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12 Oct 2009 : Column 621W—continued
The average length of employment of ex-BERR staff is shown in the following table as at 31 March.
| Pay band | Years |
Departmental Marketing
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008, Official Report, column 1935W, on departmental marketing, how many staff in his Department have responsibility for branding activity; and what the cost of employing such staff was in 2008-09. [290215]
Mr. McFadden: The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) had one member of staff responsible for managing the Department's brand. This included the publication and dissemination of the brand guidelines and advising on their application. It is estimated that 25 per cent. of this person's time was spent on branding-related activities. Based on the average pay costs for a member of staff at this grade, this represents a staff cost of approximately £11,653 in 2008/09.
The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) had one member of staff responsible for managing the Department's brand. It is estimated that 25 per cent. of this person's time was spent on branding-related activities. The total staff cost on branding was approximately £6,300 in 2008/09.
Departmental Meetings
Greg Clark: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether (a) the Secretary of State, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials have met representatives of (i) Gulf Keystone Petroleum Ltd, (ii) Eastern Petroleum Corporation Ltd, (iii) African Minerals Ltd, (iv) Landis+Gyr and (v) Energy Enterprises Ltd in the last three years. [289937]
Ian Lucas: Officials from UK Trade and Investment have met with representatives from Landis & Gyr in the last three years. Neither Ministers nor officials have met with Gulf Keystone Petroleum Ltd., Eastern Petroleum Corporation Ltd., African Minerals Ltd. or Energy Enterprises Ltd.
Greg Clark: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what stocktake meetings his Department has had with the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit in the last 12 months. [289942]
Mr. McFadden: The Prime Minister's delivery unit is in constant contact with Departments as part of its process of taking stock of delivery. It reports regularly to the PM, the Treasury and the Departments concerned.
Departmental Motor Vehicles
Andrew Stunell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on hire vehicles in each of the last five financial years. [291706]
Mr. McFadden: The Department spent the following on hire vehicles (including leasing) in the last five financial years:
| £ | |
Departmental Non-Domestic Rates
Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many properties owned by the Department and its predecessors were liable for payment of (a) business rates and (b) empty property rates in each of the last five years; and what the bill for each was in each such year. [290566]
Mr. McFadden: This Department owns only one building, situated in Edinburgh, which is fully occupied. This is a warehouse facility that is currently let to the British Geological Survey, part of the Natural Environment Research Council, and they are liable for the business rates bill. The building is let to them on a 10 year term which began in August 2005.
All other departmental buildings are leased.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 15 September 2008, Official Report, column 2111W, on departmental official hospitality, how much his Department spent on hospitality and entertainment in 2008-09. [290172]
Mr. McFadden: The Department spent £154,444 on hospitality and £1,078,530 on entertainment in 2008-09.
Departmental Paternity Leave
Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff took paternity leave from his Department and its predecessors in each of the last five years; and what the average length of such leave has been. [290564]
Mr. McFadden: The information is as follows:
1. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills was created on 5 June 2009, with the merger of BERR and DIUS.
2. The former Departments did not keep a central record of how many staff took paternity leave. Paternity leave is dealt with locally by line managers in accordance with the departmental policies. The information can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
3. Paid paternity leave for former BERR staff is two weeks and for former DIUS staff is three weeks.
Departmental Pay
Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what employee reward schemes are offered to staff of his Department and its predecessors; what the purpose of each scheme is; how many staff participate in each scheme; and what the cost of operating each scheme was in each of the last five years. [290567]
Mr. McFadden: You will be aware that the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has only recently been created (6 June 2009) by merging the former Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS). BIS is still in the early stages of setting up its own systems and policies so I have provided you with the information you have requested based on the rewards paid by the former BERR and DIUS.
Ex-BERR and ex-DIUS has two common bonuses, while ex-BERR has three. Both Departments awards:
1. Non-consolidated performance pay and non-pay reward to recognise performance in particularly demanding tasks or situations. Staff in receipt of a special bonus may also receive an annual performance award. This award is open to all staff.
2. Annual Performance Awards paid to Highly Successful performance as part of the annual pay award.
3. In addition, BERR also awards Team Triumphs-Team Triumphs is an awards ceremony designed to recognise the achievements of teams in the Department. Any team can be nominated providing it has at least two members. Cost of this scheme comes out of non-consolidated performance pay and non-pay rewards pot.
The following tables show the number of staff receiving the awards, and the cost of the scheme.
| Financial year( 1) | Non-consolidated performance pay( 2) (includes non-pay reward and Team Triumph) | Performance awards | ||
| Number of staff receiving | Total value (£) | Number of staff receiving | Total value( 3) (£) | |
| (1 )Financial year running from 1 April to 31 March. (2) The non-consolidated performance pay and performance awards for non-SCS staff are paid on a non-consolidated, non-pensionable basis and do not increase the Department's paybill costs each year. For the SCS the Senior Salaries Review Body determines the level of expenditure to cover bonuses. (3) The total figure includes SCS staffs. (4) Includes staff who were transferred from DTI to DIUS as part of the June 2007 machinery of government changes as these staff received a DTI/BERR pay award in 2007. Does not include those staff transferred into BERR from Cabinet Office and the Department for Communities and Local Government as part of the June 2007 machinery of government changes as these staff received Cabinet Office and DCLG pay awards respectively in 2007. Note: In 2007-08 the total value of bonuses paid was approximately 1.5 per cent. of the total Department's paybill. | ||||
| Table for DIUS | ||||
| Financial year | Non-consolidated performance pay | Performance awards | ||
| Number of staff receiving | Total value (£) | Number of staff receiving | Total value (£) | |
| (1) The performance awards for 2007-08 was paid by both former Departments. | ||||
Departmental Recruitment
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what data his Department by his Department and its predecessor holds on the level of diversity in the recruitment of employees in each of the last three years. [290514]
Mr. McFadden: The Department invites each candidate in individual recruitment exercises to complete a diversity monitoring questionnaire. The information from questionnaires is collated and monitored in order to assess the effectiveness of our advertising and recruitment processes and the workforce profile.
In line with the requirements in the public sector Employment Duties, the Department publishes annual reports covering our equality and diversity reporting responsibilities, including diversity data on applicants for employment. The annual reports for 2008 and 2009 are not yet available following machinery of Government changes and extracting the specified data alone at this stage would incur disproportionate cost.
Departmental Recycling
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of his Department's waste was recycled in the latest period for which figures are available. [289660]
Mr. McFadden: Since the inception of BIS on 8 June, the following amounts of waste have been recycled by this Department:
June-40,700 Kg (63.9 per cent. of total)
July-42,342 Kg (62.1 per cent. of total)
August-33,929 Kg (64.3 per cent. of total)
I would also refer the hon. Member to the previously published Sustainable Development in Government (SDiG) reports in which central Government Departments publicly reported on the data requested. The most recent report can be found at:
Departmental Reorganisation
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether there have been any changes to the furnishings in offices of Ministers in his Department following the recent departmental reorganisation. [290226]
Mr. McFadden: There have been no changes to the furnishings in offices occupied by Ministers in this Department following the recent departmental reorganisation. New Ministers have taken the furniture of departing Ministers.
Departmental Responsibilities
Mr. Brady: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills which Minister in his Department has been assigned responsibility for overseeing the delivery of value for money in his Department; whether his Department has established a public sector reform team to implement service reforms; and if he will make a statement. [289748]
Mr. McFadden: In the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), I am the Minister responsible for overseeing the delivery of value for money. In addition, Lord Davies has responsibility for overseeing public service reform.
BIS is committed to ensuring that public services delivered to citizens and business are as efficient and effective as possible. There are specific staff leading a range of work on value for money, public service reform and public sector reform. They co-ordinate work across the Department and engage with partners and other Government Departments to drive change.
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of assimilating Ministerial responsibility for skills into his Department. [290223]
Mr. McFadden: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Solihull (Lorely Burt) on 3 July 2009, Official Report, column 436W.
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