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3 Nov 2009 : Column 852Wcontinued
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which companies are under contract to his Department to provide mail services; and when each such contract expires. [296086]
Mr. Woolas: General mail services used by the Home Department are via the Royal Mail and the Government Car and Despatch Agency.
Secure mail services for the Identity and Passport Service are contracted to DX Secure Mail Services. The contract expires in July 2010.
Mail services for the Criminal Records Bureau are provided under the PPP Agreement for the Disclosure processing service with Capita Business Services which expires on 11 March 2012.
The Department does not hold central courier contracts nor is information held centrally on all the couriers it uses. Services for TNT are contracted through the OGC framework for courier services, which expires in August 2012. Other firms which have been used by the Department or its agencies either regularly or from time to time include:
Royal Mail Holdings plc
Secure Mail Services
Pitney Bowes Inc.
FP Teleset
A to Z Couriers Ltd.
Dale Express Ltd.
Kurier Ltd.
Fiveways Express Transport Ltd.
Francotyp-Postalia Holding AG
Deutsche Post AG
Government Car and Despatch Agency
Neopost SA
Bonds Worldwide Couriers
The Courier and Passenger Transport Group Ltd.
Postage by Phone
Ing Groep N.V.
Horley Couriers
Panic Express Carriers
Die Schweizerische Post
Motor Cycle Despatch Services
FP Executive Agency Ltd.
Lewis Day Transport plc
Kwik Kourier
Parcelforce Worldwide
CT (UK) Ltd. T/A City Couriers
Netfold Ltd.
UK Couriers (Liverpool) Ltd.
A One Taxis
Kanga Couriers
Hobarts Acrylics Ltd.
City Cabs
Admail Holdings Ltd.
Lightning Transport Group Ltd.
Rico Logistics Partnership
Central Despatch.
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to implement the efficiency recommendations of the Operational Efficiency programme relating to his Department; and what training is available to (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department in respect of the delivery of value for money savings. [296006]
Mr. Woolas: The Home Office is implementing the Operational Efficiency programme (OEP) as part of the Department's mainstream Value for Money programme. The Department has a strong record of delivery against value for money targets demonstrating its sustained, long term commitment to this work.
The Home Secretary has taken upon himself, the role of the Department's value for money Minister. By the end of 2007-08, the Department achieved gains worth £2,855m per annum of which £1,552 million per annum was cashable. Following the publication of the OEP the Department has taken steps to benchmark back office activities, as part of its renewed focus on securing maximum cost-effectiveness in both direct and indirect costs.
A wide range of learning and development opportunities are available across the Department for officials and Ministers, many of which are focused on delivering value for money in Home Office activities. This includes specific value for money training for members for the senior civil service as part of the wider finance improvement strategy that the Public Account Committee celebrated recently (HoC 640).
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider the merits of securing accreditation of his Department's helplines to the Helplines Association's quality standard; and if he will make a statement. [295722]
Mr. Woolas: The Home Office Department has already rationalised many of its helplines and are moving to ensure that call costs to its helplines are free or are kept to a minimum. The Department seeks to align its telephony services to the guidance and rules set out by Ofcom, the communications regulator which answers to Parliament but is independent of Government. Ofcom is tasked with making sure that people in the UK get the best from their communications services and has a general duty to further the interests of citizens and of consumers.
We also work closely with the Central Office of Information (COI) which is the Government's centre of excellence for marketing and communications to ensure our telephone services are in line with industry standards and are aligned to the quality and service standards of other Government Departments.
We will continue to seek ways to improve our telephony services and will consider the merits of the Helpline Association's standards as well as other associations or bodies to ensure we strive to deliver a communications service (including telephony) that meets the public need.
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were held in each immigration removal centre in 2008-09. [295629]
Mr. Woolas: The requested information is not available; the Home Office has however published for the first time in August 2009 the number of people entering each removal centre in the UK solely under Immigration Act powers in Q1 and Q2 2009. This information will be published quarterly in the future; however data for earlier years will remain unavailable. This information is available in table 8a and 8b of the Control of Immigration Quarterly Statistical Summary United Kingdom publication available at:
and from the Library of the House.
National Statistics on how many people are detained on a quarterly snapshot basis by place of detention is available in table 9 of the above publication.
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