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Leader of the House

Departmental Lost Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Leader of the House what (a) equipment and (b) data were lost by her Office in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement. [231436]

Chris Bryant: In the last 12 months one laptop has been reported stolen from the Leader of the House of Commons Office. The laptop was used to update the office website and did not contain any personal data or other sensitive information. No data have been lost.

Oral Questions

Mr. Goodwill: To ask the Leader of the House for what reasons there is a longer notice period for tabling questions for oral answer to the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland than for questions to other Ministers. [232606]

Chris Bryant: The Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Offices do not themselves hold most of the information on which Ministers need to draw in answering parliamentary questions on issues which are the responsibility of the devolved administrations. While the devolved administrations and other Departments are happy to provide information, the additional time involved means that three days' notice would not be enough for Ministers to be able to give full answers in the House.

This issue was raised by the Procedure Committee in its Third Report of 2001-02 (HC 622); the Government's response was published as Cm 5628.

Olympics

Departmental Official Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how much was spent on overnight accommodation by civil servants from her Office in the last 12 months. [228778]

Tessa Jowell: Details of how much the Cabinet Office spent on overnight accommodation by civil servants in the last 12 months are not held centrally and are therefore available only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Pay

David Simpson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of staff in her Department in the last 12 months; and at what total cost. [226427]

Tessa Jowell: The information requested is a matter of public record. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, East (Mr. Watson) to the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr. Hammond) on 6 June 2008, Official Report, column 1185W.


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Olympic Games 2012: Education

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what assessment she has made of the Field Studies Council’s proposals to site a residential urban education centre in the Olympic Park after the London 2012 Olympics. [232211]

Tessa Jowell: I am aware of the proposals made by the Field Studies Council (FSC). The FSC wrote to me earlier this year and I suggested that they meet with the London Development Agency (LDA), as interim clients for the Olympic Legacy Park, and my officials from the Government Olympic Executive (GOE). This meeting took place on 7 May 2008, when the FSC’s proposals were discussed in detail in the context of the Legacy Masterplan Framework (LMF) being developed by the LDA. The LMF sets out the framework of homes, education and health facilities, workspaces, infrastructure and parkland that will need to be put in place following the 2012 Games. Another meeting is scheduled to take place in November, between the FSC, LDA and GOE, when the proposals will be considered further.

Plain English

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how much her Office has spent on Plain English Campaign training courses in each year since its establishment. [231231]

Tessa Jowell: My office has not spent anything on Plain English Campaign training courses since its establishment.

Duchy of Lancaster

Agriculture: Lancashire

Mr. Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what percentage of the economy of Ribble Valley constituency was derived from agriculture (a) at the most recent date for which figures are available, (b) in 2008, (c) in 1998 and (d) in 1988. [230934]

Kevin Brennan [holding answer 27 October 2008]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated October 2008:

Catz Club

Mr. Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer to my right hon. Friend for Horsham (Mr. Maude) of 8 October 2008, Official Report, columns 262-63, on the voluntary sector, what the timetable is for his review of the Catz Club, payments made to it by Futurebuilders and the removal of funding of Catz Club from the Futurebuilders website. [231212]


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Kevin Brennan [holding answer 28 October 2008]: Pursuant to the answer given on 8 October 2008, Official Report, columns 262-63, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster reviewed this case and wrote to the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr. Maude) on 23 October 2008. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Mr. Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer to my right hon. Friend for Horsham (Mr. Maude) of 8 October 2008, Official Report, columns 262-63, on the voluntary sector, for what reasons Futurebuilders removed references to its funding of the charity Catz Club from its website. [231213]

Kevin Brennan [holding answer 28 October 2008]: The Futurebuilders Fund is managed by Futurebuilders England Ltd. (FBE) under contract to the Cabinet Office.

I understand that FBE did remove some references to Catz Club from their website on 12 September 2008, on the basis that they were no longer an investee of Futurebuilders.

Census

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the 2011 Census; and how much has been spent to date on trials prior to that census. [230808]

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated October 2008:

Charitable Donations: Occupied Territories

Dr. Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) whether UK-based charities may provide funds to illegal Israeli settlements within the rules administered by the Charity Commission; [229921]

(2) whether the Charity Commission has issued any guidance to UK charities operating in Israel regarding their ability to operate in illegal Israeli settlements; [229922]


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(3) what steps the Charity Commission takes to determine that UK charities do not support individuals or organisations which violate international law or undermine human rights; [229923]

(4) if he will estimate the number of UK charities which are operating in illegal Israeli settlements; and if he will make a statement; [229942]

(5) if the Charity Commission will take steps to ensure that UK-based charities do not support Israeli settlement groups involved in committing violent acts against Palestinian civilians. [229943]

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission. I have asked the Commission to reply.

Letter from Andrew Hind, dated 24 October 2008:


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Charities

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) how many charities registered in the UK operate outside the UK; and in what countries; [230100]

(2) how many charitable organisations the Charity Commission has penalised for receiving illegitimate donations in each of the last five years; and how many of those had religious objects. [230101]

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission. I have asked the Commission to reply.

Letter from Andrew Hind, dated 24 October 2008:

Civil Servants: Manpower

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many civil service and executive agency jobs have been (a) created in and (b) relocated to York in each year since 1992. [230252]

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.


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HM Treasury does not hold data in the format requested. Since 2004, under the Lyons Relocation Programme, 123 posts have been relocated to York from London and the South East.

Overall, an additional 38,000 public sector jobs have been created in Yorkshire and the Humber Government office region over the last five years.

Civil Servants: Pensions

Paul Rowen: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much was paid (a) by (i) employees and (ii) employers and (b) to those receiving pension payment from the Civil Service pension scheme in each of the last five years. [229445]

Mr. Watson: The contributions paid by employees and employers to, and pensions paid from, the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme for the last five years are detailed in the following table.

£000
Contributions received

Employers Employees( 1) Pensions paid

2002-03

1,543,082

206,357

2,570,481

2003-04

1,681,257

262,852

2,672,616

2004-05

1,780,579

286,531

2,790,906

2005-06

2,518,792

311,427

2,922,019

2006-07

2,699,816

324,976

3,063,802

(1) Employee contributions include amounts paid to purchase added years.

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