Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 22 July 2008
Olympics
Departmental Sick Leave
David Simpson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many staff in her Office have had five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days in two or more of the last five years. [218979]
Olympic Delivery Authority: Manpower
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many people were employed by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) at the most recent date for which figures are available; what the staffing costs of the ODA will be in 2008-09; and how many of the ODA's staff work on (a) project management, (b) legacy planning and (c) financial oversight. [219273]
Tessa Jowell: As of 30 June 2008, the ODA employed 212 members of staff. This consists of permanent staff, fixed-term contract staff, and secondments. The overall management costs budget for 2008-09 is based on an ODA headcount of 276. The agreed total budget for ODA management costs for 2008-09 is £24,223,000. This budget has been set to cover salary costs, including employer national insurance contributions, employer pension contributions and bonus payments that are payable to eligible staff based on performance and achievement of overall objectives.
The ODA currently has 128 members of staff working in project management roles across a number of ODA teams.
The ODA is leading the first phase of legacy which is focused on cleaning, clearing, and creating the park and the development of new infrastructure, utilities, and venues. The second phase is led by the LDA and is focused on what the park is used for after the games. It is not possible to provide a breakdown of those ODA staff who are exclusively working on legacy planning roles as every project within the programme is considered with legacy in mind, ensuring that legacy requirements are incorporated into design briefs, specifications and business plans.
The ODA currently has 15 employees working in the Finance and Business Planning Team who work closely with the delivery partner on the financial oversight of the programme. In addition the ODA has engaged Ernst and Young to provide an internal audit service.
Olympic Games
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Minister for the Olympics pursuant to the answer of 2 June 2008, Official Report, columns 567-8W, on the Olympic games, what estimate
he has made of the cost of Ministers from her Department and departmental officials attending the Beijing Olympic games. [219477]
Tessa Jowell: All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, and travel by DCMS officials is undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code, copies of which are available in the Library.
I and my Private Secretary will be travelling to the Olympic games. The cost of my visit will be covered by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him today by my hon. Friend the Minister for Sport.
Olympic Games 2012
Ben Chapman: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what steps she plans to take to ensure that the 2012 Olympics have an effective economic and social legacy in all parts of the UK. [217670]
Tessa Jowell: In June this year we published the Legacy Action Plan (LAP) which sets out the long-term benefits we hope to stimulate through hosting the Olympic games and Paralympic games in 2012, and how we plan to achieve them. This is unprecedented as no other host city has ever been at this stage of planning, nor so committed to a broad and sustainable legacy, this early in preparations.
The LAP sets out the Government's priorities for UK-wide legacy as defined by our five legacy promises, published in Our Promise for 2012 in June 2007. This includes a target to help get two million people more active through sport and physical activity by 2012. Sport England will seek to get one million more active through sport; they will do this through new engagement with national governing bodies and through county sport partnerships.
Further to the announcement in June, Government have now set out further details of the £140 million cross-Government free swimming scheme. The scheme is designed to encourage as many local authorities as possible to participate in making swimming free for over-60s and under-16s in their local communities, but also to stimulate ambitious authorities to maximise and sustain uptake through other initiatives such as free lessons for adults who cannot swim, the introduction of swimming co-ordinators and to provide incentives for the most ambitious to move further towards a universal free swimming offer.
The LAP also includes initiatives to stimulate economic and social benefit by increasing tourism and improving access to skills and business opportunities. This includes, for example, the London 2012 Business Network giving business across the UK access to the 75,000 contracts in the London 2012 supply chains worth £6 billion.
Facilities in the London 2012 Pre-Games Training Camp Guide which will be published in Beijing will also have the opportunity to attract inward investment and showcase their local area on an international stage. UKTI are also developing programmes to use the games as a springboard for export.
In addition to the LAP, each of the English regions and nations has its own plan for legacy initiatives at local level that complement this work.
As Members of Parliament we should do everything we can in our constituencies to ensure that the opportunities and long-term benefits generated by the games are realised at local level across the UK.
Olympic Games 2012: Consultants
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how much was paid to KPMG as Olympic advisers in each year since its contract began. [219274]
Tessa Jowell: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport's sole contract with KPMG, to date, covered the period from October 2005 to July 2006 when KPMG were commissioned to review cost estimates for the 2012 Games. The cost of this contract was £1,190,000, inclusive of VAT.
The Olympic Delivery Authority paid KPMG in 2006-07 £255,000, and in 2007-08 £1,585,000. Both figures are inclusive of VAT. The costs are attributed to the financial evaluation of tenders, financial support and advice.
Olympic Games 2012: Finance
Anne Main: To ask the Minister for the Olympics when she next expects to make an announcement on Olympic funding; and if she will make a statement. [221409]
Tessa Jowell: I have no plans to make a further announcement on Olympic funding. The public sector funding provision for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games remains as set out in my statement to the House on 15 March 2007.
Olympic Games 2012: Police
Anne Main: To ask the Minister for the Olympics when she will respond to the letter from the hon. Member for St Albans of 2 April 2008, on policing for the Olympic Games in London in 2012. [221389]
Tessa Jowell: A letter of response to the hon. Member for St. Albans will be sent shortly.
Olympic Games 2012: Transport
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many full-time equivalent members of staff in her Office are employed on work in relation to railways; how many of those work on (a) project management, (b) project oversight and (c) financial oversight; and what plans she has for related future staffing levels. [221433]
Tessa Jowell: No members of staff in the Minister for the Olympics Office are employed on work in relation to railways.
Scotland
Departmental Alcoholic Drinks
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what measures are in place in his Department to monitor expenditure on alcohol for hospitality purposes; [219590]
(2) what purchasing process is used by his Department for the procurement of alcohol for hospitality purposes. [219940]
David Cairns: All Scotland Office expenditure, including all money spent on hospitality, is incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on “Regularity and Propriety”.
Departmental Appeals
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on how many occasions his Department has instructed the Treasury Solicitor to seek leave to appeal to the House of Lords from (a) the Court of Appeal and (b) the House of Lords itself in each of the last 10 years; and on how many occasions the application was rejected. [220826]
David Cairns: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. Since that date the Scotland Office has not instructed the Treasury Solicitor to seek leave to appeal to the House of Lords from (a) the Court of Appeal and (b) the House of Lords itself in any of the last 10 years.
Departmental Public Participation
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what (a) reviews and (b) public consultations have been initiated by his Department since 27 June 2007. [221368]
David Cairns: Since 27 June 2007, the Scotland Office has undertaken one public consultation, “Sorting the Ballot”.
Departmental Responsibilities
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which projects his Department has commissioned from (a) think tanks and (b) charities in each of the last two years for which figures are available; what the aim of each project was; which think tank or charity was commissioned; and how much was paid. [221626]
David Cairns: The Scotland Office, along with the Wales Office and Ministry of Justice, is funding a series of reports on devolution from University College, London. The Scotland Office has agreed to contribute £25,000 over three years towards this work.
Prime Minister
Departmental Conferences
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2008, Official Report, column 919W, on departmental conferences, when he expects to publish information on official and charity receptions for 2007-08. [221266]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement I made today.
Departmental Databases
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Prime Minister what UK Government databases may be accessed by third parties, following Commission Decision 2008/291/EC, OJ L98 of 10 April 2008; what statutory safeguards exist for personal privacy; and if he will make a statement. [217983]
Mr. Watson: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated July 2008:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning what UK Government databases may be accessed by third parties following Commission Decision (EC) 2008/291, and what statutory safeguards exist for personal privacy. (217983)
Commission Decision (EC) No 2008/291 updates the list of scientific research institutions that have passed statutory checks for their competence to carry out research using certain statistical datasets held by Eurostat, the statistical office of the Commission.
The statistical sources that may be accessed by researchers in admissible institutions are listed in Commission Regulation (EC) No 831/2002 (as amended):
European Community Household Panel (ECHP)
Labour Force Survey (LFS)
Community Innovation Survey (CIS)
Continuing Vocational Training Survey
Structure of Earnings Survey (SES)
European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC)
Adult Education Survey
Farm Structure Survey
The UK contributes data to each of these sources. At present only ECHP, LFS, CIS, EU-SILC, and SES micro-datasets have an agreed anonymisation standard and available in that form for research use. Eurostat and member states are working on an anonymisation design for the other sources. The anonymisation standards are equivalent to the standard ONS uses for the datasets it places for research use through the UK Data Archive at Essex University.
Researchers in admissible institutions may be provided with data when the statutory safeguards in Commission Regulation (EC) No 831/2002 are met. This requires the researcher to submit a detailed written request setting out the research proposal. The UK authority that contributed data to the source must be informed of the request, and can withhold permission for its data to be provided.
A contract with Eurostat must be in place that specifies the research purpose and the necessary organisational and technical measures to keep the data secure. The data provided are also protected by the statutory prohibitions on disclosure in Chapter V of Council Regulation (EC) 322/97.
Employment
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the Answer of 16 July 2008, Official Report, column 247 to the right hon. and learned Member for Rushcliffe, how many of the three million people to whom he referred are (a) UK citizens and (b) non-UK citizens. [221207]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the information produced by the Office for National Statistics which shows that 2.9 million more people are in work since 1997:
Church Commissioners
Church of England: Property
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners under what conditions bishops and clergy of the Church of England occupy episcopal and parish property for which the Church Commissioners are responsible; whether bishops and clergy are required to abide by the provisions of Church of England Measures to use such property; and if he will make a statement. [218199]
Sir Stuart Bell: Diocesan bishops occupy see houses under licence from the Church Commissioners who have the power, under section 3 of the Episcopal Endowments and Stipends Measure 1943, to house diocesan bishops.
Refusal to abide by Church of England Measures would be a matter of clergy discipline, which is not the responsibility of the Commissioners.
The Commissioners are not responsible for parish property occupied by clergy or property occupied by suffragan bishops.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |