Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 19 May 2009
Olympics
Departmental Computers
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many laptop computers have been provided to (a) her, (b) her special advisers and (c) civil servants in the Government Olympic Executive in each year since 2005; and at what cost. [268257]
Tessa Jowell: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office, my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, East (Mr. Watson) on 21 April 2009, Official Report, columns 549-50W.
Figures for the Government Olympic Executive were included in the reply given by the Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my hon. Friend the Member for Bradford, South (Mr. Sutcliffe) on 2 April 2009, Official Report, column 1377W.
Departmental Mobile Phones
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how much has been spent on (a) the purchase of and (b) bills for (i) BlackBerrys and (ii) other mobile telephones for (A) her, (B) her special advisers and (C) civil servants in the Government Olympic Executive in each year since its establishment. [268235]
Tessa Jowell: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office, (Tom Watson) on 21 May 2009, Official Report, column 550W.
Figures for the Government Olympic Executive were included in the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Sport on 2 April 2009, Official Report, column 1377W.
Government Olympic Executive: Manpower
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many people have been employed in the Government Olympic Executive in each year since 2005. [275951]
Tessa Jowell [holding answer 15 May 2009]: The number of staff (full-time equivalents (FTEs)) working in the Government Olympic Executive (GOE) and its predecessor, the Olympic Games Unit, has risen over the last five years as follows.
| End of financial year | Number of FTEs |
| (1) Approximately | |
This planned increase in staffing (a) reflects the wider role the GOE has taken on during this period—GOE is now the only organisation overseeing the entire Olympic project, integrating the work of multiple delivery bodies, and ensuring the Games is delivered within the £9.3 billion public sector funding provision; (b) is a planned response to the expected growth in work to deliver the Government's commitments and guarantees, as 2012 approaches; and (c) is consistent with GOE's staffing and resource plan for 2008-09 to 2010-11, which was agreed early in 2008.
GOE headcount is expected to peak this summer at about 95 FTE, as a result of the recent recruitment of interim resources to focus on an integrated delivery assurance project across the programme, after which it is expected to reduce towards 90 FTE. There are no plans for GOE headcount to grow further before 2012.
Government Olympic Executive: Operating Costs
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what the operational costs of the Government Olympic Executive have been in each year since 2005. [275953]
Tessa Jowell [holding answer 15 May 2009]: The Government Olympic Executive (GOE) is responsible for overseeing the successful delivery of the entire London 2012 Games Programme, integrating the work of multiple delivery bodies, safeguarding and maximising the value of the Government's investment ensuring the Games is delivered within the £9.3 billion public sector funding provision, and maximising the benefits of the Games for the whole of the UK.
The expenditure of the GOE, part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and its predecessor, the Olympic Games Unit, for the completed financial years since 2004-05 are as follows:
| £ million | |
This increase in expenditure over the period:
(a) reflects the increased role that the GOE has taken on during this period;
(b) is a planned response to the expected growth in work to deliver the Government's commitments and guarantees, to spread the benefits of the Games across the UK as 2012 approaches; and
(c) is consistent with GOE's staffing and resource plan for 2008-09 to 2010-11, agreed in early 2008.
Olympic Games 2012: Construction
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister for the Olympics (1) for what reasons the construction of the (a) North Olympic site and (b) Olympic site has been delayed; and what steps she is taking to reduce that delay; [273127]
(2) if she will make an assessment of the potential for further delays to the (a) construction of the North Olympic site and (b) landscaping deadlines for growing the plants required for the Olympic site; [273128]
(3) what recent representations she has received from the landscaping and horticultural firms contracted to provide services on the Olympic site on the effects on them of changes in the timetable for construction of the Olympic site; [273129]
(4) what assessment she has made of the likely effects on horticultural companies providing plants for the (a) North Olympic and (b) Olympic site of delays to construction at the Olympic site. [273135]
Tessa Jowell: The overall construction programme for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games continues on track, with no delay in the construction of the Olympic Park or in the construction of the parklands in the North of the Park.
The delivery contractor, Bam Nuttall, is currently procuring a number of specialist subcontractors and suppliers through a series of packages and is on track to start delivery of the Northern parklands later this spring. The contracts for the hard and soft landscaping of the South Park are due for award later in 2009, with on-site work to start in early 2010. These are in line with planned dates for such contracts to be let.
Further to those packages already at an advanced stage of procurement, there will be many more opportunities for landscaping and horticultural suppliers registered on the London 2012 CompeteFor website in areas, including the supply of thousands of younger woodland trees, shrubs and other plants scheduled for planting nearer games-time.
In consultation with landscaping industry expertise (including the British Association of Landscape Industries, the Horticultural Trades Association, Greening the Games—an industry-wide lobby group—as well as expert industry contractors and suppliers) the Olympic Delivery Authority has given careful consideration to the number of growing seasons available for the plant stock proposed across the park and is confident that there is sufficient time to ensure an excellent games-time park.
Olympic Games 2012: Essex
Mr. Amess: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what assessment the Government Olympic Executive (GOE) has made since December 2008 of the economic effects of the London 2012 Olympics on (a) Essex and (b) Southend West constituency; what recent discussions she had with the GOE on this issue; and if she will make a statement. [275613]
Tessa Jowell: The Government Olympic Executive has not made a specific assessment of the economic effects of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics on Essex or Southend West. However, the East of England stands to gain from the wide range of opportunities created by the London 2012 games. These include businesses winning games-related work, increased tourism and improved skills and employment opportunities. The games, including pre-games training camps, will enable regions to attract inward investment and showcase themselves on an international stage, and UK Trade and Investment are helping businesses to use 2012 as a springboard for export.
We are already seeing progress in a lot of these areas, for example 23 of the Olympic Delivery Authority's suppliers are businesses registered in Essex. Additionally,
66 facilities from the region, including Southend Leisure and Tennis Centre in Essex are included in the official London 2012 Pre-Games Training Camp Guide.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many suppliers based in (a) Southend-on-Sea and (b) Essex have been awarded contracts by the Olympic Delivery Authority to date; and if she will make a statement. [275614]
Tessa Jowell: To the end of March 2009, 23 suppliers registered in Essex had been awarded contracts by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA). Currently no businesses registered in Southend-on-Sea are directly supplying the ODA.
The East of England Development Agency recently organised a programme of events for the chairman of the ODA, John Armitt on 18 March, which included a visit to a major business conference at Colchester FC and meetings with companies in the region that have won work supplying the ODA. Details of this and similar events, and information on CompeteFor (the electronic brokerage service for buyers and suppliers) are provided in the business section of the London 2012 website:
Culture, Media and Sport
Departmental Air Conditioning
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many of his Department’s buildings are equipped with air conditioning systems with greater than 250kW of output; how many of these systems have been inspected under the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the results. [270614]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has one building with an air conditioning system with greater than 250 kW of output. This air conditioning system will need to be inspected in accordance with the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations (2007/991). The inspection will be completed shortly.
Copies of the display energy certificates and their associated advisory reports in respect of each property occupied by my Department and its agencies have been deposited in the House Library.
Departmental Buildings
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on building maintenance in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [274555]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport spent the following amounts on building maintenance in each of the last five years:
| £ | |
Departmental Pay
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much (a) his Department and (b) its agency paid in end-of-year performance bonuses to (i) all staff and (ii) senior Civil Service staff in 2008-09; and how many such payments were made. [275258]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The information is as follows:
Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
Total pay bill was £24,534,890, of which 2.37 per cent. was used for non-consolidated in year and year end performance payments. These non-consolidated payments were paid to staff in the year 2008-09 for the performance year 2007-08. For the senior civil service (SCS), the size of the non-consolidated performance pay pot is based on recommendations by the independent senior salaries review body.
| 2008-09 | All staff | Senior civil service (SCS) staff |
| Note: The permanent secretary also received a non-consolidated performance payment in 2008. | ||
Total pay bill was £4,458,312, of which 0.75 per cent. was used for non-consolidated in year and year end performance payments. These non-consolidated payments were paid to staff in the year 2008-09 for the performance year 2007-08.
| 2008-09 | All staff | Senior civil service (SCS) staff |
| (1) This information is not available due to the small number of SCS staff involved (less than five). | ||
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport and its agency the Royal Parks make non consolidated payments to their staff to reward highly successful performance over a whole year (e.g. targets exceeded). All non-consolidated payments are funded within existing pay controls, have to be re-earned each year against pre-determined targets and as such do not add to future pay bill costs. This year the Government have responded positively to current economic conditions by freezing the size of the SCS ‘pot’ set aside for non-consolidated payments.
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