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13 Mar 2009 : Column 802W—continued
Prisons
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been convicted of offences related to bringing prohibited (a) List A, (b) List B and (c) List C articles into (i) prisons and (ii) young offender institutions in each of the last 12 months. [262824]
Mr. Hanson: Offences relating to bringing prohibited articles into prisons and young offender institutions form part of the 2007 Offender Management Act which came into force in April 2008.
The data for 2008 will be available in November 2009, answers therefore should be based on published National Statistics in order to ensure quality checks have been carried out, also statistics on court proceedings and cautions should be published annually. It takes several months for court proceedings data to be received by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, validated and corrected.
Leader of the House
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill 2007-08
Mr. Amess: To ask the Leader of the House if she will place in the Library a copy of the parliamentary handling strategy for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill of Session 2007-08; and if she will make a statement. [263252]
Chris Bryant: Information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees, including Cabinet Committee papers, is generally not disclosed, as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.
Members: Allowances
Mr. Drew: To ask the Leader of the House if she will take steps to ensure that the principles on expenses espoused in the Green Book are applied throughout the public service. [263522]
Chris Bryant: The principles set out in the Green Book are derived from the principles in the Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament. These are in turn based on the principles of conduct identified by the Committee on Standards in Public Life in its First Report (Cm 2850) as applying to holders of public office.
Prime Minister
Cabinet
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Prime Minister (1) what plans he has to hold Cabinet meetings outside London in the future; [258129]
(2) what proportion of the cost of the Cabinet meeting in Liverpool on 8 January 2009 was attributable to (a) transport, (b) policing, (c) catering and (d) additional costs. [258149]
The Prime Minister: The visit of the Cabinet to Liverpool on 8 January 2009 was linked with a large number of ministerial visits across the region; there was a public engagement event with around 170 people and a formal Cabinet meeting. The cost of the public engagement event and the cabinet meeting was approximately £76,620, excluding VAT. The figure includes the cost of hiring the venue, catering, associated security and delegate management. There are no separate figures for the Cabinet meeting. In addition, Departments and agencies will have incurred costs in terms of travel, staff time and other support. The cost of any security provided by the police is a matter for the relevant police force.
Further such visits are planned for the future; announcements of these will be made at the appropriate time.
Departmental Buildings
Mr. Baron: To ask the Prime Minister (1) how much has been spent on (a) maintaining, (b) decorating and (c) otherwise improving No. 10 Downing Street since July 2007; [248048]
(2) much has been spent on (a) maintaining, (b) decorating and (c) otherwise improving his Office’s buildings in the last five years; how much has been spent on wallpaper since 2001; and what plans there are for further spending on such decoration. [248065]
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Prime Minister how much was spent on the refurbishment and maintenance of (a) Downing Street offices and (b) the 10 and 11 Downing Street flats in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08. [250320]
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister how much his Department spent on works and refurbishment to offices allocated to Ministers at Nos. 10 and 12 Downing Street in each month since July 2007. [253661]
The Prime Minister: The Downing street estate is undergoing essential maintenance work required to maintain it to the standards appropriate to its Grade 1/2 listed status required by English Heritage.
The total resource expenditure for maintaining the entire Downing street estate for the financial year 2007-08 was £1.288 million. This includes the exceptional resource cost of £810,664, which has already been published, for essential work to the exterior of the Downing street estate again in consultation with English Heritage. Resource spend includes maintenance of fixed assets, the fabric of the building, floors, walls and ceilings and the upkeep and repair of heritage assets.
Information on capital expenditure on improving Cabinet Office buildings, including the Downing street estate for 2007-08 is included in the annual Cabinet Office Resource Accounts. Copies are available in the Library of the House. Capital works included railings alterations, ICT cabling installation and alteration, Front Hall renovation, Cabinet Room redecoration, infrastructure work such as new risers for ICT cabling, repair of collapsed drain, installation of new Building Management System and energy monitoring equipment, access improvements works, such as corridor ramping and dropped kerbs in Downing street and security works.
As part of the resource spend, the cost of routine maintenance on the flat above No. 11 Downing street for the most recent financial years is set out as follows:
| £ | |
Expenditure on other official residences is a matter for the relevant Department. Information for previous years is a matter of public record and can be found in the official report.
Departmental Postal Services
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Office 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. [259981]
The Prime Minister: The information requested is not held centrally. Letters are sent by my Office in the most cost effective manner. This includes the use of the Government Internal Delivery System and the Royal Mail as appropriate.
Diplomatic Service
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2009, Official Report, column 1198W, on the diplomatic service, on how many occasions he has appointed a special representative or special envoy to a particular region since 1997. [261921]
Daniel Kawczynski:
To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2009, Official Report, column 1198W, on the Diplomatic Service, (1) how many (a) special representatives and (b) special
envoys he and his predecessor have appointed to a country or region since 1997; and how many of those appointees are still in post; [263046]
(2) from which budget the funding for special representatives and special envoys appointed by him to particular countries and regions is drawn. [263047]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave on 23 October 2008, Official Report, columns 553-4W. Information for previous years is a matter of public record and can be found in the Official Report.
Group of Twenty
Mr. Hands: To ask the Prime Minister (1) with which overseas Heads of State he plans to have bilateral meetings during the G20 Summit in London in April 2009; [258888]
(2) whether he has invited any foreign heads of state to No. 10 Downing Street in April 2009; [258925]
(3) which foreign heads of state and government have signified their intention (a) to attend and (b) not to attend the G20 summit in April 2009. [259368]
The Prime Minister: Details of those who have been invited to the G20 summit in April are available on the London summit website:
A copy of this webpage has been placed in the Library of the House.
Transport
Civil Service Agencies
Mr. Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what role is played by his Department in the setting of budgets for each of its Executive agencies. [263384]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Of the Department's seven Executive agencies, four are designated as Trading Funds and are therefore funded primarily through fees. For the remaining agencies, Department officials provide a sponsorship role in reviewing and challenging agency plans in light of the funding available to the Department and to adjust the plans where necessary.
Each of the Department’s Executive agencies then completes a Business Plan that is published before the commencement of each financial year setting out the direction for the agency’s activities and the resources required to deliver them. Department officials also review these Business Plans to ensure that they include the Department’s policy requirements and to align the plans with delivery of the Department’s own objectives. The plans are then subject to agreement with Ministers.
Diesel Trains
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department had with the rolling stock companies on procurement in advance of his decision to create Diesel Trains Limited. [263618]
Paul Clark: We are in regular dialogue with the rolling stock companies. Officials discussed the proposal to create Diesel Trains Limited with each of the rolling stock companies prior to the company's incorporation on 25 February.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for how many years Diesel Trains Limited is expected to be publicly-owned. [263619]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport will be inviting the market to bid either for the company or for the assets and related contracts within it, and to take on the ownership and leasing of the trains. We wish to commence this process as soon as reasonably practicable.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had on the merits of Diesel Trains Limited being used to procure rolling stock in addition to the 120 diesel multiple units currently planned. [263620]
Paul Clark: Diesel Trains Limited has been incorporated to purchase 202 diesel multiple unit vehicles. It is not anticipated at this time that the company will purchase other rolling stock.
Driving Tests: Hertfordshire
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people (a) took and (b) passed their driving test in (i) Hemel Hempstead and (ii) Hertfordshire in each of the last five years. [263059]
Jim Fitzpatrick: There are no driving test centres within Hemel Hempstead. Data for car and motorcycle practical tests in Hertfordshire are shown in the following table.
| Hertfordshire | |||
| Conducted | Passed | Percentage Pass | |
Practical tests for lorry and bus driving categories are not conducted at test centres within Hertfordshire.
Driving: Disqualification
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people have been disqualified from driving (a) in total and (b) in each local authority area in each year since 1997; and what the reasons for disqualification were. [262497]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Although the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency records details of driving convictions on its driving licence records, it does not have available a statistical breakdown of the numbers of licence holders who have been disqualified from driving.
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