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28 Oct 2008 : Column 934W—continued
Nuclear Power Stations
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the availability of UK labour to build the next generation of nuclear power stations. [225547]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Nuclear White Paper, published in January 2008, provides an assessment of the availability of skilled workers in the UK to build a new programme of nuclear power stations. Government believe that a programme of new nuclear power station construction in the UK has the potential to create many thousands of UK jobs. However there will be challenges in meeting the need for skilled workers, and Government are working with industry to meet the expected high levels of demand for trained staff, including work with Cogent, the National Skills Academy for Nuclear and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
International Development
Departmental Recruitment
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many civil servants in his Department were recruited through the fast stream; and what the average salary of those officials is. [229185]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department for International Development has 180 current civil servants who were recruited through the fast stream. The average current annual salary for those individuals is £37,688.
Departmental Temporary Employment
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 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. [229088]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Since 2005 the Department for International Development (DFID) has predominantly used only three agency suppliers: Margaret Hodge, Josephine Sammons and Manpower for temporary staff. DFID also has delegated authority to appoint professional and specialist staff from specialist suppliers, and in these cases the costs are not registered centrally.
A management fee is included in the salary costs for each person supplied by the three agencies, but it is not possible to disaggregate the management fees from the total amount charged by the agencies or to apportion the total amount paid without incurring disproportionate costs.
The following table shows the total costs paid in the last three financial years to the three suppliers managed centrally. Figures for earlier financial years are not available.
| Financial year | Total amount paid (£) |
Sri Lanka: Health Services
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the number of people in the north of Sri Lanka who do not have access to healthcare and water as a result of the recent hostilities between the government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam since July 2008; and if he will make a statement. [229362]
Mr. Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) estimates that between 200,000 and 250,000 people are currently displaced in the north of Sri Lanka in an area known as the Vanni. This population is concentrated in an area to the east of Kilinochchi, living in very difficult conditions and almost entirely dependent on humanitarian supplies. The delays in sending humanitarian convoys and safety along the route from Vavunia are major concerns, and there is no permanent UN or NGO presence in the Vanni.
For this reason it is difficult to estimate accurately the numbers without access to health care and clean water. However, local hospitals have reported high numbers of cases of diarrhoea and other water borne diseases which would reflect poor access to clean water. Most displaced persons are reduced to defecating in the open due to lack of sanitation. There is generally access to immediate
food supplies, but lack of shelter for at least 50,000 people is becoming an increasing concern with the monsoon season approaching. The situation remains very difficult and we continue to press for increased humanitarian access.
Duchy of Lancaster
Departmental Marketing
David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of Government-commissioned advertising in the last 12 months relating to matters falling within the remit of his Department. [226516]
Mr. Watson: Information is not held centrally on the effectiveness of individual advertising campaigns commissioned by the Cabinet Office and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The Cabinet Office encourages effective evaluation of all advertising and works closely with the Central Office of Information, who make available useful advertising evaluation techniques to its clients.
Departmental Mass Media
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the cost of media monitoring for (a) the Prime Minister, (b) the No 10 Downing Street office and (c) the Cabinet Office was in each of the last 10 years; and how many full-time equivalent staff carried out such work. [215041]
Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the cost to the public purse was of media monitoring activities carried out by (a) the Central Office of Information, (b) his Department and (c) the Prime Minister’s Office in each of the last five years. [222598]
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the running costs of the Media Monitoring Unit were in 2007-08. [224958]
Mr. Watson: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 20 March 2008, Official Report, column 1302W.
The cost of the Media Monitoring Unit in 2007-08 is accounted for in the Central Office of Information’s annual report and accounts 2007-08 which were laid before Parliament on 16 July 2008.
Departmental Security
Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many departmental identity cards or passes have been reported lost or stolen by staff of (a) the Cabinet Office and (b) the Central Office of Information in the last 24 months. [211127]
Chris Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many security passes have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen by staff in (i) the Cabinet Office, (ii) its agency and (iii) the Prime Minister’s Office in each year since 2001. [228961]
Mr. Byrne: In the last 24 months 51 Cabinet Office passes have been reported lost and 19 reported stolen. The Central Office of Information (COI) does not hold records prior to April 2007. However, since April 2007 132 COI passes have been reported lost or stolen.
In respect of the Prime Minister’s Office I refer the hon. and right hon. Members to the answer given to the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr. Maude) on 18 June 2008, Official Report, column 919W.
Departmental Training
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much the Prime Minister’s Office spent on external training courses for staff in (a) 2005, (b) 2006, (c) 2007 and (d) 2008; and which external organisations were paid by the Department to provide such courses in each year. [230493]
Mr. Watson: The Prime Minister’s Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. For details of costs of training, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 7 October 2008, Official Report, column 559W. Details of the individual organisations used for external training are not held centrally.
Foreign Workers: Greater London
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many non-UK nationals worked in London in each of the last 10 years. [229381]
Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, dated October 2008:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many non-UK nationals worked in London in each of the last 10 years. I am replying in her absence. (229381)
The estimates are derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). The requested information is provided in the attached table based on those people aged 16 and over in employment who reported that their place of work is within the government office region of London.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates is provided in the attached table.
The estimates in the table are derived from the LFS microdata which are weighted using the official population estimates published in autumn 2007. They are not entirely consistent with the figures published in the monthly Labour Market Statistics First Release which are weighted using more up-to-date population estimates.
Media Monitoring Unit: Manpower
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many full-time equivalent employees are employed to work in the Cabinet Office’s Media Monitoring Unit. [224965]
Mr. Watson: The Media Monitoring Unit (MMU) is part of the Central Office of Information (COI). The number of employees will be accounted for in COI’s annual report and accounts 2007-08 which were laid before Parliament on 16 July 2008.
Mentally Ill Staff
Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what information his Department has gathered on the effect of its policies and practices on the recruitment, development and retention of employees with mental illnesses within (a) his Department and (b) the public sector bodies for which he has responsibility; and what use has been made of that information. [228559]
Mr. Watson: The Department’s Single Equality Scheme sets out how the Cabinet Office is meeting its Disability Equality Duty, monitoring and reporting on progress. The Department collects and analyses work force data on the impact its recruitment and management systems have on disabled applicants and employees and uses these to ensure those systems are fairly applied.
The public sector bodies sponsored by the Department that are subject to these requirements are responsible for publishing and implementing their own disability equality schemes.
Stress
Mr. Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what arrangements his Department has in place to assist officials to overcome the effects of stress experienced in the workplace. [222177]
Mr. Watson: The Cabinet Office is committed to the well-being of its employees and has a number of procedures in place including a framework, based on the Health and Safety Executive’s management standards available to all employees.
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Alcoholic Drinks: Prices
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the effect on local licensed premises of sales of low-cost alcohol in supermarkets; and if he will make a statement. [227292]
Mr. Thomas: None. The prices an enterprise charges for its products is a commercial matter for the enterprise concerned. Enterprises such as restaurants, pubs and clubs selling alcohol products for consumption on their premises are likely to have different cost bases and business models to off licences, shops and supermarkets that sell alcohol for home consumption. Such differences are likely to be reflected in the prices charged to customers. The interests of consumers are best protected by ensuring there is effective competition between different enterprises seeking to attract customers.
Departmental Pensions
Jenny Willott: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many civil servants working in his Department and its agencies have pensions with a cash equivalent transfer value of over £1 million. [229559]
Mr. McFadden: It is not appropriate to disclose pension information for civil servants other than board members whose details are shown in the Remuneration Report in the Annual Report and Accounts. A copy of the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) Annual Report and Accounts for financial year 2007-08, and those of its agencies, the Insolvency Service (INSS) and ACAS, can be found in the Library.
Alternatively they can be accessed electronically using the following links:
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