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6 Oct 2008 : Column 529W—continued
Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 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. [223061]
Mr. Lammy: I am unable to provide the information requested on the grounds of confidentiality.
Departmental Home Working
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the answer of 2 July 2008, Official Report, column 990W, on departmental home working, if he will make it his policy to collate and maintain central records of home working by his Department's staff. [222537]
Mr. Lammy: Information on staff employed contractually as home workers is maintained. However, some staff opt to work from home on an ad-hoc basis and these arrangements are agreed locally between the manager and individual. Information on these ad hoc home working arrangements will not be collated centrally.
Departmental Information
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what types of data have been sold by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations in the last 12 months. [222101]
Mr. Lammy: Core information produced by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills 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.
Neither the core Department nor the National Weights and Measures Laboratory has charged for re-use of any data in the last 12 months. The UK Intellectual Property Office has charged for re-use of the following types of data:
UK patent bibliographic databases;
Supplementary Protection Certificates;
Bibliographic databases;
UK patent abstract data;
UK patent “A” image data;
UK patent “B” image data;
Reports on Patents Cases;
UK trade mark text database;
UK trade mark image database;
International trade marks with a UK designation.
Departmental Official Residences
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 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. [222099]
Mr. Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills provides no permanent residential accommodation for civil servants.
Departmental Procurement
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 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. [222109]
Mr. Lammy: The Department will not 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. The Department’s finance system can only produce a list of all organisations including commercial and non-commercial organisations that have received a payment form the Department. We would, however have to consider, on an individual basis, whether or not disclosure of that information might prejudice the commercial interests of the Department or the relevant organisation and that could be done only at disproportionate costs.
Departmental Public Relations
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 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. [222097]
Mr. Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was created under the machinery of government changes in June 2007, since that time the Department and its agencies have spent the following on each of the external public relations and marketing companies included in the Central Office of Information's Public Relations Framework:
| £ | ||
| Company | 2007-08 | 2008-09 |
Departmental Retirement
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green of 7 July 2008, Official Report, column 1378W, on departmental retirement, how many requests to work beyond the maximum retirement age have been received by his Department since its creation. [222435]
Mr. Lammy: The Department does not hold central records of requests to work beyond retirement age, but does maintain records of staff working beyond retirement age as referred to in my previous answer to the hon. Member.
Departmental Written Questions
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of written parliamentary questions he has been asked in the last 12 months was substantively unanswered (a) within one month, (b) within two months, (c) within three months and (d) after more than three months of the date of tabling. [221801]
Mr. Lammy: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
EDF Energy
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what contracts (a) his Department and (b) its agencies have with EDF; and how much (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies paid to EDF in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the purpose of the payment. [221840]
Mr. Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) was established under Machinery of Government changes in June 2007 and currently contracts according to the existing agreements put in place by its predecessor Departments being the Department for Education and Schools (now the Department for Children, Schools and Families—DCSF) and Department for Trade and Industry (now the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform—BERR).
BERR has not made any payments to EDF during the 2007-08 financial year.
DCSF have made payments to the value of £1,659,305.17 but the portion attributable to DIUS cannot be determined as a cross charge is made to DIUS based upon headcount for electricity charges, and floor space for gas. DIUS agency NWML has not made any payments to EDF.
DIUS agency UK-IPO have made the following payments for the supply of electricity to EDF (and London Electricity when they traded under that name):
| Financial year | £000 |
Olympic Games 2012
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many full-time equivalent members of staff in (a) his Department and (b) its associated public bodies are working on projects relating to the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics Games; how many of them are working on (i) project management, (ii) legacy planning, (iii) project oversight and (iv) financial oversight; and what plans he has for future staffing levels in each case. [221872]
Mr. Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills is taking advantage of the opportunities which the games afford to enhance skills levels across a wide range of occupations and industrial sectors, in line with the broader objectives of the national Skills Strategy. There are 2.1 full-time equivalent members of staff allocated to co-ordinating this work within the Department, and 9.7 full-time equivalent members of staff dealing with this within the Learning and Skills Council across England. They deal with all aspects of project management, legacy planning and project oversight. Future staffing levels for this work are expected to remain at this level.
South East
Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much his Department spent on services, broken down by type in (a) Dartford Borough, (b) Kent Thameside, (c) the Thames Gateway, (d) Kent County Council area and (e) the South East region in each of the last five years. [222447]
Mr. Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) was established under machinery of government changes in June 2007. DIUS currently operates two financial ledgers. BERR continue to provide accounting services for the ex-DTI parts of DIUS and DCSF provide a similar service to ex-DfES elements. Our accounting systems record costs, including services based on their nature rather than the geographical region to which they pertain. To provide a response to this question would be at disproportionate cost.
Stress
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what arrangements his Department has in place to assist officials to overcome the effects of stress experienced in the workplace. [222170]
Mr. Lammy: The Department 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.
In addition, on 1 July 2008, a new Employee Assistance Programme was made available to all members of staff, providing them with enhanced employee care.
Training: Elderly
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the contribution of skills improvement to reduce isolation of people over 60 years old. [222722]
Mr. Lammy:
The Government are committed to ensuring that learning serves the needs of the whole community, including older people both within and outside the work force. Our strategy for World Class Skills and our reforms of wider adult learning are designed to ensure
that everyone, whatever their age or background, has the opportunity to improve their skills, prospects and quality of life.
We recognise how much older people value and enjoy their courses and the many wider benefits that taking part in learning can bring. There is good evidence that older people benefit substantially from participating in learning and acquiring new skills as part of a fulfilling and active retirement. As we set out in ‘Opportunity Age’, 80 per cent. of learners aged 50 to 71 reported a positive impact from learning in areas such as their enjoyment of life, self-confidence, and their ability to cope with events like divorce and bereavement, while 28 per cent. reported increased involvement in social, community and voluntary activities. For many older people, learning represents an important social activity, not only providing valuable opportunities for social interaction with their peers and members of other generations, but also offering valuable opportunities to share their own knowledge and skills through community volunteering activities.
Our recent consultation on informal adult learning has shown just how passionate people are about learning in later life and many older respondents have told us that the opportunities to engage in social activities and share experiences are as important as the learning itself. We are determined to identify and tackle the real and perceived barriers that face older learners and to ensure that the most marginalised and isolated older people are able to participate. We will continue the consultation dialogue with partners and stakeholders to develop a strategic and durable vision, with policy proposals that work for all older learners and potential learners.
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what training in ICT skills his Department provides for people over 60 years old. [222723]
Mr. Lammy: The Government are committed to ensuring equal opportunities for all learners, and that learning serves the needs of the whole community, including older people both within and outside the workforce. Our aim is to ensure that everyone in every community can lead healthy and fulfilling lives by participating fully in work, education and society as a whole.
The exact balance and mix of adult learning provision at local level is for the Learning and Skills Councils to determine in collaboration with colleges, private and third sector providers, learner representatives and other local partners, according to their assessment of the needs and priorities of their communities.
We recognise that ICT skills are an essential tool for everyday life, for work and for leisure, and that adults of all ages are seriously disadvantaged without ICT skills, especially those in marginalised groups and deprived communities. Over the last six years, £22 million has been invested to bring the benefits of technology to adults in personal and community development learning settings, supporting innovation projects and in establishing learning platforms in over 50 per cent. of local authorities. Around half of all learners over 60 are studying ICT. Some 1,700 people have been trained as e-guides, learning champions who work with more than 10,000 other tutors. 6,000 UK online centres—about half in public libraries, one third in the voluntary and community
sector and the rest in FE colleges and other organisations—are enabling people to access ICT, the internet and e-learning.
The contribution of new technology and broadcasting is a specific strand of our recent consultation on informal adult learning. We want to know how ICT might support new ways of learning and to work with partners, interest groups and networks to identify barriers and obstacles to making ICT learning resources more widely available. We are also working to bridge the digital divide by making new technologies accessible and helping people develop the skills they need to use them effectively. We are currently assessing the many good ideas and proposals we have received in response to the consultation, as part of a process that will lead to a major policy paper later in the year.
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what training is available for people over 60 years old to (a) improve and (b) obtain generic financial skills. [222750]
Mr. Lammy: The Government are committed to ensuring that older people in every community, both within and outside the workforce, have access to suitable high quality learning opportunities. Our strategy for world class skills and our recent wide-ranging consultation on informal adult learning have been designed to ensure that adults everywhere, whatever their age or background, have the opportunity to improve their skills, prospects, quality of life and personal wellbeing.
Increasing financial literacy and helping older people to make informed decisions about working longer and saving for retirement are key aims of “Opportunity Age”, but the Government have also set out a wider, long-term strategy for improving the personal financial capability of people from all sections of the UK population. This is our response to the Thoresen Review, published in March 2008, which reports that large numbers of people from all sections of society are not taking basic steps to plan ahead, such as saving sufficiently for their retirement or putting money aside for when unexpected expenses occur. Many are unwittingly taking on significant financial risks because they struggle to choose products that truly meet their needs. Adults without basic literacy and numeracy are highly likely to struggle with their personal finances.
Since its launch in 2001, the “Skills for Life” strategy has provided in excess of £3 million to fund numeracy and financial capability. This has been embedded into the wider national strategy to improve adult literacy, language and numeracy. The programme is run on behalf of my Department by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE). Its aim is to address the needs of basic literacy, language and numeracy learners through financial literacy, and in so doing to develop their capability to make effective decisions about the use and management of money. In developing the programme NIACE have resources and pilots in several areas. These projects are testing effective ways of engaging adults of all ages and delivering financial literacy in community settings.
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