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3 July 2008 : Column 1027W—continued
Work and Pensions
Departmental Buildings
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the value of the property held by (a) his Department and (b) associated public bodies was at the most recent date for which figures are available. [212911]
Mrs. McGuire: The information is as follows:
(a) The entire estate of the Department for Work and Pensions was sold (freehold, feuhold and long leasehold interests) or transferred (short leasehold interests) to Land Securities Trillium under a PFI known as PRIME.
(b) The Rent Service do not hold the market value of the premises they occupy. All properties are leasehold.
The value of Health and Safety Executive's property (land and buildings) at 31 March 2008 was £64.3 million; £59.3 million of which relates to the Health and Safety Laboratory's PFI contract at Buxton.
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) 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; [213691]
(2) 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. [213709]
Mrs. McGuire: Information on new builds and major refurbishments completed by the Department for a cost in excess of £0.5 million in 2005-06, 2006-07, and 2007-08 is provided in the following tables.
| New builds completed with a cost in excess of £0.5 million | |
| Number | |
| Refurbishments completed with a cost in excess of £0.5 million | |
| Number | |
BREEAM information relating to new builds and refurbishments completed for a cost in excess of £0.5 million in 2005-06 and 2006-07 is contained within the table as follows and has been reported in the Sustainable Development in Government Reports for 2006 and 2007. These can be accessed via the following links:
| New builds completed for a cost in excess of £0.5 million to which BREEAM was applied | ||
| BREEAM rating | 2005-06 | 2006-07 |
BREEAM applications have not been made for refurbishments as they relate to internal refit only and therefore do not affect the fabric of the building.
BREEAM information for 2007-08 is currently being validated and collated by the Department for publication in the Sustainable Development in Government Report 2008. The latest BREEAM assessments do though demonstrate a positive trend and that ratings of very good to excellent are being achieved. In recognition of the need to achieve BREEAM excellence, the Department has included the objective within its overall Estate Strategy.
Departmental Home Working
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in his Department are authorised to work from home. [212512]
Mrs. McGuire: The information on the number of people authorised to work from home within DWP is not collated centrally. It is controlled and managed locally and the collation of such information would involve disproportionate cost.
Departmental Internet
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria his Department uses to decide what information uploaded to his Department's website should be included in the “What's new” section of the website. [205485]
Mrs. McGuire: The Department uses the following criteria to decide what information published on its website to include in the “What's New” section.
a new policy publication?
a new consultation?
a consultation response?
a new publicity campaign?
a significant new addition to the website?
The Department does not include every new addition to the website as this would make the “What's new” section too long and unusable.
Departmental Marketing
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the design of the “our values” logo used in his Department's literature cost. [211132]
Mrs. McGuire: The DWP values comprise four elements: “Achieving the Best”, “Looking Outwards”, “Making a Difference” and “Respecting People”, which are the guiding principles for how we deliver our services to our customers and have been in use since 2001, on a variety of products that relate to business and personal development. The cost of the development of values icons was £10,782.
Departmental Official Hospitality
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 10 December 2007, Official Report, column 187W, on departmental official hospitality, when he expects the list of hospitality received in 2007 by members of his Department's management board to be published. [215251]
Mrs. McGuire: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster gave him on 7 May 2008, Official Report, column 885W.
Departmental Pay
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will review salary negotiations for public sector employees in organisations within his Department’s responsibility to reflect the rise in the consumer price index to a point above 3 per cent. [214541]
Mrs. McGuire:
The Government’s pay policy is guided by the following principles. Public sector pay settlements should be consistent with maintaining the necessary levels of recruitment, retention and staff engagement needed to support service delivery; ensuring that total pay bills represent value for money and are affordable within Departments’ overall expenditure plans; and consistent with the achievement of the inflation target.
Timing of pay decisions for a particular work force depends on pay-setting arrangements for that work force.
Departmental Planning Permission
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) planning applications and (b) licensing applications his Department has submitted in the last 24 months. [215531]
Mrs. McGuire: Land Securities Trillium(1) has made 54 planning applications in the last 24 months in respect of sites occupied by the Department. This figure comprises seven applications to construct new properties located in Selly Oak, Hanley, Burnley, Bournemouth, Seven Kings London, Falkirk and Glasgow and a further 47 for lesser works at various locations, where applications were made for alterations such as plant installation (air conditioning condensing units), window replacements and roller shutter doors.
No licensing applications have been submitted by the Department.
(1 )Land Securities Trillium provides the Department with fully fitted and serviced accommodation (under a 20 year PFI contract which commenced in 1998) and is responsible for the management of legal applications required to manage the estate.
Departmental Public Expenditure
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on (a) new furnishings, (b) art and (c) new vehicles by his Department in each of the last three years. [213517]
Mrs. McGuire: The information requested on new furnishings and new vehicles is provided in the following table. All art works in the Department are on loan from the Government Art Collection.
| £ million | ||
| Financial year | Cost of new furnishings( 1) | Cost of new vehicles( 2) |
| (1 )Total furniture costs include desks, chairs and other office furnishings. (2 )The figures provided for the cost of new vehicles represent capital spend. The Department changed from purchasing to leasing vehicles in August 2007. | ||
Departmental Secondment
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what procedures his Department uses to ensure equal opportunities in relation to staff secondments to the Department. [214661]
Mrs. McGuire: Staff secondments to the Department are carried out in accordance with the Department's diversity and equality policies and procedures. There are no restrictions in relation to staff secondment on the grounds of issues such as age, grade, gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation. However, individual secondment opportunities may have their own specific requirements.
Departmental Television
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to what premium Sky, digital terrestrial or cable television channels (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies subscribes; and at what yearly cost in the most recent period for which figures are available. [215643]
Mrs. McGuire: With regard to annual subscriptions cost in the financial year 2007-08, with premium Sky digital or cable television channels, the Department reports a nil spend for itself and its agencies.
Departmental Visits Abroad
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost of overseas visits by each Minister in his Department has been since 1997. [214656]
Mrs. McGuire: Since 1999 the Government have published the total cost of all overseas travel by Ministers and a list of all overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers costing over £500. Information for the last financial year was published on 25 July 2007, Official Report, column 1112W. Details for the financial year 2007-08 will be published before the summer recess and will include details of overseas visits undertaken by all Ministers. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.
Information in respect of overseas visits by all Ministers for the period 1997 to 1999 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Incapacity Benefit
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people beginning to claim incapacity benefit were entitled to an age addition in each of the last five years. [209318]
Mrs. McGuire [holding answer 6 June 2008]: The available information is in the following table.
| Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance on-flows with an age addition | |
| Flowed on in the year ending August | With age addition |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. Figures relate to number of claims, not the number of people. If a person flows on to incapacity benefit in the year ending August 2003, flows off incapacity benefit, then flows back on in the year ending August 2005, s/he will be counted as an on-flow in both of those years. Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5 per cent sample. | |
Ipsos MORI
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what payments his Department and its agencies have made to Ipsos MORI in the last 24 months; and for what purposes. [194328]
Mrs. McGuire: My Department has made payments totalling £1.942 million in the last 24 months to Ipsos MORI in respect of professional fees and services.
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