Written Answers to Questions
Friday 16 October 2009
Business, Innovation and Skills
Employment Agencies: EU Law
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent meetings have taken place between his Department and representatives of the Trades Union Congress on the EU Agency Workers Directive. [292177]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 15 October 2009]: Since October 2008, when the EU Agency Workers Directive was agreed, my officials have met a wide range of organisations to discuss implementation of the Directive. This includes National consultation events held in London and the regions as part of the public consultation exercise held between 8 May and 31 July 2009. Officials have also had a number of bilateral discussions with representatives of not only the Trades Union Congress but also organisations representing hirers and agencies to explore specific issues arising from the consultation paper in more detail.
Royal Mail: Industrial Disputes
Mr. Willis: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had on the terms of proposals put by the Communication Workers Union to Royal Mail on 13 October 2009 on the postal services dispute; and if he will make a statement. [293843]
Mr. McFadden: Ministers have met with both parties over the past weeks to listen to their views and to encourage dialogue but have made it very clear that strikes are not the way to resolve differences or safeguard the future of our postal service. It is for Royal Mail's management and the union to resolve the dispute through talks.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to resolve the industrial dispute affecting Royal Mail. [293844]
Mr. McFadden: I have remained in close contact with the unions and Royal Mail management throughout this dispute. Our message to them has been clear -strikes are not the way to resolve differences or safeguard the future of our postal services and we urge them to resolve all issues through dialogue.
Royal Mail: Pensions
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the size of the Royal Mail pension fund deficit is; what it has been in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement. [293539]
Mr. McFadden: The current size of the accounting deficit as reported in the Royal Mail's 2008-09 report and accounts is £6.8 billion. The last formal actuarial valuation of the pension deficit was given as £3.4 billion in March 2006. The trustees are undertaking the next triennial actuarial valuation, which started in March 2009 and will need to finish by June 2010. The following table shows both accounting and actuarial pension deficit values since March 2003, which is when the scheme first fell into deficit.
Funding of the pension scheme remains an operational matter between Royal Mail and the trustees.
| Royal Mail pension deficit figures since financial year 2002-03 | ||
| £ billion | ||
| Financial year | Accounting deficit | Actuarial deficit |
| Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £100 million | ||
Cabinet Office
Civil Service: Manpower
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many full-time equivalent staff were employed in each department and agency of the Civil Service in 1996-97. [290136]
Angela E. Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
Letter from Jil Matheson, dated October 2009:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many full-time equivalent staff were employed in each department and agency of the Civil Service in 1996-97. (290136)
The number of full-time equivalent staff employed by each government department and agency in 1996-7 has been published by Cabinet Office and is available in hardcopy from the House of Commons Library.
An online edition of Civil Service Statistics 1997 is available at:
Cybercrime
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what procedures the Government have in place to respond to a cyber attack against (a) Government networks and (b) the networks of private companies comprising UK critical national infrastructure; and if she will make a statement. [292497]
Tessa Jowell: Her Majesty's Government have a wide ranging set of measures in place to protect the United Kingdom from all forms of electronic attack including cyber-terrorism and cyber crime, and to respond appropriately.
The establishment in September of the Office of Cyber Security (OCS) and the Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC), to direct and coordinate the new national cyber security strategy.
CPNI, The Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure, provides advice on electronic or cyber protective security measures to the businesses and organisations that comprise the UK's critical national infrastructure, including public utilities companies and banks. It also runs CSIRTUK, the Combined Security Incident Response Team (UK), which advises partners in industry who operate elements of the national infrastructure, how to manage the response to incidents.
GovCertUK, part of GCHQ, works closely with CSIRTUK; it provides warnings, alerts and assistance in resolving serious IT incidents for the public sector.
When GovCertUK becomes aware of an incident it provides the affected Department (usually through its IT Security Officer) with all the available information and offers relevant advice to help resolve the situation. On occasion, and as necessary, GovCertUK also provides on-site support to affected departments.
CESG, also part of GCHQ, provides government departments with advice and guidance on how to protect against, detect and mitigate various types of cyber attack.
All Government Departments have access to the Government Secure Intranet (GSi) which securely connects around 200 Government Departments and Agencies.
The Government's Data Handling Review published in June 2008 mandated a number of minimum data security measures for HMG such as penetration testing of Government IT systems.
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps the Government are taking to achieve common standards of cyber security between EU member states; and if she will make a statement. [292498]
Tessa Jowell: The Government are working closely with the Commission, other European member states and ENISA (the European Network and Information Security Agency) to increase levels of security and resilience in the communications sector at many different levels. This includes collaborative efforts aimed at increasing European cooperation on policy to enhance cyber security, such as developing European priorities, principles and guidelines on long-term internet resilience and stability.
The Government also takes an active part in major standards bodies (including ETSI-the European Telecommunications Standards Institute), organisations and discussions concerned with ICT standards, to ensure that processes are in place to create an effective standards regime in this area.
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether the Government has a framework in place to share cyber incident event data with (a) the private sector and (b) relevant research institutions; and if she will make a statement. [292499]
Tessa Jowell: CPNI, the Centre for the Protection of the National Infrastructure, runs the Combined Security Incident Response Team (CSIRTUK) a service that provides advice for the private sector on managing responses to electronic incidents.
Details of security incidents reported to CPNI are treated in the strictest confidence.
CPNI facilitates regular forums with private and public sector organisations, including research bodies, during which electronic security issues and any appropriate mitigating measures are discussed. These meetings are held under agreed confidentiality rules among participants.
General, non-classified protective advice and best practice about countering the threat from cyber attacks is also provided on the CPNI website.
Children, Schools and Families
Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children and Young People's Services
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been spent on the Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children and Young People's Services in each year since its creation; and what the projected spending on the centre is in each of the next five years. [293544]
Dawn Primarolo: The Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children and Young People's Services was created in 2008-09 and spent £2.783 million. Projected spending is currently £5.573 million for 2009-10 and £5.466 million for 2010-11. The grant expires on 31 March 2011.
Children: Databases
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the projected cost is of the annual review of ContactPoint in 2009-10. [293377]
Dawn Primarolo: ContactPoint security arrangements are under a continuous review and its full security accreditation will be validated annually. The current projected cost of the annual security penetration test is £50,000, which will be met from within the overall £44 million annual operating budget for ContactPoint.
Class Sizes
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many (a) infant, (b) primary and (c) secondary classes in each local authority area have at least 30 pupils; and if he will make a statement. [277513]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: Class size information for 2009 can be found at:
The latest available information can be found in the following table. Class size legislation allows for classes of up to 30. Our usual measure of large classes is 31 or more pupils.
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