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24 Nov 2008 : Column 1081W—continued
Departmental Consultants
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many external consultants work for his Department. [237139]
Mr. Hoon: The following table shows the number of consultants working in the Department as recorded in the Department's Human Resources systems:
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on external consultancy in each year since 1997-98; and if he will make a statement. [239062]
Mr. Hoon: Total expenditure by the central Department and its agencies on consultants in each financial year since it was formed in May 2002 is shown in the following table:
| £ million | ||||||
| 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | |
|
Government Car and Despatch Agency (joined DfT from 2005-06) | ||||||
The Business Units within the Department currently use separate accounting systems which record expenditure differently. The totals include a mixture of committed spend (i.e. orders raised) and actual spend incurred. The Professional Services Forum definition of consultancy has been applied since 2005-06 resulting in more accurate coding of expenditure.
Expenditure figures from 2005-06 exclude Central Department and Highways Agency spend on technical transport related consultancy. Expenditure by the Highways Agency on engineering consultancy is scored as outsourced procurement of specialist services.
Expenditure by non-departmental public bodies on external consultancy can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Contracts
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what contracts his Department has with external consultants; what the value of these contracts is in the current financial year, including VAT and disbursements; how long each contract lasts; to which of his Department's programmes or projects each contract relates; and what the forecast total expenditure under each contract is. [239023]
Mr. Hoon: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Information Officers
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many full-time equivalent press officers (a) work for and (b) provide assistance to his Department. [237140]
Mr. Hoon: The most recently compiled press officer numbers in the central Department and Executive Agencies are set out in the following table. All figures are average or estimated full-time equivalent (FTE) staff employed on press officer activities in 2007-08.
| Staff FTE | 2007-08 Press Officer activities |
The Department procures the services of the Central Office of Information to provide assistance with regional media but because of the nature of this support work it is not possible to quantify this in full-time equivalents.
Departmental Internet
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost of maintaining his Department’s website was in 2007-08; and what forecast has been made of the costs for maintaining websites within his responsibility in 2008-09. [237142]
Mr. Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 17 November 2008, Official Report, column 31W, regarding the maintenance costs for the Departments websites.
Tables have been placed in the Libraries of the House showing forecast maintenance costs for the Department for Transport websites 2008-09.
Where annual maintenance costs are not available, this is due to a number of reasons; either the costs are part of a much larger contract and cannot be itemised; or the costs cannot be calculated without incurring disproportionate costs. Costs provided do not include staff costs.
Departmental Land
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for each of the sites owned by his Department which are registered on the Register of Surplus Public Sector Land; what construction projects are planned for each site; and when he expects each site to be returned to use. [236441]
Mr. Hoon: Once sites have been declared surplus for operational purposes and placed on the register, there is a 40 working day window for public sector agencies and Departments to identify new uses for this land. If the sites can be used beneficially elsewhere in the public sector they will be sold at market value in accordance with guidance in HM Treasury’s guidance and brought back into beneficial use. Ultimately local planning authorities are responsible for preparing regional strategies and local development frameworks and these take account of the suitability of particular sites in their area for the development of housing. Disposing Departments have no locus in the planning decision-making process.
Departmental Manpower
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) special advisers and (b) press officers have been employed by his Department in each year since 1997-98; and at what cost in each year. [239089]
Mr. Hoon: Since 2003, the Government have published on an annual basis the number of (a) special advisers in each pay band. For the most recent information, I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister on 22 July 2008, Official Report, columns 99-102WS.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Poplar and Canning Town, (Jim Fitzpatrick) to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 24 April 2008, Official Report, columns 2212-14W.
Departmental Marketing
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff in his Department are responsible for branding activity; and what the cost of employing such staff was in 2007-08. [237466]
Mr. Hoon: Branding activities in the Department for Transport are not carried out by staff or units solely dedicated to this purpose.
Identifying staff time that may have been spent on brand maintenance would incur disproportionate cost.
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on (i) publicity and (ii) advertising in each year since 1997-98; and if he will make a statement. [238939]
Mr. Hoon: The Department for Transport and Executive Agencies’ major areas of publicity and advertising spend were in support of our marketing activities on the THINK! road safety campaign, Act on CO2 campaign, Concessionary Bus Fares campaign, aviation security and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s continuous registration campaign. Marketing expenditure, including publicity and advertising costs, since the 2002-03 fiscal year, when the Department was formed, are outlined in the following table.
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