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25 Mar 2009 : Column 520W—continued
The services are planning to be compliant by 1 August 2009;
The services have sustainable plan to meet compliance after 1 August 2009 and it has been agreed that their special difficulties warrant inclusion in the Working Time regulation schedule; and
The services are already compliant but require ongoing support for this to continue.
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Beijing
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many visits were made by staff of his Department to Beijing in the financial year 2007-08. [264565]
Mr. McFadden: The Department made 12 visits to Beijing in the financial year 2007-08.
All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service code and Civil Service Management Code. In BERR the criteria for booking travel is value for money based on cost and convenience.
Corporate Governance Unit
Mr. Hands: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when his predecessor Department's Corporate Governance Unit was (a) established and (b) disbanded; what the remit of the Unit was; what the cost to the public purse was of the Unit in each year of its operation; and what the job title was of each member of staff of the Unit. [265822]
Mr. McFadden: This Department's Corporate Law and Governance Directorate, which deals with corporate governance issues, has not been disbanded.
Departmental Billing
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what percentage of invoices from his Department's suppliers have been paid using a Government procurement card in each of the last six months. [265782]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 23 March 2009]: Information on the number of invoices paid by a Government Procurement Card can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, over the last six months (September 2008 to February 2009) the percentages of Government Procurement Card payments (including both invoices and at the point-of-sale) as a proportion of the total number of transactions for all payment methods, is as follows:
| Total number of transactions | Number paid by GPC | Percentage | |
Departmental Rail Travel
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what guidance his Department issues on whether staff may claim for first class rail travel if there are no seats available in standard class. [262033]
Mr. McFadden: BERR encourages staff to make use of cheaper types of tickets wherever possible. No matter what class of travel is used, staff travelling on official business must take advantage of any cheap facilities which maybe available (e.g. special offers, restricted tickets) wherever practical.
The rail booking system used by BERR pre-books seats if they are available for the journeys specified.
If the traveller does not have a pre-booked seat, and no seats in standard class are available (except on suburban lines), then the traveller may transfer to a first class carriage.
All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management code and the Ministerial Code.
Departmental Visits Abroad
Anne Main:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (1) which hotels the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform stayed in during the World
Economic Forum between 28 January and 1 February 2009; and at what cost; [260561]
(2) which hotel the Minister for Small Business and Competitiveness stayed in during the World Economic Forum between 28 January and 1 February 2009; and at what cost. [260563]
Mr. McFadden: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Cotswold (Mr. Clifton-Brown) on 4 March 2009, Official Report, column 1701W.
David Simpson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 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. [262150]
Mr. McFadden: 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.
Details for the 2008-09 period including details for the period 1 April to 31 December 2008 will be published as soon as possible after the end of the financial year.
The total amount of expenditure incurred in respect of overseas visits by BERR senior officials for the period January 2008 to December 2008 was £534,357; this figure includes air, rail and hotel accommodation.
All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code. In BERR the criteria for booking travel is value for money based on cost and convenience.
Departmental Written Questions
Mr. Vara: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on how many occasions in the last 12 months Ministers in his Department have used their discretion to rule that a parliamentary question for written answer should be answered because it would be in the public interest to do so, even though to do so would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold of £700. [249140]
Mr. McFadden: Information relating to Ministers’ consideration of parliamentary questions is not held in the format requested. As a general principle, the Department aims to provide as much information as possible when answering written questions and would consider providing an answer, even were it to exceed the disproportionate cost threshold, where Ministers consider it to be in the public interest.
In a ministerial written statement on 8 December 2008, Official Report, column 24WS, the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury informed the House that the disproportionate cost threshold increased to £750 with effect from 3 December 2008.
Fire Services: Working Hours
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect on levels of fire cover provided by retained fire fighters of the provisions of the EU Working Time Directive in each fire service region in Scotland; and if he will make a statement. [265519]
Mr. McFadden: The UK Government recognise that losing the individual’s right to opt-out of the 48 hour working week, as set by the Working Time Directive, would have a detrimental effect on the hours which firefighters working the Retained Duty System could be available for duty, especially the substantial numbers who work full time for their primary employer. Many other workers also use this important flexibility and so we are firmly of the view that this right should remain. We will continue to insist on this point throughout the process of conciliation with the European Parliament on the revision of the directive.
I am aware of the widespread concern on this issue among retained firefighters, and both from this Department and the Department for Communities and Local Government have worked very closely with the Retained Firefighters’ Union and will continue to keep them informed throughout the negotiations.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent discussions he has had with the European Commission on the effects of the individual opt-out from the European Working Time Directive on the working practices of (a) junior hospital doctors and (b) part-time firemen; and if he will make a statement. [265748]
Mr. McFadden: The UK Government recognise the importance of the individual’s right to opt-out of the 48 hour working week as set by the Working Time Directive. It is a right that many workers choose to exercise and an essential part of the UK’s labour market flexibility. We remain firmly of the view that workers should be able to work longer hours should they choose to do so and so, through Council, are pressing this point during the formal conciliation discussions with the European Parliament.
I am aware of the widespread concern on this issue among retained firefighters, and officials both from this Department and the Department for Communities and Local Government have worked very closely with the Retained Firefighters’ Union and will continue to keep them informed throughout the negotiations.
The individual opt out is pertinent to the NHS workforce and we continue to work closely with the Department of Health and will continue to keep them informed also.
Insolvency: Complaints
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will appoint an independent ombudsman to investigate complaints against insolvency practitioners. [263852]
Mr. McFadden: There are no legislative powers available to enable my noble Friend, the Secretary of State to appoint someone such as an ombudsman, to review the decisions of a recognised professional body (RPB) with respect to a particular complaint against an insolvency practitioner. The Secretary of State is satisfied that the RPBs have the proper procedures in place to ensure that only fit and proper persons who meet the requirements for authorisation are granted a licence to act as an insolvency practitioner. The Secretary of State is also assured that the RPBs have procedures in place to ensure that complaints against their members are investigated properly; all of the RPBs have review processes.
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when the Secretary of State plans to reply to the letter sent by the hon. Member for East Londonderry on 24 October 2008, reference number JH/102550. [263623]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 13 March 2009]: I responded to the hon. Member on 11 March.
Mr. Burns: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he will respond to the letter from the hon. Member for West Chelmsford of 19 December 2008 concerning a constituent, Mr. Paul Atkinson of Chelmsford. [265427]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 20 March 2009]: I responded to the hon. Member on 13 March.
Minimum Wage
Paddy Tipping: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the number of people receiving a higher take home pay as a result of national minimum wage legislation in (a) Nottinghamshire, (b) the East Midlands and (c) nationally. [265974]
Mr. McFadden: It is difficult to isolate the effect of the NMW on take home pay as take home pay is affected by hours worked and other sources of income such as tax credits and taxes. However, evidence suggests that since its introduction the NMW is affecting more people and the hourly wage is rising faster than average earnings and prices benefiting the lowest paid in the economy. The adult NMW has risen by around 59 per cent. since its introduction in 1999 from £3.60 to £5.73 per hour. The rise in the NMW has been greater than average earnings (around 46 per cent.) and retail price inflation (around 32 per cent. over the same period (April 1999 to October 2008).
Evidence from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) shows that a growing number of people are affected by the National Minimum Wage (NMW). BERR estimates that around 1.1 million people in the UK were covered by the October 2008 uprating of the NMW.
Information below Government office region is not readily available from the ASHE dataset. However, using spring 2008 ASHE data we estimate that around 93,000 employees were covered in East Midlands by the latest October 2008 NMW upratings.
Moscow
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many visits were made by staff of his Department to Moscow in the financial year 2007-08. [264563]
Mr. McFadden: The Department made 33 visits to Moscow in the financial year 2007-08.
All travel is untaken in accordance with the Civil Service Code and Civil Service Management Code. In BERR the criteria for booking travel is value for money based on cost and convenience.
Performing Arts
John Mason: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether his Department has engaged any (a) actors, (b) musicians and (c) other performers to support its initiatives over the last five years. [264060]
Post Offices
Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent representations have been made to his Department on the creation of a Post Bank. [265590]
Mr. McFadden: In addition to representations from hon. Members, I have recently received representations from the “Post Bank Coalition” and the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters about the creation of a Post Bank.
Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the Statement of 16 December 2008, Official Report, columns 964-66, on Royal Mail, what recent discussions the Secretary of State has had with ministerial colleagues on providing more services through the Post Office network. [265601]
Mr. McFadden: My right hon. and noble Friend the Secretary of State recently chaired an interdepartmental ministerial meeting to examine potential new business opportunities for the Post Office across Government.
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