| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
13 Jan 2009 : Column 590W—continued
Climate Change
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of its capacity to adapt to climate change; and what plans he has to publish a climate change adaptation strategy. [241183]
Huw Irranca-Davies: In July 2008, the cross-Government Adapting to Climate Change Programme published Adapting to climate change in England—a framework for action which set out the Government’s strategy for adaptation and the work-plan for the cross-Government Programme for the next three years. This programme increases Government’s capacity to adapt by ensuring a co-ordinated approach across all Departments and the public sector, and overall responsibility for it rests with DEFRA. Information about the programme and its work can be found at:
This includes taking forward work flowing from the Climate Change Act—including a national Climate Change Risk Assessment and cost benefit analysis which will inform future priorities for the statutory adaptation programme that will then begin in 2012.
The Government’s longer term strategy on adapting to a changing climate will be set out in this statutory National Adaptation Programme, which will be reviewed and updated on a five year rolling basis in response to updated risk assessments, and report to Parliament.
In addition, DEFRA is continuing with its work looking at how a changing climate impacts each of the policy areas it has responsibility for, as well as working towards embedding adaptation into its corporate and policy decision making processes across the Department.
Coastal Areas: Departmental Coordination
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken to improve its arrangements for co-ordination with other Government Departments of policy affecting coastal towns in the last two years. [244371]
Huw Irranca-Davies: We continue to work closely with other Government Departments to improve the process for co-ordinating the development of policy in coastal areas.
This year an important development has been the Coastal Towns Working Group, a cross-departmental group, which was set up in February 2008, following the House of Commons Select Committee Inquiry on Coastal Towns.
DEFRA plays a key role in this group which aims to coordinate its efforts to develop policies and address the challenges faced by coastal towns and to promote cross-Government understanding of the needs of coastal towns by looking at social, environmental and economic issues together.
There are a wide range of policy areas, activities and initiatives within Government which have implications for coastal towns. To show how these activities, including the Marine and Coastal Access Bill, will contribute to a more coordinated approach to decision making at the coast, we will be publishing a strategy for promoting an integrated approach to the management of coastal areas in England, in January 2009.
Departmental Correspondence
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) letters and (b) e-mails received by his Department had not been responded to as at 15 December 2008. [244704]
Huw Irranca-Davies: From 1 January to 15 December 2008, DEFRA's Customer Contact Unit handled 37,979 pieces of correspondence. This included e-mails received via the DEFRA Helpline and letters from MPs, stakeholders and the public. We responded to 82 per cent. with the 15 working day target.
As at 15 December 2008, 1624 letters and 515 e-mails received via the DEFRA Helpline were unanswered. Of those unanswered, 700 were over the 15 working day target.
The number of unanswered e-mails, received elsewhere in DEFRA, cannot be provided within the disproportionate cost limit, as to do so would require gathering information from every official in the Department.
The Cabinet Office publishes an annual report to Parliament on the performance of departments in replying to Members'/Peers' correspondence. Information relating to 2008 will be published as soon as it has been collated. The report for 2007 was published on 20 March 2008, Official Report, columns 71-74WS. Reports for earlier years are available in the Library of the House.
Departmental Data Protection
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many civil servants in his Department have been (a) investigated, (b) suspended and (c) dismissed for (i) losing and (ii) deliberately disclosing (A) data stored on departmental equipment and (B) confidential information in each year since 1997. [242925]
Huw Irranca-Davies: There have been five fewer such disciplinary breaches in the Department since 1997. The details are withheld on the grounds of confidentiality.
Departmental Energy
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to reduce the amount of energy it wastes. [244609]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Government's delivery plan for ‘Sustainable Procurement and Operations on the Government Estate’, published in August 2008, provides a full account of the initiatives Departments are taking to reduce their energy waste. The Government have committed to updating the delivery plan on a six monthly basis, and the first of these updates was published on 18 December 2008.
Departmental Equality
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information his Department holds on the (a) sex, (b) ethnicity, (c) age, (d) disability, (e) sexual orientation and (f) religion or belief of its staff; and what assessment he has made of his Department's performance against its targets relating to diversity in its workforce. [246023]
Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA holds data on the sex, ethnicity, age and disability of its staff. Information on these aspects of diversity as at 30 September 2007 is available from the Office of National Statistics at:
Departmental data are at tables 12 (Sex), 22 (Ethnicity), 29 (Age) and 25 (Disability).
Additionally, information on sexual orientation and religion and belief is collected through the anonymous DEFRA staff survey.
DEFRA aims to be visibly and culturally diverse at all levels. We have set targets for the representation of women, disabled people and ethnic minorities in the senior civil service (SCS) in support of the civil service diversity strategy, ‘Promoting Equality, Valuing Diversity’, and these are set out in the table.
| Percentage | ||
| 2008 DEFRA current position | DEFRA target for 2011 | |
DEFRA has also made a commitment to set targets during 2009 for grades immediately below the SCS, and also for more junior grades where there is under representation.
Departmental Furniture
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent by his Department on furniture made by (a) British firms, (b) Remploy and (c) overseas firms in each year since 2000. [244345]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Estates Divisions, Space Utilisation Team, hold furniture expenditure records dating back to FY 2003-04. Details are:
| £ | |
Departmental Marketing
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many complaints about advertisements sponsored or funded by his Department were made to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in each year from 1997 to 2008; and how many of these were upheld by the ASA in each year. [246649]
Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA was formed in 2001. Since then, 57 complaints about advertisements sponsored or funded by DEFRA were made to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). None of these complaints were upheld by the ASA.
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what expert advisers have been commissioned by his Department and its agencies since 1997; on what topic each was commissioned; and whether the adviser so appointed made a declaration of political activity in each case. [246957]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The information requested could be provided only by incurring disproportionate cost.
Departmental Pay
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what bonuses were paid by his Department in 2007-08; to which members of staff; and for what purposes. [240793]
Huw Irranca-Davies: I would refer the right hon. Member to the reply given on 4 November 2008, Official Report, column 395W, to the hon. Member for Upper Bann (David Simpson).
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 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. [244393]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Department does not employ any permanent staff who are paid at an hourly rate.
Departmental Pensions
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what proportion of civil servants in his Department and its agencies are members of the (a) Classic, (b) Classic Plus, (c) Nuvos and (d) Premium civil service pension schemes. [240307]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The following tables provide the figures for each organisation. Data for Core DEFRA, RPA, CEFAS and VLA are from the pension administrator’s database, data for CSL was taken from their internal HR database. All data is as of the October payroll update.
| Core DEFRA (including Animal Health, Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Marine and Fisheries Agency and the Government Decontamination Service) | ||
| Number | Percentage | |
| RPA | ||
| Number | Percentage | |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |