Written Answers to Questions
Friday 13 March 2009
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Departmental Buildings
Greg Clark: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will place in the Library a copy of the (a) display energy certificates and (b) advisory reports for public buildings issued in respect of each property occupied by (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies. [256038]
Mr. McFadden: This Department will place in the Library a copy of the display energy certificates and their associated advisory reports in respect of each property occupied by this Department.
I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service and Companies House and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.
Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 13 March 2009:
The Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has asked me to reply to you directly on behalf of The Insolvency Service in respect of your question (1096/2008) asking for display energy certificates and advisory reports to be placed in the House of Commons Library.
The Insolvency Service is placing a copy of these items in the Library in respect of each property occupied by the agency for which they are required.
Display Energy Certificates and advisory reports have been obtained for
Bloomsbury Street
Birmingham—Cannon House
Birmingham—Cobalt Square
Croydon
Leeds.
Letter from Tim Moss, dated 13 March 2009:
I am responding on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 5 February 2009, UIN 256038, to the Minister of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
As requested I have arranged for a copy of our Display Energy Certificate and the advisory report to be placed in the Library.
Departmental Data Protection
Anne Main: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what IT security strategy his Department has in place; what steps are being taken to ensure the policy is being followed; what policy is in place on the use of encryption when electronic data are sent externally; and what sanctions are in place for use should the policy not be followed. [258916]
Mr. McFadden:
Information is a key asset to Government and its correct handling is vital to the delivery of public services and to the integrity of HMG. The Security Policy Framework, the Data Handling Report and the
National Information Assurance Strategy produced by the Cabinet Office provide a strategic framework for protecting information that Government handle and put in place a set of mandatory measures which Departments must adhere to.
BERR is compliant with the security policies contained in the Government Security Policy Framework including those for information security and assurance.
Anne Main: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's IT security hierarchy. [259701]
Mr. McFadden: Information is a key asset to Government and its correct handling is vital to the delivery of public services and to the integrity of HMG. The Security Policy Framework, the Data Handling Report and the National Information Assurance Strategy produced by the Cabinet Office provide a strategic framework for protecting information that Government handle and put in place a set of mandatory measures which Departments must adhere to.
It is not in the interests of the security of the Department, or that of the public, to disclose detailed information pertaining to the hierarchy of IT security within the Department. Disclosing such information would enable criminals and those who would attempt to cause disruptive threats to the Department to deduce how to conduct attacks and therefore potentially enhance their capability to carry out such attacks.
Anne Main: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what scanning for vulnerabilities his Department conducts of each of its IT devices; what method is used for IT device scans; and how many vulnerabilities have been detected as a result of such scans in the last 12 months. [259702]
Mr. McFadden: Information is a key asset to Government and its correct handling is vital to the delivery of public services and to the integrity of HMG. The Security Policy Framework, the Data Handling Report and the National Information Assurance Strategy produced by the Cabinet Office provide a strategic framework for protecting information that Government handle and put in place a set of mandatory measures which Departments must adhere to.
It is not in the interest of the security of the Department, or that of the public, to disclose detailed information pertaining to electronic breaches of security of department's IT systems. Disclosing such information would enable criminals and those who would attempt to cause disruptive threats to the Department to deduce how to conduct attacks and therefore potentially enhance their capability to carry out such attacks.
Anne Main: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether his Department uses WPA2 encryption protocol on all its wireless networks. [259703]
Mr. McFadden: Information is a key asset to Government and its correct handling is vital to the delivery of public services and to the integrity of HMG. The Security Policy Framework, the Data Handling Report and the National Information Assurance Strategy produced by the Cabinet Office provide a strategic framework for protecting information that Government handle and put in place a set of mandatory measures which Departments must adhere to.
BERR is compliant with HMG IA Standard No 4 —Communication, Security and Cryptography for the encryption of data. BERR follows CESG guidance on the use of the Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) communications security protocols in order to protect wireless networks carrying protectively marked (up to RESTRICTED/IL3) traffic. The configuration and operation standards for WPA2 are set out in CESG's Infosec Manual Y, Use of WPA2 Wireless Security in Government Systems.
Anne Main: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what auditing his Department undertakes to ensure that IT security policies are being followed; and on how many occasions (a) IT security policies have been breached by employees and (b) a member of staff has been sanctioned for a breach of such policies in the last 12 months. [259704]
Mr. McFadden: Information is a key asset to Government and its correct handling is vital to the delivery of public services and to the integrity of HMG. The Security Policy Framework, the Data Handling Report and the National Information Assurance Strategy produced by the Cabinet Office provide a strategic framework for protecting information that government handles and put in place a set of mandatory measures which Departments must adhere to.
Compliance arrangements comprise a system of self assessment, accreditation, assurance reporting, audit and review.
In the last 12 months fewer than five staff have broken BERR IT security policies and have been sanctioned for the breach.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what his Department's entertainment budget was in each year since its inception. [261272]
Mr. McFadden: This Department was formed in June 2007. In 2007-08, the budget for entertainment was £813,105. In 2008-09, the budget for entertainment is £749,442.
Departmental Official Visits
Anne Main: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Hammersmith and Fulham (Mr. Hands) of 4 February 2009, Official Report, column 1311W, on departmental official visits, which agency deals with overnight accommodation for his Department; and how much has been paid to this agency since his Department was established. [260559]
Mr. McFadden: Expotel Hotel Reservations Ltd. deal with UK hotel accommodation on behalf of BERR.
Since BERR was established on 28 June 2007, the following hotel accommodation has been booked through Expotel:
28 June 2007 to 31 March 2008
6,772 nights at a total cost of £705,175.32.
1 April 2008 to 28 February 2009
8,790 nights at a total cost of £955,329.40.
BERR does not make a direct payment to Expotel. Expotel earn a commission from hotels for the bookings taken.
Departmental Training
Mr. Hands: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform with reference to the answer of 11 November 2008, Official Report, column 1125W, on departmental training, what personal training courses at public expense other Ministers in his Department have undertaken since 1 January 2008. [251328]
Mr. McFadden: A junior Minister in BERR has undertaken training at public expense since 1 January 2008.
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what his Department’s policy is on holding departmental away days outside his Department’s buildings. [262029]
Mr. McFadden: There are no central rules governing the holding of departmental away days.
Away days are a useful development tool but as learning and development budgets are delegated to local units within BERR, it is up to those units to determine where they hold away days and for local budget holders to ensure value for money. This will depend on the nature and objectives of the away day and availability of departmental premises.
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Harper: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State plans to reply to the letters from the hon. Member for the Forest of Dean of 3 December 2008 and 13 January 2009 on the withholding of retention sums, reference FD7218. [260216]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 3 March 2009]: I responded to the hon. Member on 1 March 2009.
Tourism: Coastal Areas
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent assessment he has made of the recommendations in the English Tourism Council's report Sea Change on seaside towns in England. [262993]
Barbara Follett: I have been asked to reply.
The English Tourism Council's report ‘Sea Change’ was published in 2001. I have made no recent assessment of the impact of that report on seaside towns, but it remains the case, as the report concluded, that seaside towns make a significant contribution to the cultural identity of England and contain some of the finest examples of our built heritage.
In a recent response to the Government Select Committee report, ‘Coastal Towns’, Government made clear the underlying principles that the visitor economy needs to be part of a wider agenda to regenerate and diversify the economies of coastal areas. The development of tourism has an important role to play but it is only one part of a bigger picture and it must also be linked with wider regeneration work in the region.
Last year my Department announced a programme called Sea Change, which will run for three years to 2011. It is intended to boost regeneration in coastal areas through investment in culture and heritage, and, giving £45 million in total, it will encourage new visitors to coastal areas and help support and enrich existing communities.
Children, Schools and Families
Academies
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether the Young People's Learning Agency will be able to direct academies on their (a) admissions, (b) curriculum, (c) behaviour policy and (d) pay arrangements. [262484]
Jim Knight: The academies clauses in the Apprenticeships, Children, Skills and Learning Bill give powers to the Secretary of State which will enable him to require the YPLA to carry out certain academies functions. But the Secretary of State can only ask the YPLA to exercise, on his behalf, powers which he has himself, either in law, or through academy funding agreements.
Funding agreements contain requirements and certain express direction powers in relation to admissions. The YPLA, on behalf of the Secretary of State, would consider complaints and objections which relate to funding agreement admissions requirements, and could take action to remedy any breaches. That could include, for example, requiring an academy to change its admission arrangements to achieve compliance with the funding agreement. In relation to the express powers of direction available to the Secretary of State, we are considering whether or not it would be appropriate to authorise the YPLA to use these powers, relating to admissions either with or without the Secretary of State's prior approval.
Funding agreements also contain curriculum requirements and cover the need to have in place a behaviour policy and pay arrangements. However, there are no specific direction powers in these areas. Behaviour policies and pay are areas where academies are free to adopt the arrangements which they believe will best support raising standards.
Departmental Public Appointments
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what information his Department holds on the number of persons appointed to executive positions in bodies for which his Department has responsibility who previously had careers in the banking industry. [261244]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Training
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether his Department has provided voice coaching to any of its employees in the last 12 months. [260637]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Voice coach training is not part of the core training and development offering available to staff in the Department. However, local managers are able to book external courses based on identified need and value for money. A search of local records would result in disproportionate cost.
Domestic Violence: Curriculum
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will take steps to raise awareness of domestic violence and abuse issues among children through the national curriculum. [263019]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: We agree that schools have an important role in raising awareness of domestic violence and abuse issues by giving children and young people the knowledge and skills to not only deal with their own anger but anger and violence directed towards them. Through the non-statutory framework for Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education children and young people are taught a number of the skills pertaining to relationships with partners, friends and family, thus promoting harmonious relationships. In October 2008, we announced our intention to make PSHE statutory, in recognition of the key role it plays in equipping children and young people with the knowledge and skills they need to lead healthy and successful lives. At the same time we launched an independent review of how the principle that PSHE should have a statutory status can be translated into a practicable way forward. Sir Alasdair Macdonald, the head teacher of Morpeth School in Tower Hamlets, is leading the independent review and will report in April 2009. Proposals for the statutory implementation of PSHE education will be the subject of a full public consultation. Due to the time needed for full public consultation and parliamentary process, statutory PSHE is unlikely to come into effect before 2011.
The secondary curriculum also encourages schools to tackle social issues through cross-curricular links. For example, Citizenship teaches children and young people about legal and human rights and responsibilities underpinning society, basic aspects of the criminal justice system and the importance of resolving conflict fairly.
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