| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
6 May 2009 : Column 181W—continued
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr. Amess: To ask the Prime Minister what overseas visits were undertaken in an official capacity by special advisers in his Office in each year since June 2007; what the cost of those visits was; how many official engagements and meetings were undertaken on each visit; and if he will make a statement. [269834]
The Prime Minister: Since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. Copies of these lists are available in the Library of the House. Information on the number of officials accompanying Ministers on overseas visits is included in the list. Information for the financial year 2008-09 will be published in the usual manner.
More detailed information is not available in the format requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.
All travel is undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the ministerial code and the civil service management code.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Prime Minister what training was provided to special advisers in 10 Downing Street in each year since 2007; how much was spent on such training for each special adviser in each such year; and if he will make a statement. [270078]
The Prime Minister: Special advisers receive training as appropriate to enable them to fulfil their duties and responsibilities as set out in the Model Contract for Special Advisers.
Mr. Maude: To ask the Prime Minister if he will publish the register of interests of departmental special advisers. [270290]
Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister whether Damian McBride declared any payments received by him from sources other than the public purse during his tenure of office in 10 Downing Street. [270879]
The Prime Minister: The rules for civil servants, including special advisers, on the handling of interests are set out in the Civil Service Management Code. Individual disclosures are personal between the employer and employee and not normally made public.
Departmental Public Appointments
Nadine Dorries: To ask the Prime Minister what his role is in the appointment of (a) civil servants and (b) special advisers to posts based in 10 Downing Street; and if he will make a statement. [271097]
The Prime Minister: The appointment of civil servants and special advisers, including those in my Office, are made in accordance with the conditions set out in the Ministerial Code.
Derek Draper
Mr. Hands: To ask the Prime Minister whether Mr. Derek Draper has a security pass to No. 10 Downing Street. [265853]
Iraq: Iran
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to discuss the matter of the protected persons status of persons in Ashraf City, Iraq under the Geneva Conventions with the Prime Minister of Iraq during his visit to London on 30 April 2009; and if he will make a statement. [272770]
The Prime Minister: I discussed a wide range of issues with Prime Minister Maliki. I refer my hon. Friend to the press conference I held with Prime Minister Maliki on 30 April 2009; a transcript of which is available on the No. 10 website:
Israel: Anniversaries
Mr. Amess: To ask the Prime Minister to what events held in (a) the UK and (b) Israel to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Tel Aviv he has been invited; what such invitations he has (i) accepted and (ii) declined; and if he will make a statement. [272173]
The Prime Minister: I have not received any such invitations. But the British ambassador to Israel, based in Tel Aviv, has accepted invitations to commemorate the 100th anniversary and will represent the British Government.
Members: Allowances
Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister what assessment he made of the merits to accepting the offers of meetings to discuss reform of hon. Members’ allowances made by (a) the right hon. Member for Sheffield Hallam and (b) the right hon. Member for Witney before announcing his proposals on the matter on 21 April. [270959]
The Prime Minister: I have met the right hon. Member for Witney (Mr. Cameron) and the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr. Clegg) to discuss these issues.
Pakistan: Nuclear Weapons
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister whether Pakistan’s nuclear weapons were discussed during his visit to Pakistan on 27 April 2009. [272724]
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister whether he made representations to President Zardari on the re-assertion of central government control in Swat during his recent meeting with him. [272728]
The Prime Minister: I discussed a wide range of issues on my recent visit to Pakistan. I refer the hon. Member and my hon. Friend to the press conference I held with Prime Minister Gilani on 27 April 2009; a transcript of which is available on the No. 10 website:
I also refer the hon. Member and my hon. Friend to the statement I made to the House on 29 April 2009, Official Report, columns 869-73.
Culture, Media and Sport
Conferences
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which (a) Ministers and (b) others attended the local media summit on 28 April 2009. [272813]
Andy Burnham: The local media summit on 28 April 2009 was attended by myself and my noble Friend Lord Carter of Barnes.
The event was attended by representatives from a wide range of stakeholder groups, including the National Union of Journalists, the Society of editors, the Newspaper
Society, Ofcom, the Press Association, as well as other Members of Parliament and key stakeholders from national and local television and radio.
Conferences: Official Hospitality
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent (a) in total and (b) on (i) venue hire, (ii) food and drink and (iii) travel costs in respect of its local media summit on 28 April 2009. [272812]
Andy Burnham: My Department spent nothing on venue hire, food and drink, or travel costs for the local media summit of 28 April.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much (a) his Department and (b) its agency spent on official hospitality in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [272809]
Mr. Sutcliffe: All expenditure on hospitality is made in accordance with published departmental guidance, based on principles set out in Managing Public Money.
The information requested by the hon. Member is not readily available from the Department's accounting system. To provide the information would incur disproportionate cost.
Departmental Pay
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the hourly rates of pay of all non-permanent members of staff working in (a) his Department and (b) its agencies were in each of the last 12 months; and how many staff received each rate. [273065]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Empty Property: Non-Domestic Rates
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his Department's liability for unoccupied property rates was in 2008-09. [272811]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department had one unoccupied property, Oceanic house, during 2008-09. Oceanic house is a listed building and is exempt from business rates whilst it is unoccupied.
Gambling: Antigua
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many visits the Gambling Commission has made to Antigua in relation to the addition of that country to the White List of countries permitted to advertise online gambling services in the UK. [272759]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Gambling Commission have advised that there have been no official visits to Antigua in relation to its addition to the White List.
Licensed Premises: EC Action
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the likely effects on the sale of alcohol of the implementation of European Commission proposals on the introduction of online facilities for applications for the types of licence provided for by the Licensing Act 2003. [272844]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The EU services directive requires member states to allow applications for permission to provide services to be made electronically and to a ‘point of single contact’. The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) is responsible for transposing its requirements into UK law. My Department is working with BERR to ensure that application processes under the Licensing Act 2003 (LA2003) in respect of services are modified in an appropriate and efficient manner. The requirements of the services directive complement our own plans to make it easier for applicants to apply for licences and permission under LA2003 electronically. The necessary protections currently in place under LA2003, including consultation with responsible authorities, will remain, and we will consult upon proposed modifications before implementation.
Non-Domestic Rates
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his most recent estimate is of the amount of money his Department expects to pay in unoccupied property rates in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11. [273066]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department does not expect to pay any unoccupied property rates in (a) 2009-10 or (b) 2010-11.
Defence
Armed Forces: Food
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make an assessment of (a) the popularity with personnel, (b) the value for money in comparison with the daily mess rate and (c) alternative options for implementation of the Pay as you Dine pilot projects carried out at RAF Henlow, Leuchars and Holton prior to (i) any extension of the contract at these stations and (ii) any further extension of the concept to other bases; and if he will make a statement. [272067]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth:
Pay As You Dine (PAYD) trials were established at RAF Henlow, RAF Leuchars and RAF Halton in 2002, 2004 and 2005, respectively. The performance of these trials has been reviewed continually since they commenced and from early 2008 focus groups and consumer surveys have been carried out to assess performance in meeting the aspirations of consumers and their perception of value for money. On the whole personnel accepted that there would be winners and losers, but that PAYD would be a fairer system, allowing choice on how they spend their money. This information
is being used to inform the dialogue process currently ongoing with industry to identify a PAYD model that meets the RAF requirements and is viable to industry.
The MOD considered alternative options for PAYD both prior to implementing the trials and since. In all cases it was decided that the external contractor option best met the RAF requirements. This is still the expectation.
RAF trials are continuing and a RAF specific solution is being developed in consultation with industry, with a final proposal expected by mid 2010 at the latest. It is then planned that a revised PAYD model, informed by the results of the trials, will be taken forward with industry and the agreed solution will be introduced as far as possible to existing PAYD units and rolled out across the other RAF sites.
Departmental Air Conditioning
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent by his Department on carrying out inspections of air conditioning systems within departmental buildings in accordance with the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 since the regulations came into force. [272116]
Mr. Kevan Jones: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Pay
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was paid in bonuses to civil servants in his Department in each financial year since 2005-06; and what the maximum bonus was in each such financial year. [270185]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The total monetary value of bonuses or performance awards paid to members of the Senior Civil Service (SCS), to Fixed Term Appointees and to 60,000 civil servants below the level of the SCS covered by the MOD main pay deal, excluding Trading Funds, and the maximum bonus in each financial year since 2005-06 is provided in the following tables.
| Bonuses paid to senior civil servants | ||||
| Financial year | 2008-09 | 2007-08 | 2006-07 | 2005-06 |
| (1) A higher bonus of £22,500 was available but not awarded. | ||||
| Bonuses paid to fixed term appointees | ||||
| Financial year | 2008-09( 1) | 2007-08 | 2006-07 | 2005-06 |
| (1) Figures for payment in FY 2009-10 are not yet available. | ||||
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |