| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
26 Nov 2008 : Column 1960W—continued
We have taken steps to improve data security, including encryption.
Departmental Information Officers
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many full-time equivalent press officers (a) work and (b) provide assistance for his Department. [237577]
Jonathan Shaw: The Department has 42 full-time equivalent press officers.
Of this, 25 are based across the English regions and in Scotland and Wales.
In addition to our responsibilities to the Department for Work and Pensions, the press office provides services for Jobcentre Plus and the Pension, Disability and Carers Service.
We do not receive assistance from any additional press officers.
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 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. [239674]
Jonathan Shaw: Press officers and communications officers are employed across the organisation and paid for out of many different budgets. This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Internet
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for which Government websites his Department is responsible; how many visitors each received in the last period for which figures are available; and what the cost of maintaining each site was in that period. [235039]
Jonathan Shaw: The following tables outline the information available about the Department for Work and Pensions websites.
The lists reflect the sites that the Department was responsible for in the financial year 2007-08. DWP, in common with the rest of Government, is part-way through closing many of its websites and moving content on to Directgov and Business Link in order to improve the way services are delivered online; so a number of the sites detailed here have since closed.
Maintenance of DWP websites is mostly carried out by the Department’s own in-house digital media team. Apart from one site—Health and Safety Executive—it is not possible for us to quantify internal staff costs, because in most cases, staff are engaged in more than one role. In addition, we are unable to establish accurately our infrastructure costs because they form part of a wider departmental IT contract. We have therefore detailed
only quantifiable costs for each site—these include payments to suppliers for services such as research, testing and site builds. Figures for the Jobcentre Plus website include the costs of maintaining some online services, since these figures are quantifiable.
DWP is currently working with the COI to develop a standardised method for quantifying website costs across
Government. We will be implementing this standard from March 2009 in line with the current timetable.
Table A lists those websites operated by Department for Work and Pensions where the Department is responsible for the content.
| Table A | ||||
| Website name | Website address | Visitors | Unique visitors | Quantifiable maintenance costs (£) |
Table B lists those websites operated by the Department for Work and Pensions where the Department is not responsible for the content.
The following websites have been built by DWP but are managed independently, so no financial or statistical information is available.
Independent Living Funds;
Pension Protection Fund;
Pension Protection Fund Ombudsman;
Pensions Ombudsman;
Remploy;
The Pensions Regulator;
The Pensions Advisory Service; and
The Rent Service.
Departmental Manpower
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many civil servants have been employed by each of his Department’s agencies and non-departmental bodies in each year since 1997-98; and if he will make a statement. [239104]
Jonathan Shaw: The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001. Staffing information for the Department and its predecessors together with non departmental bodies can be found on the civil service statistical website through the attached link as follows:
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many full-time equivalent staff in his Department assist special advisers; and what the cost of employing such staff was in each of the last three years. [237496]
Jonathan Shaw: Two civil servants support the special advisers in this Department, providing administrative support of a non-political nature in accordance with the “Code of Conduct for Special Advisers”.
Individual civil servants’ salary details are not disclosed in order to protect the privacy of the individual concerned.
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 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. [239092]
Jonathan Shaw: The Department for Work and Pensions was formed on 8 June 2001 from parts of the former Department of Social Security, the former Department for Education and Employment and the Employment Service. Information on costs is not held centrally and could be obtained at disproportionate cost only.
A regional network of press officers across the English regions, Scotland and Wales was established in 2002/03 dealing with regional media.
In addition to its responsibilities to the Department for Work and Pensions, the press office provides services for Jobcentre Plus, The Pension, Disability and Carers Service and Child Support Agency.
| Press Officers | |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |