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6 Oct 2008 : Column 6W—continued
Departmental Procurement
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library the names and addresses of each organisation that supplied goods and services to his Department in 2007-08, based on the purchase order data held in the Department's financial database. [222157]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The Wales Office purchasing is done through the Ministry of Justice financial processes and cannot be desegregated from its figures.
Departmental Public Relations
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much (a) his Department and (b) its agencies spent on each of the external public relations and marketing companies included in the Central Office of Information's Public Relations Framework in each of the last 36 months. [222158]
Mr. Paul Murphy: No such expenditure has been incurred.
EDF Energy
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what contracts his Department has with EDF; and how much his Department paid to EDF in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the purpose of the payment. [221849]
EU Law
Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many officials in his Department are wholly or mainly tasked with the negotiation, implementation or administration of EU legislation and consequent policies. [222274]
Fires: Safety
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consideration has been given to the (a) regionalisation and (b) rationalisation of fire control rooms in Wales. [224484]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The Welsh Assembly Government was given an opportunity in 2004 to join FiReControl, the project to rationalise the 46 control rooms in England to nine regional control centres. The proposal was to reduce Wales' three control rooms to one regional control centre.
Welsh Assembly Government Ministers took a decision not to opt into the FiReControl project as a rationalisation of the eight Fire Authorities and their control rooms in Wales had already taken place in 1996.
Olympic Games 2012
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether any full-time equivalent members of his Department's staff are working on policy relating to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. [221877]
Mr. Paul Murphy: As part of their duties a number of my officials (together with colleagues from Welsh Assembly Government) have and continue to work toward maximising Wales’ contribution to a successful London 2012.
Stress
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what arrangements his Department has in place to assist officials to overcome the effects of stress experienced in the workplace. [222184]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The Wales Office is committed to the well-being of its employees. It has a number of procedures in place to reduce stress at work. A stress management framework, based on the Health and Safety Executive's management standards, is available to all employees and gives easy to use advice on the successful prevention, recognition and management of stress at work.
Taxis
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on taxis in the last financial year for which figures are available. [223042]
Mr. Paul Murphy: In the last financial year my Department has spent £3,424.16 on taxis.
Public Accounts Commission
National Audit Office
James Duddridge: To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission whether National Audit Office staff who are entitled to business class or first class air travel are permitted to (a) travel in a cheaper class to the destination and (b) benefit in monetary terms or kind from the saving. [221922]
Mr. Alan Williams: The National Audit Office informs me that National Audit Office staff are not entitled to first class air travel, and the normal class of air travel is economy. Business class or premium economy air travel may be permitted in some circumstances, taking into account the duration and timing of travel. All staff must seek prior authorisation for their travel plans from a director or manager.
NAO staff are required to book all air tickets and rail tickets in excess of £20 through contracted travel providers. The companies invoice the National Audit Office for the tickets booked. So staff cannot claim for any fare or travel in a cheaper class than the booked ticket, nor benefit in monetary terms from any difference in cost.
Mr. Bone: To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission what the budget of the National Audit Office is for 2008-09; and what savings it expects to make within that budget. [222456]
Mr. Alan Williams: The NAO's budget for 2008-09, approved by the Public Accounts Commission on 4 March 2008, is a net amount of £107.7 million: £74.8 million for audit and assurance services, £24.2 million for the repair and refurbishment of the NAO's headquarters building, and the remaining £8.7 million for the provision of temporary office accommodation for London staff for the duration of the refurbishment work.
The NAO also has a capital budget in 2008-09 of £15.7 million: £1.5 million for its ongoing audit and assurance work, and the remaining £14.2 million for the refurbishment project.
Within its budget, the NAO is committed to efficiency savings of 3 per cent. across its corporate services, 2 per cent. in its value for money work and 1 per cent. on financial audit work.
Administration Committee
Department of Facilities: Fats
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee how much hydrogenated fat the Department of Facilities and its predecessor bought for cooking use in the last year for which figures are available. [224489]
Nick Harvey: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Chairman of the Administration Committee.
The House of Commons catering service does not purchase hydrogenated fat or hydrogenated vegetable oils for cooking use. Furthermore, as part of its commitment to promoting healthy eating in the workplace, the catering service is working towards removing hydrogenated fats wherever possible from its supply chain.
A review of the dry and ambient ingredients purchased by the catering and retail service is approximately 70 per cent. complete and to date has identified only nine products containing hydrogenated fats or oils. The review should be complete by the end of the year, after which a review of other processed foods purchased by the department will be carried out.
Work is in hand to identify suitable alternatives for those products found to contain hydrogenated fats or oils.
Church Commissioners
Church of England: Land
Jon Trickett: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what mechanisms are in place to ensure that disposal of glebeland (a) complies with legal requirements and (b) respects the terms of covenants. [223723]
Sir Stuart Bell: Under the provisions of the Endowments and Glebe Measure 1976, a Diocesan Board of Finance has to manage its glebe property for the benefit of the Diocesan Stipends Fund of the diocese. The legal requirements before a sale is proposed are set out in the Measure and in advice published by the Commissioners.
The Commissioners’ consent to a sale is needed where the proposed transaction does not meet standard charitable criteria or where there are objections to the proposal. The policing of covenants after a sale is a matter for the Diocesan Board of Finance.
Jon Trickett: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what procedures exist for members of the public to object to a sale of glebeland. [223724]
Sir Stuart Bell: Notice of the proposed sale of qualifying glebe needs to be served on the parish priest and the Parochial Church Council. If there are objections, these are considered by the Church Commissioners’ Pastoral Committee. Objectors to and proponents of the proposed transaction may attend the Committee’s meetings and make oral presentations of their cases. The Commissioners’ decision on such cases is final.
Economic and Monetary Union
James Duddridge: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners whether the Church Commissioners have produced a euro changeover plan. [222344]
Sir Stuart Bell: The Church Commissioners have not produced a euro changeover plan and currently have no plans to do so.
Scotland
Departmental Air Travel
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether those staff of his Department who are entitled to business class or first class air travel are permitted to (a) travel in a cheaper class to the destination and (b) benefit in monetary terms or kind from the saving. [222164]
Ann McKechin: All official travel is carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code.
Departmental Carbon Emissions
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 14 July 2008, Official Report, column 27W, on carbon emissions: Government departments, how much air mileage incurred through departmental travel was used to calculate the departmental payment to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund in each year that his Department has participated in the fund, broken down by (a) domestic, (b) short-haul and (c) long-haul flights. [222149]
Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office is part of the Ministry of Justice for these purposes. Data concerning air miles and carbon emissions in each of the three categories will be submitted to the Ministry of Justice for inclusion in its 2008-09 annual return.
Departmental Data Protection
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what types of data have been sold by his Department under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations in the last 12 months. [222165]
Ann McKechin: Core information produced by the Scotland Office can be reused free of charge under the terms of the PSI Click-Use Licence which is administered by the Office of Public Sector Information in accordance with the Re-Use of Public Sector Information Regulations.
Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the five most serious disciplinary breaches in his Department were in the last 12 months; and what steps were taken in response to each breach. [223049]
Ann McKechin: There have been no disciplinary breaches by staff in the Scotland Office in the last 12 months.
Departmental Official Residences
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the location is of each office occupied by his Department which has been (a) newly occupied and (b) refurbished in the last 24 months; and what the floor area in square metres is of each. [222152]
Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office has not newly occupied any refurbished properties in the last 24 months.
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what permanent residential accommodation is provided for use by civil servants in his Department; how many residential dwellings are provided; where they are located; and for what grade of civil servant they are provided. [222163]
Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office does not provide permanent residential accommodation for its staff.
Departmental Procurement
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place in the Library the names and addresses of each organisation that supplied goods and services to his Department in 2007-08, based on the purchase order data held in the Department's financial database. [222151]
Ann McKechin: A list of the suppliers to the Scotland Office in 2007-08 has been placed in the House Library.
Departmental Public Relations
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on each of the external public relations and marketing companies included in the Central Office of Information's Public Relations Framework in each of the last 36 months. [222162]
Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office has incurred no expenditure on external public relations in the last 36 months.
EDF Energy
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what contracts his Department has with EDF; and how much his Department paid to EDF in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the purpose of the payment. [221848]
Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999; since that date, the Office has had no contracts with EDF.
EU Law
Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many officials in his Department are wholly or mainly tasked with the negotiation, implementation or administration of EU legislation and consequent policies. [222273]
Ann McKechin: This Government are firmly committed to the importance of the EU in delivering on 21st century challenges. The EU is of central importance to the work of HM Government across all Departments. It is relevant to a wide range of policy areas, and to the work of many Government officials. No Scotland Office officials are either wholly or mainly tasked with the negotiation, implementation or administration of EU legislation and consequent policies.
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