
and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
Northern Ireland
Coroners: Juries
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the likely effect in Northern Ireland of the provisions in the Counter-Terrorism Bill if enacted allowing for inquests to be held without a jury. [214410]
Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office maintains close contact with the Home Office with regard to the development of counter-terrorism policy and legislation.
Northern Ireland Office Ministers were in direct contact with their colleagues in the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice about the proposals relating to inquests contained in the Counter-Terrorism Bill.
Departmental Conferences
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the conferences hosted by his Department in each of the last two years; and what the cost was of each conference. [211683]
Mr. Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office and its executive agencies have hosted the following conferences in each of the last two years:
| Conference | Cost (£) |
|
Criminal Justice System Northern Ireland Annual Stakeholder Conference | |
|
Criminal Justice System Northern Ireland Annual Stakeholder Conference | |
In addition a political summit was held at St. Andrews in October 2006. Details of costs were provided in a written ministerial statement on 28 March 2007.
Departmental Furniture
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) chairs, (b) desks and (c) other office furnishings have been purchased by his Department and its agencies in each of the last five years; and at what cost in each case. [211761]
Mr. Woodward: My Department and its agencies do not separately record the amount of expenditure on chairs, desks and other office furnishings. The total amount spent is only available for each of the last three years and is set out in the following table.
| £000 | |||
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | |
| (1) Not available. | |||
Departmental Public Buildings
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) new builds and (b) major refurbishments were completed by his Department for a cost in excess of £0.5 million in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07 and (iii) 2007-08 to which the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method or equivalent was applied; how many such buildings were assessed as (A) pass, (B) good, (C) very good and (D) excellent; and if he will make a statement. [213702]
Mr. Woodward: In the period in question my Department completed one project in excess of £0.5 million—a new building in financial year 2006-07. It achieved a BREEAM rating of excellent.
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) new builds and (b) major refurbishments for a cost in excess of £0.5 million were completed by his Department in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07 and (iii) 2007-08. [213751]
Mr. Woodward: In the period in question my Department completed one project in excess of £0.5million—a new building in financial year 2006-07.
Proscribed Organisations
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with what (a) republican paramilitary groups and (b) factions of such groups representatives of the Government held discussions over the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [213595]
Mr. Woodward: The Government have met with a variety of groups over the last 10 years as a way of providing a route out of paramilitarism into normal politics for those who wish to take it. I am sure that everybody looks forward to the day when all vestiges of Northern Ireland's paramilitary extreme have been relegated to where they belong—the past.
Security: Licensing
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people with convictions for scheduled offences were granted a licence to run a private security firm in Northern Ireland in each year since 1998. [202236]
Paul Goggins: To establish whether a licence has been granted to any individual with a scheduled conviction would incur disproportionate cost.
Under the legislation the Secretary of State must grant a licence to a private security firm in Northern Ireland unless satisfied that a proscribed organisation would benefit (either financially or non-financially) from the licence, or there has been persistent failure to comply with the licensing regime. Since 1 August 2007 the Secretary of State has also been able to refuse a licence if satisfied that the applicant is engaged in criminal activity. Advice is sought from PSNI and the Security Service to ascertain whether or not any of the conditions for refusal of a licence apply in the case of an applicant.
Wood
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much timber and how many timber products were procured by his Department in each of the last five years; and at what cost. [213749]
Mr. Woodward: My Department does not record the quantity procured or amount spent specifically on timber and timber products.
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much timber and timber products were procured by his Department originating from independently verified legal and sustainable sources or from a licensed FLEGT partner in each of the last five years; and at what cost. [213750]
Mr. Woodward: My Department does not record the quantity of timber procured from independently verified legal and sustainable sources or from a licensed FLEGT partner, neither does it record expenditure on such products.
Current contract conditions specify that timber and timber derived products must be provided from legal and sustainable sources.
House of Commons Commission
Departmental Buildings
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many (a) new builds and (b) major refurbishments were completed by the House of Commons Services for a cost in excess of £0.5 million in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07 and (iii) 2007-08 to which the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method or equivalent was applied; how many such buildings were assessed as (A) pass, (B) good, (C) very good and (D) excellent; and if he will make a statement. [213689]
Nick Harvey: There were no (a) new builds or (b) major refurbishments completed by the House of Commons Services with a value in excess of £0.5 million in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07 and (iii) 2007-08 to which the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method or equivalent was applied.
The last new build completed on the Commons Estate was Portcullis House which received a Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method rating of Excellent in December 2001.
Members: Allowances
Mr. Doran: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answers to the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland of 3 April 2008, Official Report, columns 1142-43W, and the hon. Member for Aberdeen, North of 20 May 2008, Official Report, column 174W, on freedom of information: requests for data held, what the estimated cost is of preparing for publication the information on hon. Members' expenses to be released in the autumn. [212587]
Nick Harvey: It is planned to produce the information by scanning the material in the paper files to provide computer files of digital images, and to edit these to remove some sensitive information. Some of this work may be done by a contractor in secure conditions. The remainder will be carried out by the House's own staff, who will then send the material proposed for release to the Members concerned and will also need to deal with any representations made. The costs of this work are subject to substantial uncertainty but are expected to be in the region of £950,000.
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