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13 Mar 2009 : Column 790W—continued
The Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills is compliant with the security policies contained in the Government Security Policy Framework including those for information security and assurance.
Depending upon the circumstances, a range of sanctions are available including disciplinary or administrative action, and in extreme or persistent cases, termination of employment/services and, if appropriate, criminal proceedings.
Departmental Lost Property
John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what property has been lost or stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what the estimated cost was of replacement of such property. [263124]
Mr. Simon: According to our records, the following items have been lost or stolen in the last 12 months.
17 security tokens lost, of which one was subsequently recovered, estimated cost of £1,120
Two Laptops stolen, of which one was subsequently recovered, estimated cost of £1,400
Two Blackberry devices stolen, estimated cost of £400
Three Blackberry devices lost, one of which was subsequently recovered estimated cost of £400
Departmental Official Hospitality
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much his Department spent on (a) alcohol and (b) food since its inception. [261169]
Mr. Simon: The Department records details of expenditure on food aggregated with wider costs for events such as conferences and meetings or with general entertainment expenses, as well as being included in individual subsistence claims. Where there is a spend on alcohol, this is also aggregated with costs for conferences and meetings. Consequently, the information requested is available only at disproportionate cost.
All expenditure incurred, including that on food and alcohol, is in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.
In particular, there is a presumption that public money will not be used to purchase alcohol. However, exceptionally, if not providing alcohol to non-civil servants could lead to greater embarrassment for the Department, moderate amounts (in quantity and quality) may be purchased for formal gatherings such as meals or presentations. As with any expenditure on personal entertainment, the reasons are required to be justified.
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what his Department's entertainment budget has been since its inception. [261282]
Mr. Simon:
The Department does not have a specific budget for entertainment. In respect of expenditure, the Department records details of expenditure on entertainment aggregated with costs for events such as conferences
and meetings as well as being included in some individual subsistence claims. Consequently, the information requested is available only at disproportionate cost.
All expenditure incurred is in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.
Departmental Postal Services
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [259968]
Mr. Simon: The Department's postal services are provided through the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and the Research Councils, which manage the buildings that DIUS occupies. None of these organisations separates mail sent by DIUS from its own mail, so information on the number of items of mail sent by DIUS is not held.
Royal Mail has been the sole postal service provider for all office locations in the last 12 months.
Postgraduate Education
Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of people who obtained postgraduate qualifications in each of the last 10 years were in each socio-economic grouping at the time they started their postgraduate course. [263411]
Mr. Lammy: Information on the socio-economic group of postgraduate students is not held centrally. Socio-economic group information is held for full-time undergraduate students, as it is collected as part of the UCAS application process. Postgraduates apply directly to institutions, rather than through UCAS, so this information is not collected.
Skilled Workers: Rural Areas
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether he has made an assessment of the skills base in seaside towns in England compared to the national average. [262996]
Mr. Simon: The Department for Communities and Local Government published ‘England's Seaside Towns—a Benchmarking Study’ in November 2008. The report presents a range of statistical evidence on socio-economic conditions including skills and qualifications in seaside towns and compares figures with regional and English averages.
The Department for Innovation, Universities, and Skills is represented on the cross-Government working group which commissioned this report. A copy of the report has been placed in the House Libraries.
International Development
Colombia: Overseas Aid
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been spent on aid to Colombia in each year since 1999. [262582]
Mr. Michael Foster: Details on Official Development Assistance (ODA) can be found on the OECD Development Assistance Committee's (DAC) website at:
The relevant figures are reproduced below.
| Total ODA (in millions) to Columbia (All donors), USD$ constant prices (2007) | |
| Total ODA to Columbia | |
Departmental Visits Abroad
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much expenditure was incurred in respect of overseas visits which (a) he, (b) other Ministers in his Department and (c) his Department's senior officials undertook in 2008. [262177]
Mr. Thomas: Since 1999, the Government have published a list of all overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers costing over £500. Information for the financial year 2007-08 was published on 22 July 2008, Official Report, column 102WS and for the first time, included details of overseas visits undertaken by all Ministers. All travel by Ministers is undertaken in accordance with the ministerial code.
Private Sector
Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the terms of reference are of his Department’s review of its policy on working with the private sector; and if he will make a statement. [262260]
Mr. Thomas: The Department for International Development’s (DFID) Private Sector Development Strategy was launched in January 2009 and is available on the DFID website at:
No review is currently under way.
Terrorism: Finance
Mr. Paul Goodman:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) pursuant to the answer of 3 March 2009, Official Report, column 1413W, on terrorism: finance, how much of the £300 million to be
contributed by his Department to tackling terrorism and promoting understanding overseas for the period 2008-09 to 2010-11 is funding additional to previously allocated expenditure; [262402]
(2) how much of the £300 million his Department plans to spend on tackling terrorism and promoting understanding overseas will be spent (a) in each country and (b) on each type of project in each year from 2008-09 to 2010-11; [262403]
(3) how he plans to assess the effectiveness of his Department's expenditure to tackle terrorism and promote understanding overseas. [262408]
Mr. Thomas: Pursuant to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's answer of 3 March 2009 highlighting expenditure to tackle radicalisation and promote understanding overseas, £300 million represents the portion of the Department for International Development's (DFID) budget that will be spent on poverty reduction programmes that help to address the development-related causes of radicalisation.
The £300 million (over the period 2008-11) will be spent in Pakistan (£131 million), Bangladesh (£67 million), Somalia (£7 million), Kenya (£17 million), Sudan (£19 million), Yemen (£37 million), Afghanistan (£19 million), and Iraq (£1 million). These figures are subject to revision based on modifications to DFID's country assistance programmes.
The programmes in these countries will help to build Government institutions that are more efficient and accountable to their people, promote good governance and the rule of law, education reform and skills provision, access to equitable and affordable justice and police reform. These programmes will contribute to counter-radicalisation objectives by addressing the underlying social, political and economic grievances that can bring some communities to support violent extremism.
Zimbabwe: Overseas Aid
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Zimbabwe. [262442]
Mr. Thomas: The Department for International Development's (DFID) programme in Zimbabwe is focused on providing immediate humanitarian support and broader livelihoods assistance to meet the essential needs of the people of Zimbabwe. This year we have provided: £9 million to the World Food programme for food aid; £10 million to support the growing season; and £10 million to HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. We also recently made £10 million available to tackle the cholera outbreak and support life-saving essential health systems. We anticipate a total spend of £49 million this financial year across these vital areas of support. Our aid is channelled through the UN and NGOs and not the Government of Zimbabwe.
We anticipate the need for sustained large-scale humanitarian support from the international community for the foreseeable future and we are monitoring the situation very closely. However, a sustainable and credible political solution is required to fully address Zimbabwe's problems. In principle, we are ready to support economic
and social recovery in Zimbabwe but this will depend on the new Government's commitment to reform, including a clear commitment to macroeconomic stabilisation and sound economic management; restoration of the rule of law; commitment to democracy; respect for human rights, and the guarantee of full humanitarian access.
Justice
Departmental Bank Services
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with which banks his Department has or has had contracts for the provision of financial advice, for the financial year 2008-09. [262763]
Maria Eagle: For the financial year 2008-09, the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) have held contracts with banks for the provision of banking operational services only, and not for the provision of financial advice.
All MOJ Banking transactions are completed in line with the MOJ Banking and Cash Handling policies that have been drawn up in accordance with HM Treasury guidelines.
Under section 18 of the Exchequer and Audit Departments Act 1866, the Treasury determines the banks at which public monies can be kept. Public monies are held centrally by the Exchequer to the maximum possible extent consistent with value for money principles.
Legal Opinion
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department and its predecessors spent on external legal advice in each of the last five years. [257636]
Maria Eagle: The accounting systems in the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and the Office of Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR) do not separately distinguish expenditure on external legal expenses from other types of legal expenditure. This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, OCJR has been able to determine that expenditure on external legal advice in 2007-08 was £64,304.71.
For activities relating to the former Department of Constitutional Affairs (comprising the core department and its agencies, HM Courts Service, Tribunal Service and Office of the Public Guardian) accounting records indicate that expenditure over the last five years on external legal services was as follows:
| £ | |
Expenditure on external legal services includes all use of counsel and solicitors in private practice and excludes advice from in house legal advisers or Treasury Solicitors.
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effect of (i) Criminal Defence Service Direct and (ii) the Defence Solicitor Call Centre on the numbers and proportion of suspects who received legal advice from a legal adviser in person; and if he will place in the Library a copy of that research. [262822]
Mr. Malik: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) and the Ministry of Justice have not commissioned specific research on the effect of CDS Direct or the DSCC on the number and proportion of suspects who receive legal advice in person, but the LSC continues to record the number of cases funded each year. In 2007-08, there were 602,000 (574,000) cases in which publicly funded legal advice was provided in person at a police station and 94,000 (48,000) cases in which telephone advice was provided by an individual solicitor or firm. In addition, in 2007-08 CDS Direct dealt with 78,000 (123,000) telephone advice cases. Final figures will not be available until after the financial year ends, but the figures in brackets represent cases for the 2008-09 period up to February 2009.
The Defence Solicitor Call Centre handles all requests for legal advice from police stations and refers them, as appropriate, to either the duty solicitor, the detainee's own solicitor if they have one, or to Criminal Defence Service (CDS) Direct.
CDS Direct is a separate service which provides telephone advice to individuals detained at police stations in England and Wales in relation to one of a small group of specified offences such as drink driving. These are relatively less serious, non-imprisonable offences that do not normally require the police to interview the suspect and therefore telephone advice is considered to be appropriate and cost-effective. In February and April 2008 the service was expanded in two phases to handle all cases appropriate for telephone advice, including those where the detainee has named a particular solicitor or firm. Even prior to the expansion of CDS Direct, if a named solicitor provided advice directly to a client on a case involving this group of offences, that solicitor would receive a fee from public funds for telephone advice only. The expansion of CDS Direct in early 2008 has not increased the scope of publicly funded telephone advice or reduced entitlement to face to face advice.
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