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21 July 2009 : Column 1412W—continued
| Dacorum | Hemel Hempstead | |||||
| Number of pupils in classes of over 30 | Number of pupils in all classes | Percentage of pupils in classes of over 30 | Number of pupils in classes of over 30 | Number of pupils in all classes | Percentage of pupils in classes of over 30 | |
| (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes CTCs and academies. (3) One teacher classes as taught during a single selected period in each school on the day of the census in January. Note: Pupil numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10- Source: School Census | ||||||
Departmental Accountancy
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects to publish his Department's resource accounts for 2008-09. [287324]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The Department for Children, Schools and Families 2008-09 resource account was published on 9 July 2009 (ref. HC 448).
Departmental Budgets
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what scenario planning is being undertaken within his Department in relation to possible reductions in its budget; and if he will make a statement. [285210]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: We are currently focused on embedding the 2010-11 budget savings, agreed as part of the Budget 2009 statement, into current and future plans in such a way as to protect front line delivery while achieving best value for money from the expenditure. Scenario planning will form part of our preparation for a future spending review.
Departmental Conditions of Employment
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of employees in his Department (a) are on a flexible working contract and (b) work from home for more than four hours a week. [287094]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: In the Department, any member of staff can request a change to their working pattern and line managers consider requests in line with the Department's policy and guidance. Staff below the senior civil service can also work to a flexi-time agreement and local records are kept of hours worked.
Currently 15.5 per cent. of staff work part-time but we do not keep comprehensive central records of other flexible working arrangements and this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
All employees can agree with their line managers to work from home occasionally and 64 per cent. have broadband access to the Department's systems through authorised encryption. We do not, however, keep central records of staff who work over four hours each week from home and information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Contracts
Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many contracts let by his Department were awarded to businesses with fewer than 50 employees in each of the last five years; and what the monetary value of such contracts was in each such year. [287795]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Data Protection
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many (a) attempts and (b) successful attempts were made to gain unauthorised access to each (i) database and (ii) ICT system run by his Department in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [286551]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: It is not in the interests of the UK's national security for departments to confirm information on the number of attempts, successful or otherwise, to gain unauthorised access to departmental systems or databases. Such disclosure could undermine the integrity and security of departmental systems and thereby expose them to potential threats.
DCSF complies with the mandatory requirements of the Security Policy Framework in relation to information security including managing the risk of unauthorised access to ICT systems.
Departmental Databases
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what internal computer databases his Department maintains; and which of them contain personal information. [284393]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: Department for Children, Schools and Families has a small number of internal corporate computer databases. In addition each directorate maintains its own smaller databases for a number of different purposes. We do not hold a central list of these databases and it would only be possible to provide details of them at disproportionate cost.
The main internal corporate DCSF computer databases maintained are as follows:
| Internal database | Purpose | Personal information |
Departmental Electronic Education
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many (a) photocopiers, (b) scanning devices and (c) fax machines, excluding multi-function devices, there are in his Department; how many there were in his Department and its predecessors in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [286179]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: To reduce the use of power and consumables, the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) is in the process of replacing its printers, scanners, photocopiers and fax machines with multi-function devices across its sites.
At this time, some single-function devices are still in use although it is anticipated that this number will diminish further to leave a very small number of single-function devices, primarily for reasonable adjustments and contingency purposes.
The approximate number of single-function devices known to be currently in use within DCSF HQ sites is:
Photocopiers: 0
Scanners: 31
Fax machines: 52
DCSF does not maintain a comprehensive central list of the number of photocopiers, scanning devices or fax machines in use in past years throughout its estate and therefore the information as requested in the latter part of the question is not available. However, procurement records show that 138 leased photocopiers were in use throughout the Department in April 2007.
The Department does not hold records for its arm's length bodies.
Departmental Pay
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been paid in bonuses to staff of each non-departmental body his Department sponsors in the last 12 months. [286387]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: All non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) for which the Department of Children Schools and Families has responsibility for have their own remuneration and reward systems. Ministers are involved in agreeing pay remits for NDPBs in line with the Government's policy on public sector pay. Details of payments made to individual members of staff are not held centrally in the Department and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Procurement
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what changes have been made to his Department's (a) office equipment and (b) stationery purchasing policy in the last six months. [285306]
Ms Diana R. Johnson:
The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) is developing a category management approach to procurement which will result in realigning and brigading a number of our national contracts, including those for personalised printed business
stationery and desktop stationery, to reduce costs and obtain better value for money.
Initially this has resulted in the award, from 1 June 2009, of a six year contract for a publishing delivery service. Our existing national contract for personalised printed business stationery is currently in the process of being novated to this new contract and it is likely our national contract for desktop stationery will join at a future date.
Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what progress his Department has made in implementing the recommendations of the Glover Report in its procurement processes. [287133]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The Department for Children Schools and Families' commercial policy is based around the EU treaty principles of transparency, equal treatment, non-discrimination and proportionality for all its dealings with third parties.
Consequently the Department has a good record for awarding contracts and grants to SMEs as they have an equal opportunity to gain the Department's work as any other organisation.
The Department has already implemented a number of the 12 recommendations given in the Glover Report ('Accelerating the SME economic engine: through transparent, simple and strategic procurement').
We utilise Supply2gov for our sub EU threshold requirements as well as for advertising competitive grants. Over EU threshold requirements are advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) which is available online.
To allow for electronic tendering the DCSF has licenses to the BRAVO system. The majority offenders are already issued electronically, and request electronic bids. Currently a paper version is still requested rather than encrypted electronic versions.
It is a requirement for procurements subject to the Public Contract Regulations to have contract award notices published. However DCSF do not currently publish sub-threshold award notices as a matter of course though bidders are advised of the organisation the contract has been awarded to.
All our procurements are open to all organisations in line with EU treaty principles.
We use OGC's pre qualification questionnaire (PQQ), although the PQQ questions may change depending on the specific requirement the majority of the questions are asked in a standard format.
Our policy is to evaluate all experience quoted by an organisation, against the same criteria.
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