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27 Oct 2008 : Column 780W—continued
Departmental Official Visits
David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent on overnight accommodation by his Department’s civil servants in the last 12 months. [228783]
Angela Eagle: The Treasury’s accounting system does not separately identify spending on overnight accommodation within total spending on subsistence.
All travel and subsistence is conduced in accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code, Travel by Ministers and the Civil Service Management Code.
Departmental Pensions
Jenny Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of civil servants in his Department and its agencies are members of the (a) Classic, (b) Classic Plus, (c) Nuvos and (d) Premium civil service pension schemes. [229525]
Angela Eagle: The information requested is detailed in the following table:
| Department/Agency | Classic | Classic Plus | Premium | Nuvos | ||||
| Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | |
Some civil servants have opted out of the PCSPS or have chosen the Partnership option. The aforementioned data is correct as of the September 2008 payroll.
Departmental Temporary Employment
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which companies were used by his Department for providing temporary staff in each of the last five years; and what the value of contracts with each such company was in each of those years. [229080]
Angela Eagle: HM Treasury has used the following companies to provide temporary staff since 2004-05. The table shows the total spend each year with each company.
| £ | ||||
| Financial year | ||||
| Supplier | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 |
As a result of the introduction of a new accounting system, details of companies used prior to 2004-05 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
OGC have used the following companies to provide temporary staff since 2006-07. The table shows the total spend each year with each company.
| £ | ||
| Financial year | ||
| Supplier | 2006-07 | 2007-08 |
As a result of the introduction of a new accounting system, details of companies used prior to 2006-07 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
EC Grants and Loans
Dan Rogerson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of European Union funding in each region was administered by (a) Government departments, (b) regional development agencies, (c) local authorities and (d) other bodies in the latest period for which information is available. [229348]
Ian Pearson:
Details of total United Kingdom public sector receipts from the EC Budget, i.e. those receipts which pass through Government Departments are given in Table 3.3, page 25, of the 2008 European Community
Finances White Paper (Cm 7462) published on 10 September 2008. An estimate of the expected level of receipts paid direct to the private sector in 2008 is given in paragraph 3.10, page 22 of the White Paper.
Geographical Information Systems: Finance
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate the Valuation Office Agency has made of the cost of implementing its plans for a geographical information system. [229673]
Mr. Timms: The current estimated cost of developing the Valuation Office Agency's geographical information system is £3.4 million.
Government Departments: Annual Reports
Dr. Tony Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library the guidance provided by HM Treasury to departments on what they should disclose in their 2008 autumn performance reports. [229456]
Angela Eagle: A copy of the guidance to Departments on their 2008 autumn performance reports (APRs) is being deposited in the Library.
Dr. Tony Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his practice to place in the Library copies of the guidance provided by HM Treasury to Departments on what they should disclose in departmental annual reports and autumn performance reports, on each occasion that such guidance is issued. [229457]
Angela Eagle: A copy of the guidance issued on annual departmental reports and autumn performance reports will now be placed in the Library each time they are issued.
Income Tax: Self-assessment
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps HM Revenue and Customs has taken to ensure the efficient administration of online tax returns for the 2007-08 tax year. [229583]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 23 October 2008]: During this year, HMRC has made substantial investment in its online filing service for Self-Assessment (SA). HMRC’s free software for SA, used by unrepresented individuals, has been redesigned to make it much easier for customers to complete. HMRC has also updated its underpinning IT infrastructure, providing greater capacity, resilience and enhanced management information. This information helps HMRC ensure that peak demands are successfully managed.
Inflation
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he (a) has taken and (b) plans to take in response to recent trends in the rate of inflation; what representations he has received on this issue since July 2008; what steps he took in response to those representations; and if he will make a statement. [229515]
Ian Pearson: The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England has operational responsibility for the conduct of monetary policy the Chancellor and other Treasury Ministers receive a wide number of representations on economic and statistical issues. The Government will update their forecasts for the UK and world economies in the forthcoming pre-Budget report as normal, based on all relevant factors.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate (a) his Department, (b) the Bank of England and (c) the Financial Services Authority has made of the number of local authorities which have deposits in Icelandic-owned banks. [226582]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 13 October 2008]: The FSA holds information on the deposits held in banks as part of its normal regulatory duties. This information is commercially confidential.
The Local Government Association has undertaken a survey of local authorities data, which can be found at:
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the guarantee given to UK savers in Icelandic-owned banks will apply to investments made by local authorities. [226583]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 13 October 2008]: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the statement made by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on 14 October 2008, Official Report, column 35WS.
Members: Correspondence
John Barrett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the hon. Member for Edinburgh West's letter of 25 July 2008 on his constituents Miss M. Murray and Mr. Stuart Fleming. [228838]
Mr. Timms: My predecessor replied on 27 August. A copy of her letter is being forwarded to the hon. Member.
Monetary Policy Committee
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what process is followed for appointment of members of the Monetary Policy Committee. [229516]
Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the 1998 Bank of England Act, Section 13 and Schedule 3, paragraphs 1-9.
Further to this, the Chancellor and the Prime Minister have made several additional announcements on the appointments process for members of the Monetary Policy Committee.
The Government made two announcements regarding the process of making external appointments to the MPC in summer 2007. I refer the hon. Gentleman to the Pre-Budget Report 2007 (cm7227), Chapter 2 paragraphs 2.8 and 2.9, for a description of these changes:
On 19 June 2008, the Chancellor wrote to the Chair of the Treasury Select committee detailing a further set of changes to appointments process. These are described in the Treasury press release on this matter:
Northern Rock: Repossession Orders
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the policy of Northern Rock is on repossessing homes; and if he will make a statement. [229450]
Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to the hon. Member for Carmarthen and Dinefwr (Adam Price) on 21 July 2008, Official Report, column 728W.
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