Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 17 December 2008
House of Commons Commission
Departmental Official Hospitality
Grant Shapps: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much has been spent on (a) staff Christmas parties and (b) staff entertainment in the House of Commons in the last three years. [243729]
Nick Harvey: The amounts spent in the last three years have been:
| £ | |||
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | |
Scotland
Departmental Marketing
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been spent by his Department on advertising in the last 12 months. [243726]
Ann McKechin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 24 November 2008, Official Report, columns 808-09W, to the hon. Member for Taunton (Mr. Browne).
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many special advisers were employed in his Department at each pay band on 30 November 2008; and what his Department’s expenditure on special advisers was in 2007-08. [243564]
Ann McKechin: The Government are committed to publishing an annual list detailing the number and costs of special advisers. Information for 2007-08 was published by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 22 July 2008, Official Report, columns 99-102WS.
Departmental Pay
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make it his policy to ensure that those temporary and permanent employees at the same grade in his Department who are paid at an hourly rate are paid at the same rate. [244386]
Ann McKechin: Staff in the Scotland Office are on secondment from the Scottish Executive or the Ministry of Justice and the Office reimburses those Departments for the costs involved. The Office does not maintain a record of the hourly pay for temporary or permanent staff; such information is the responsibility of the parent Departments.
Mental Illness
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the recommendations relevant to his Department’s policy responsibilities made in the Foresight report on Mental Capacity and Well-Being; and if he will make a statement. [244024]
Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office is part of the Ministry of Justice, who have read the Foresight report and will be considering it with a view to taking up any relevant findings.
Part of that process will involve an assessment of what the report might mean for departmental policies and a report will follow on it in due course.
Defence
Aircraft Carriers: Construction
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects construction of the two new aircraft carriers to commence. [244194]
Mr. Quentin Davies: Construction is already under way, and will continue with the first cut of steel in the main shipyards of the Aircraft Carrier Alliance scheduled for 2009.
Armed Forces: Deployment
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what average length of time a (a) Royal Marine Officer and (b) Royal Marine spent away from home over the latest 30-month period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [243670]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The average number of days that Royal Marine individuals are recorded as being separated from where they are based over the last 30 months from 1 May 2006 to 31 October 2008 is as follows:
| Days | |
Departmental Research
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many research contracts his Department placed with UK universities and other academic research centres in each of the last 10 years; and what the monetary value of each was. [244446]
Mr. Quentin Davies: A breakdown of research contracts placed with UK universities and other academic research centres is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Future Surface Combatant
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the first Future Surface Combatant will enter service. [243501]
Mr. Quentin Davies: It is departmental policy to release in-service dates only for those vessels for which the main investment decision has been taken. The Future Surface Combatant programme has not yet reached this stage. However, on current plans, we expect the first vessel to enter service around the end of the next decade.
Harrier Aircraft
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the out-of-service date will be for the aircraft comprising the Joint Harrier Force. [243498]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The planned out-of-service date for the Harrier aircraft is 2018.
Joint Strike Fighter
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Mid-Sussex of 6 November 2008, Official Report, column 676W, on the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, whether a deadline for disclosing the target offtake has been set. [244617]
Mr. Quentin Davies: We do not expect to make any commitments in this respect until operational test and evaluation of JSF is complete in 2014.
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Mid-Sussex of 6 November 2008, Official Report, column 676W, on the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, when he expects the through life cost of the Joint Strike Fighter programme to be established. [244619]
Mr. Quentin Davies: Through life costs will not be established until the JSF support solution is sufficiently mature, and will be dependent on the number of aircraft the UK purchases to meet its defence needs. We do not expect to make any commitments in this respect until operational test and evaluation of JSF is complete.
Submarines
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when each Trafalgar Class submarine will go out of service. [243500]
Mr. Quentin Davies: Our present planning assumptions, which are routinely updated as required, are as follows:
| Name | Out-of-service date |
Warships
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when (a) HMS Queen Elizabeth and (b) HMS Prince of Wales will enter service. [243497]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The in-service dates (ISD) declared at the time of the project main gate were 2014 for HMS Queen Elizabeth and 2016 for HMS Prince of Wales.
As stated in the written ministerial statement issued on 11 December 2008, Official Report, column 65WS, by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence, it is likely that the in-service dates of the new carriers will be delayed by one to two years.
We are in the process of agreeing revised ISDs for the two new carriers with our industrial partners.
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when each (a) Type 22 and (b) Type 23 frigate will go out of service. [243499]
Mr. Quentin Davies: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for North Essex (Mr. Jenkin) on 6 November 2008, Official Report, column 678W.
Culture, Media and Sport
2018 World Cup Bid Board
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance his Department has given on cross-party working to the 2018 World Cup Bid Board; what commitments he has received from attendees at board meetings on abiding by such guidance; and if he will make a statement. [244321]
Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 16 December 2008]: Cross-party support for the 2018 World cup bid is very important. Officials at my Department have had discussions with the interim bid team about how best to ensure all political parties are kept informed of progress with the bid. England 2018 Ltd. is in the process of recruiting a director of government liaison, whose key responsibilities include one to
“Ensure all relevant Party Leaders ... are regularly briefed on the progress of the Bid.”
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what 2018 World Cup Bid Board meetings (a) have been held and (b) are scheduled; and what plans he has to publish the minutes of each meeting. [244322]
Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 16 December 2008]: Meetings of the bid company, England 2018 Ltd., board and publication of their minutes are a matter for the company itself. I have attended one board meeting, on 6 November 2008, and have meetings in my diary on a monthly basis until May.
Arts Council of England: Finance
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of the money spent by (a) Arts Council England and (b) Sport England on media monitoring services came from National Lottery income in each of the last three years. [240953]
Barbara Follett [holding answer 8 December 2008]: Arts Council England inform us that media monitoring costs are drawn from their media relations budget, which is sourced from Managed Funds and drawn from Exchequer funding.
Sport England use a general formula for their administration overheads which means that 45 per cent. of funding is provided from Exchequer funding and 55 per cent. from lottery sources.
Convergence Think Tank
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many more Convergence Think Tank seminars he expects to take place. [240944]
Andy Burnham: None. As announced on 17 October 2008, the Convergence Think Tank’s work, together with other related initiatives, will now be taken forward as part of the Digital Britain Report.
Departmental Energy
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to reduce the amount of energy it wastes. [244607]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department has implemented a series of initiatives to manage and reduce our energy wastage. These have included new boilers, chillers, air handling units, lighting and fan coil units.
The Department achieved accreditation under the Carbon Trust Energy Efficiency Accreditation scheme in December 2007. The scheme recognises organisations’ efforts in measuring, managing and reducing its energy usage.
Departmental Pay
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make it his policy to ensure that those temporary and permanent employees at the same grade in his Department who are paid at an hourly rate are paid at the same rate. [244396]
Mr. Sutcliffe: In the Department for Culture, Media and Sport all permanent staff are paid an annual salary rather than at an hourly rate.
Digital Broadcasting
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will publish the research on digital set-top boxes commissioned by his Department during the last three years. [242419]
Andy Burnham: DCMS recently commissioned research on possible enhancements to set-top boxes offered under the Digital Switchover Help Scheme. We do not plan to publish the report for reasons of commercial confidentiality and policy development.
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