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26 Nov 2008 : Column 1540W—continued
For the period from 1 April 1997, the Department has steadily reduced the number of agencies within its organisational structure, by either merging smaller agencies to form new ones, or absorbing individual agencies back into the MOD Core Department.
As at 1 April 1997 the MOD had 36 individual agencies, excluding trading funds, by 1 April 2008 this total has reduced to six agencies. Two trading funds have been merged to form a new trading fund—Defence Support Group—on 1 April 2008.
With a couple of exceptions, executive NDPBs are non-Crown bodies and employees are not civil servants—although civil servants can be seconded or loaned to NDPBs. Information on the number of employees in executive NDPBs is published in the annual Cabinet Office “Public Bodies” publication. Copies are available from the Libraries of the House.
Advisory NDPBs do not usually employ staff. They are typically supported by civil servants from the sponsoring Department.
Departmental Databases
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what type 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. [221947]
Mr. Kevan Jones: For material generated by the Ministry of Defence (the Department) the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO) has delegated her responsibility to the MOD's Director of Intellectual Property Rights (DIPR). DIPR's delegation includes managing the external use of MOD archival material such as photographs, film footage and text. In addition DIPR grants exploitation licences to external parties reliant on the use of the Department's trade marks and technology. Licences granted comply with the Re-use of the Public Sector Information Regulations 2005 and are on commercial terms consistent with deriving best value for the tax payer.
DIPR do not sell data, however licences have been granted for the following material during the last 12 months.
| Approximate number of licences issued | |
The information requested relating to MOD's Executive Trading Funds Agencies, (namely: Defence Support Group (DSG), Dstl, Met Office and UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO)) is as follows:
DSG and Dstl have not sold data under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations in the last 12 months.
Neither the Met Office nor the UKHO sell data.
The Met Office has licensed the following data types under the Re-use Regulations in the last 12 months:
Rainfall radar data;
Observational data;
Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) data;
NWP archive;
Climatological data;
Lightning detection data;
Text weather forecasts;
Photographs;
Charts and graphs;
Archived press releases;
Copy text (from Met Office website, journal articles and publications);
Operational Sea Surface Temperature and Sea Ice Analysis data.
In this period the Met Office has also provided various data from the types listed above for re-use by other European National Meteorological Services. In addition, the Met Office has licensed NWP data and satellite observational data originated by the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites respectively; the UK is a member state of both organisations, represented by the Met Office.
The UKHO grants licences to re-users of its Crown Copyright data in fall accordance with the Re-Use of Public Sector Information Regulations. UKHO has licensed the following types of data in the last 12 months:
Chart data in paper and digital form (raster and vector formats;)
Tidal Prediction data (heights and times);
Tidal Harmonics data allowing licensees to calculate their own tidal predictions;
Tidal stream data (horizontal flow);
Nautical Almanac data (data for astronomical navigation, such as sunrise/sunset times and star times and positions);
List of Lights and Fog Signals;
Textual sailing directions (also known as Pilots);
Bathymetry data (survey data);
Wrecks, obstructions, cables and pipelines data;
Practice and Exercise areas data;
Notices to Mariners (weekly updates to charts);
Historical charts and surveys;
Astronomical Publications;
Miscellaneous nautical publications.
Over 80 per cent. of UKHO licences are for non-commercial or low commercial value re-use, and licensed free of charge via the UKHO website on-line licensing system. Commercial re-use of UKHO data is licensed on commercial terms which are consistent with the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI), Information Fair Trader Scheme (IFTS) and the Trading Fund principles and are regularly audited by the OPSI. UKHO re-use licensing is fully in accordance with the Re-Use of Public Sector Information Regulations.
Departmental Early Retirement
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many employees in his Department took early retirement in each of the last five financial years; and at what total cost. [238956]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The following table shows details of the number of Ministry of Defence civilian employees that have taken early retirement in the last five financial years.
To provide specific information on the total cost would require a departmental-wide trawl to ascertain the cost of early retirement. This could be done only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Gifts
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff in his Department have received gifts valued at £100 or higher in the course of their duties in each of the last three years; what these gifts were; and from whom they were received in each case. [239632]
Mr. Kevan Jones: Staff are required to record all offers of gifts in Hospitality Books held locally. The requested information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Information Officers
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many press officers were employed in his Department in each year since 1997-98; what the total cost was in each year; and if he will make a statement. [239108]
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on employing press and communications officers in (a) his Department, (b) its non-departmental public bodies and (c) its agencies in each of the last three years. [239675]
Mr. Kevan Jones: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 November 2008, Official Report, column 496W to the hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) which provides details for the current year.
The number of press officers fluctuates throughout each year as well as year-to-year. No historical records are available centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Information on cost is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Lost Property
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) equipment and (b) data were lost by his Department in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [231445]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 24 November 2008, Official Report, column 897W, by my hon. Friend the Member for North Durham (Mr. Jones) the Under-Secretary of State for Defence and Minister for Veterans to the hon. Member for Chesterfield (Paul Holmes).
The Ministry of Defence has recorded the following personal data-related incidents in the last 12 months.
Departmental Manpower
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 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. [239074]
Mr. Kevan Jones: There are two special advisers currently employed in the Ministry of Defence, of which one is within pay band 2 and the other within pay band 3 as shown:
| Pay bands for 2008-09 | £ |
Since 3 May 1997, no more than two special advisers have been in post at any one time.
Currently, there are approximately 108 press officers employed across the Department (as recorded in the Chief Office of Information's White Book) of which 36 are within the central MOD media and communications unit or regional defence press officer network.
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