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18 Dec 2008 : Column 1053W—continued

Relative Needs Formula

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the relative needs formula developed by her Department
18 Dec 2008 : Column 1054W
includes a weighting for the number of (a) vulnerable adults and children, (b) former offenders, (c) drug addicts and alcoholics, (d) homeless people and (e) mentally ill people in an area; and what measures are in place to ensure that funding follows the client across local authority boundaries in such cases. [244848]

John Healey: The formula grant distribution model consists of a number of individual relative needs formulae (RNFs) for each of the main service areas that are provided by authorities—children's services, adults' personal social services, highways maintenance, police, fire and rescue, environmental, protective and cultural services, and capital financing.

The individual weightings used in each of these RNFs in the current year can be found in Chapter 4 of the Local Government Finance Report (2008-09).

These RNFs estimate the need to provide services in an area relative to other areas and are based on socio-economic and demographic factors. Most RNFs consist of a basic client group, plus "top ups" to take into account additional need related factors such as deprivation, additional population, density and sparsity.

The distribution of formula grant takes into account the relative needs, the relative ability of an area to raise council tax locally (resources), a central allocation and a floor damping mechanism. It is an unhypothecated block grant i.e. authorities are free to spend the money on any service provided they meet their statutory duties. For these reasons, it is not possible to say how much grant has been provided for any particular service. Therefore, the funding formula does not include measures to ensure that funding follows individual clients across local authority boundaries.

Innovation, Universities and Skills

Charities

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills which charities his Department has provided funding of more than £100,000 to in each of the last three years; and how much was given to each. [243139]

Mr. Simon: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was created as a result of Machinery of Government changes in June 2007.

Some of the Department’s non departmental public bodies (NDPBs) are registered charities. These NDPBs are contracted to provide agreed outcomes. The funding provided to these bodies by the Department and predecessor Departments are as follows:

£000

2006-07 2007-08 2008-09

Design Council

6,179

6,069

6,035

Quality Improvement Agency (QIA)

82,773

109,764

Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS)

100,000

Note:
QIA was part of the merger to form LSIS in October 2008; hence there are no figures for QIA in 2008-09.

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In addition to the NDPBs there are several bodies that are contracted to provide services.

£000

2006-07 2007-08 2008-09

Lifelong Learning UK

1,299

13,081

19,500

NIACE

2,574

10,004

5,098

SKILL

100

160

100

PET

256

255

268

Key:
NIACE: National Institute for Adult Continuing Education
SKILL: National Bureau for Students with Disabilities
PET: Prisoners Education Trust

Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) are two NDPBs with charitable status, however they are funded by levy, so attract no Departmental funding directly. However CITB have delivered Invest to Save Projects :

Christmas

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much has been spent on (a) departmental Christmas parties and (b) staff entertainment in each year since his Department’s formation. [243740]

Mr. Simon: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was established under Machinery of Government changes in June 2007.

In 2007-08 the Secretary of State hosted one official Christmas function for 50 people which cost £665. Departmental divisions do hold Christmas parties for staff to attend, for which staff must pay themselves.

The Department made no other spending on entertainment for staff.

Departmental Air Travel

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend, East of 6 October 2008, Official Report, column 527W, on departmental air travel, if he will place in the Library the DIUS figures provided by the Department for Children, Schools and Families for 2007-08. [241677]

Mr. Simon: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) was created as a result of machinery of government changes in June 2007. Therefore, details for air travel for DIUS prior to this date are not available.

DIUS currently operate two information systems, being those of its predecessor Departments: the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), now the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI), now the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR). Consequently this information comes from these two different sources.

The total amount spent on air travel by the Department for 2007-08 was £257,219.


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The details provided by BERR’s information system does not record air travel cost according to the class of air travel taken. To disaggregate this expenditure would incur a disproportionate cost.

The data provided by DCSF’s information system is as follows for 2007-08:

The Department’s Executive agencies are the National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) and UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO).

NWML records all airfare travel within its ‘travel and subsistence’ code. It is not possible to disaggregate the costs of different classes of air travel used without incurring a disproportionate cost.

In 2006-07, UKIPO’s information system recorded:

In 2007-08, UKIPO’s information system recorded:

All official travel is carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code.

Departmental Furniture

Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much has been spent by his Department on furniture made by (a) British firms, (b) Remploy and (c) overseas firms since it was established. [244349]

Mr. Simon: The Department for Innovation Universities and Skills (DIUS) was created as a result of Machinery of Government changes in June 2007. Therefore, details regarding expenditure prior to this date are not available.

In 2007-08, the Department spent £554,000 on furniture and fittings. All furniture purchased in 2007-08 was supplied by British companies. All of this furniture was manufactured in the United Kingdom, except a batch of chairs costing some £10,000 which were manufactured in the United States of America. No furniture purchased by the Department was manufactured by Remploy.

All expenditure is incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departmental Higher Education

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many staff in his Department undertook courses funded by the Department for (a) undergraduate degrees, (b) postgraduate degrees or diplomas, (c) Masters degrees, (d) MBA degrees and (e) PhD degrees in the last 12 months, broken down by pay band. [242135]

Mr. Simon: The Department does not collect this information centrally in the form requested. Information on the number of staff taking degree or diploma courses funded by the Department is held locally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.


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The criteria for funding degree or diploma courses will be driven by Professional Skills for Government.

Departmental Marketing

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much his Department has spent on advertising in each month since it was first established; how much his Department has spent on advertising each of its programmes in each month since its establishment; and how much of such expenditure was incurred in respect of each advertising medium. [243999]

Mr. Simon: The Department has funded the Higher Education Student Finance Campaign. Details are provided in the following table:

£

TV Radio Online Press Total

2007

November

1,209,482

340,964

124,284

114,853

1,789,583

December

12,518

88,585

23,791

89,444

214,338

2008

January

122,362

82,183

17,834

222,379

February

20,517

20,517

March

23,117

23,117

November

1,180,000

193,734

90,541

24,443

1,488,718

December

20,143

6,268

26,411


All costs are gross media.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many special advisers were employed in his Department at each pay band on 30 November 2008; and what his Department's total expenditure on special advisers was in 2007-08. [243570]

Mr. Simon: The Government are committed to publishing an annual list detailing the number and costs of special advisers. Information for 2007-08 was published by the Prime Minister on 22 July 2008, Official Report, columns 99-102WS.

Departmental Official Hospitality

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what records his Department maintains of its expenditure on (a) official hospitality and (b) alcohol for official hospitality. [240468]

Mr. Simon: All expenditure, including that on hospitality, has to be incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.


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