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24 Feb 2009 : Column 517W—continued
The Youth Justice Agency was launched on 1 April 2003.
| Forensic Science Agency of Northern Ireland | |||
| £ | |||
| Within UK | Outside UK | Total | |
| (1) Not available. | |||
FSNI’s current finance system has only been in operation since 2006-07 and groups expenditure on travel under the same heading as subsistence. To provide the other information requested would involve a manual investigation of claims and could be done only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Visits Abroad
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2008, Official Report, column 1996W, on departmental visits abroad, what the purpose was of each of the visits to the US. [257289]
Mr. Woodward: My previous answer included official visits made by me, the Minister of State for Northern Ireland and officials.
The United States has played and continues to play a critical role in the political process. Their involvement is crucial in securing further progress towards the devolution of policing and justice and investment in Northern Ireland. Successive Secretaries of State have worked closely with the United States and have made regular visits to discuss policy. I continue this policy.
In addition officials have gone to the United States on official business for the purposes of learning and sharing knowledge (e.g. presenting evidence at the United Nations building).
All travel is undertaken in accordance with departmental rules and the Civil Service Management Code.
House of Commons Commission
Energy Performance Certificates
Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what consideration the House of Commons Commission has given to displaying energy certificates at the public entrances to the Palace of Westminster in line with Government policy on public non-domestic buildings exceeding a floor area of 1000 square metres. [257006]
Nick Harvey: In line with good practice energy assessments were commissioned in July 2008. Energy certificates will shortly be displayed on the parliamentary estate.
Scotland
Baugur Group
Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he plans to meet (a) Ministerial colleagues and (b) business leaders to discuss the risks to commercial activity in Scotland arising from the financial position of the Baugur Group. [256249]
Ann McKechin: My right hon. Friend and I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues and business leaders on a wide range of issues.
By-Elections: Glenrothes
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the implications of the marked register from the Glenrothes by-election going missing for his responsibility for policy for the conduct of elections in Scotland; what discussions he has had with the Scottish Courts Service on the matter; when the marked register should have been lodged with the Courts Service; and if he will make a statement. [257818]
Ann McKechin: Following UK Parliament elections, certain election documents and records, including the marked register currently, must be sent to the relevant sheriff clerk for storage. After one year the records must be destroyed. Following a Scotland Office consultation last year, responsibility for the retention and supply of post-election documents and records for UK Parliament elections is to be transferred from sheriff clerks to returning officers. The amendment is being made through the Political Parties and Elections Bill currently before Parliament. This will bring Scotland more into line with the arrangements in England and Wales as well as with the existing arrangements for local authority and European Parliament elections in Scotland. The intention is to make similar provision for Scottish Parliament election records through secondary legislation.
I am aware that the Scottish Courts Service has commissioned an independent investigation into the particular circumstances of the loss of the marked register from the Glenrothes by-election and it would not, therefore, be appropriate for me to comment. Neither the Secretary of State nor I have had discussions with the Scottish Courts Service about the matter.
Departmental ICT
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which ICT projects initiated by his Department were abandoned before completion in each year since 1997; what costs were incurred on each project; who the contractors were; what the date of (a) commencement and (b) abandonment was in each case; and if he will make a statement. [256655]
Ann McKechin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 12 January 2009, Official Report, column 68W, to the hon. Member for Romford (Andrew Rosindell).
Departmental Internet
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a copy of his Department’s website accessibility plan. [257223]
Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office website accessibility plan will be published on our new website which is to be launched shortly. As part of this upgrade, our website will be updated from Level Single-A of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines to Level Double-A of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.0.
Departmental Sick Leave
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many staff in his Department were on sick leave for (a) over 30 days, (b) over 50 days and (c) over 100 days in each of the last five years; [256333]
(2) how many staff in his Department were recorded as having been on sick leave for over 12 months on 31 December in each of the last five years. [256626]
Ann McKechin: All staff are on secondment from the Scottish Executive or the Ministry of Justice; who as parent Departments have absence management policies that apply to those of their staff working in this Office. We do not maintain a separate central record of sick absences. Such records are held by the parent Departments who publish their sick absence statistics.
Defence
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many contacts there were between British forces and anti-coalition militia in Afghanistan in each month since June 2006; [251650]
(2) how many contacts between British and anti-coalition militia forces there have been in Helmand province in each roulement since June 2006. [257686]
Mr. Hutton: The Ministry of Defence is currently collating and validating the data needed to answer this question. I will write to the hon. Member when this work is complete, and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Armed Forces: Schools
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) on what dates he has had meetings with the Leader of Essex county council on the involvement of the Ministry of Defence in either a military academy school or a military vocational college at Colchester; and if he will make a statement; [256077]
(2) whether he has met the hon. Member for North Essex to discuss the involvement of his Department in a military academy school or a military vocational college at Colchester; and if he will make a statement. [256079]
Mr. Kevan Jones: I met the hon. Member for North Essex (Mr. Jenkin) and the Leader of Essex county council on 28 January 2009. No decision has been made regarding MOD involvement in an Academy school in the Colchester area and no proposal has been tabled by local authorities for any such initiative. Should an appropriate proposal be made, the Ministry of Defence would not be opposed in principle and would examine any proposal on its merits.
Departmental Pay
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has allocated for staff bonuses in 2008-09. [252253]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The total paybill for staff below the Senior Civil Service (excluding Trading Funds) covered by the main pay awards is £l,827 billion of which up to 2.7 per cent. is for non-consolidated performance awards to staff. The median payment is £775.
The total paybill for permanent members of the Senior Civil Service (SCS) is £18.4 million of which 8.6 per cent. is for non-consolidated performance awards. The median payment is £8,000. This does not include fixed term employees at SCS level.
Non consolidated performance awards are designed to reward those deemed to have made the greatest contribution through specific in-year achievements such as the delivery of a major project, to departmental objectives or defence business more widely and overall costs must be contained within a set percentage of the pay bill. For the Senior Civil Service the size of the non-consolidated performance pay pot is based on recommendations by the independent Senior Salaries Review Body.
Departmental Security
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff working in his Department's main building lost their security passes in each month of 2008. [257690]
Mr. Kevan Jones: In 2008, 23 members of staff (including contractors) working in MOD Main Building reported their passes as lost or stolen. The monthly breakdown is tabled as follows:
| Lost | Stolen | |
Once reported as lost or stolen, passes are disabled immediately, denying access to the building.
EU Battlegroups
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 3 February 2009, Official Report, column 1116W, on Netherlands: military exercises, whether the training exercise planned for 2009 will be used to meet the EU certification requirement for the UK's commitment to the EU Battlegroup for the first half of 2010. [257496]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: No. There will be a separate training exercise in November 2009 which will be used to validate the UK commitment to the EU Battlegroup.
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