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27 Jan 2009 : Column 450W—continued
Departmental Air Travel
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many official journeys (a) he and his predecessors and (b) his officials made by plane since his Department was established. [247507]
Mr. Simon: Travel by Ministers and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the ministerial code and the civil service management code respectively.
From the period July 2007 to date the Secretary of State for the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills undertook 12 official journeys by air and his civil servants undertook 1836 official journeys by air. These figures have been provided by our service provider; however there could potentially be a low number of official air journeys undertaken by the Department’s
Secretary of State and his civil servants that were booked outside of our service provider route where an official expenses claim was raised; this information can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Buildings
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much has been spent on (a) maintaining, (b) decorating and (c) otherwise improving departmental buildings since his Department's inception; how much has been spent on wallpaper; and what plans there are for further spending on departmental decoration. [248056]
Mr. Simon: The Department for Innovation Universities and Skills (DIUS) was created as a result of machinery of government changes in June 2007. Therefore, any details prior to this date are not available.
In 2007-08 the Department spent £4.874 million on leasehold improvements. This was mainly in respect of its building at Kingsgate House. In 2008-09 it is planned to spend some £103,000 on its leasehold improvements.
The Department pays rent for its occupancy of Kingsgate House to the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. It also pays a smaller amount for its occupancy in Moorfoot, Sheffield, to the Department for Children Schools and Families. This charge also includes facilities management charges which comprise, among other things, charges for routine maintenance, utilities, security, waste disposals and insurance.
No money has been spent, or is planned to be spent, on wallpaper.
Departmental Catering
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills which (a) food and (b) drinks suppliers have been used by his Department since it was established; and how much his Department paid to each such supplier. [248383]
Mr. Simon: The Department does not manage the buildings that it occupies. Accordingly, food and drink purchased for events at DIUS offices is generally provided by the catering contractors of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Catering at events held elsewhere is generally provided by the venue.
Further details, including expenditure on food and drink, are available only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what (a) directly-operated and (b) franchised catering outlets his Department and its agencies provide for staff. [249077]
Mr. Simon:
Almost all of the Department's staff are based in buildings managed by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (in London) and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (in Sheffield, Runcorn and Darlington). The catering facilities provided by these Departments for their own staff are also available to DIUS staff. A small number of DIUS staff are based at Polaris House, Swindon,
and have access to the catering facilities provided by the Research Councils for their own staff. Staff of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory and the small number of DIUS staff based in Teddington can use the catering facilities at the National Physical Laboratory. The Intellectual Property Office staff can use the on-site catering facilities provided by the Office for National Statistics.
Departmental Data Protection
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many members of staff in his Department have been (a) investigated, (b) suspended and (c) dismissed for losing (i) memory sticks, (ii) laptop computers, (iii) desktop computers and (iv) mobile telephones belonging to his Department in each year since its inception. [248249]
Mr. Simon: None, in all categories.
Departmental Disabled Staff
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what conclusions his Department has reached in fulfilment of its duty under section 3.111 of the statutory code of practice of the disability equality duty. [240982]
Mr. Simon: The Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills published its first Single Equality scheme in December 2008. It sets out the Departments commitments and plans for reporting on progress on all equality issues, including disability. Copies are available on the DIUS website at:
Departmental Finance
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much it cost to establish his Department. [249098]
Mr. Simon: The costs of setting up the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills in June 2007 were met within the existing departmental budgets of the former Department for Education and Skills (now Department for Children, Schools and Families) and the former Department for Trade and Industry (now Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.)
Further information on all departmental expenditure is available in the Department's Resource Accounts:
and departmental Annual Report:
http://www.dius.gov.uk/docs/about/21076_DIUS%20AR&;A_Web_NEW.pdf
Departmental ICT
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills with reference to the answer of 29 October 2008, Official Report, columns 1126-27W, on departmental ICT, what the (a) expected completion date and (b) estimated cost of each of the projects was at their outset. [242167]
Mr. Simon:
According to our records, the following lists the projects currently being undertaken by DIUS and its agencies. Also shown are the originally expected
dates and costs and the latest forecasts dates and total costs at completion.
Departmental Manpower
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills with reference to the answer of 16 July 2008, Official Report, column 503W, on departmental personnel, how many (a) staff without posts and (b) priority movers there are in his Department; how many of the staff without posts were classified as such upon return from maternity leave; and how many of the staff without posts have been classified as such for at least (i) six and (ii) 12 months. [250104]
Mr. Simon: There are currently nine staff in the Department who are classed as priority movers, none of whom returned directly from maternity leave. All nine priority movers have been without a permanent post for six months and four staff for 12 months.
The Department has introduced a new brokerage service in January 2009 in support of active matching of staff into posts in the Department and wider Civil Service. All staff are engaged in project work and short-term business priority posts until a permanent position is secured.
Departmental Marketing
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 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. [246652]
Mr. Simon: The Advertising Standards Authority received seven complaints about seven cases between 1 January 1997-21 December 2008, and none of these were upheld.
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what expert advisers have been commissioned by his Department and its agencies since its inception; on what topic each was commissioned; and whether the adviser so appointed made a declaration of political activity in each case. [246971]
Mr. Simon: The Department was created on 28 June 2007. The detailed information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The Department sponsors a number of advisory non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) which provide independent expert advice on a number of issues. Appointments to NDPBs are governed by the principles set out in the Commissioner for Public Appointments' Code of Practice. Summary information is published in ‘Public Bodies’ which can be accessed online at:
or copies are available in the Libraries of the House.
Summary information on the political activity of individuals appointed to posts regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments' Code of Practice is published each year in the Commissioner's Annual Report.
In addition, 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 Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will make it his policy that temporary and permanent employees of his Department employed at the same grade receive the same hourly rate of pay. [248415]
Mr. Simon: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 18 December, Official Report, column 1057W.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much has been spent by his Department on staff reward and recognition schemes in each of the last three years. [248709]
Mr. Simon: Since its inception, the Department has spent a total of £566,000.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at his Department and its agencies in (a) 2007 and (b) 2008; and how much was spent on such bonuses in each of those years. [249857]
Mr. Simon: Annual performance bonuses are paid to staff in the SCS in line with central guidance from Cabinet Office. The percentage of the SCS pay bill to be spent on SCS performance bonuses is determined each year by the senior salaries review body. The Department was created on 28 June 2007. Since then 63 bonuses have been awarded for the performance year 2007-08 worth a total of £449,994.
Departmental Procurement
Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of invoices for goods and services procured from small and medium-sized businesses were paid within 10 days of receipt by (a) his Department and (b) the agencies for which his Department is responsible in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08; and if he will make a statement. [243355]
Mr. Simon: The Department for Innovation Universities and Skills (DIUS) was created as a result of machinery of government changes in June 2007. Therefore, any details prior to this date are not available.
The information is not available in the format requested as the Department does not separately identify its suppliers as small or medium-sized businesses. The Department does not discriminate by size because many small or medium-sized businesses can be found within larger supply chains.
Until October 2008, the Department was required to monitor and publish payment performance against a 30-day payment target and does not therefore currently publish information about payment within 10 days. However, following the Prime Minister's commitment of 8 October that central Government Departments will make payment within 10 days, the Department will additionally report 10-day payment performance from the period January to March 2009.
The Department does hold information on the proportions of valid invoices for all goods and services procured and paid within 30 days of receipt by the Department and its agencies in 2007-08. These are as follows:
| Percentage | |
| Source: Annual Report and Accounts 2007-08 for each of these bodies. | |
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