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11 Nov 2009 : Column 384W—continued
Wales
Steel Industry
9. Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister on the future of the steel industry in Wales. [298048]
Mr. David: The steel industry is hugely important to the Welsh economy and both Governments are determined to provide as much support as possible to ensure steel industry has a future in Wales.
Economy
10. Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues and Welsh Assembly Government Ministers on the state of the Welsh economy. [298049]
Together, we have taken action to tackle the global economic crisis.
Youth Employment
11. John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with Welsh Assembly Government Ministers on assisting young people in Wales to find employment; and if he will make a statement. [298050]
Mr. David: My right hon. Friend and I meet regularly with Welsh Assembly Government colleagues to discuss issues relating to the Welsh economy, including ways of improving access to employment.
Thanks to our initiatives, long-term youth unemployment in Wales is down 17 per cent. from 1997 and down by 67 per cent. from the height of the recession in the 1990s.
Welsh Defence League
12. Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary for the Home Department on the activities of the Welsh Defence League. [298051]
Mr. Hain: Both the Home Secretary and I are strongly opposed to the racist, fascist policies of the Welsh Defence League and I commend those Welsh people who united so effectively to drive this vile group out of our communities.
Cross-border Health Services
13. Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the numbers of patients resident in Wales who used acute hospital services in Shropshire in 2008. [298052]
Mr. David: While there is no official definition of 'acute hospital services', according to Shropshire County PCT, '17,837' patients resident in Wales had a period of hospital care under one consultant in Shropshire in 2008-09. I understand that Telford and Wrekin PCT, Shropshire County PCT, and Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust carried out a review of the configuration of health services in Shropshire, and that proposals for the future are still being considered.
Ministerial Responsibilities
14. Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales with reference to the list of Cabinet Ministers in the Cabinet Office publication "List of Ministerial Responsibilities", what assessment he has made of the contribution of his Department to the achievement of the Government's overall objectives. [298053]
Mr. Hain: The Wales Office continues to make a significant contribution to the Government's objectives, in particular the process of devolution, and the Wales Office is facing its busiest time ever. For example, we have continued to increase the legislative competence of the Welsh Assembly Government, which has gained new powers in 45 areas since GOWA 2006. We have also worked in partnership with the Welsh Assembly Government in response to the downturn, co-hosting the All Wales Economic summits, making sure that Wales benefited from schemes such as the Strategic Investment Fund and Future Jobs Fund; and we have led on brokering the new cross-border health protocol which will improve health services for those on both sides of the border.
There is much more to tell and for the full picture I would recommend that you read our departmental annual report.
Broadcasting
Dr. Howells: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the future of broadcasting in Wales. [298045]
Mr. Hain:
I have discussed this matter with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and he agrees with me that Wales needs a strong, vibrant, independent, high quality news service, besides BBC. The Digital Britain White Paper outlined the Government's proposals for a pilot scheme for news in the nations and regions, and Wales is one of the pilot areas. This shows the Government's commitment to securing a plurality of
news provider and viewer choice, which is fundamental to the quality of democracy and accountability of Welsh Assembly Government to electorate in Wales.
Wales has vibrant media both on television and via the internet through local print newspapers, and I want this not only to continue but grow and believe Independently Funded News Consortia can help this. An ideal partnership would involve news delivery on ITV Wales and through other innovative electronic delivery outputs as provided on web by Welsh printed media. I understand that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport will shortly be announcing the process and timetable for implementing the IFNCs and I look forward to this news.
Departmental Air Travel
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many first-class flights were taken at public expense by Ministers in his Department in 2008-09. [299623]
Departmental Billing
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of invoices from suppliers his Department paid within 10 days of receipt in (a) September and (b) October 2009. [299562]
Mr. Hain: The percentage of invoices paid within 10 days of receipt for my Department were 94.5 per cent. in September 2009 and 96 per cent. in October 2009.
Departmental Information and Communications Technology
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales with which organisations his Department has had exclusivity agreements for information technology (a) hardware and (b) software in each of the last five years; how many such agreements have been breached in each year; and what the cost to his Department was of each breach. [299693]
Mr. Hain: The Wales Office obtains its information technology services through the Ministry of Justice. Consequently, my Department does not enter into agreements or contracts with IT suppliers.
Departmental Official Cars
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the cost of provision of Government cars to special advisers in his Department was in the last 12 months. [299595]
Mr. Hain: No special advisers are provided with an allocated Government car and driver. As with all civil servants, special advisers may use an official car or taxi in properly defined circumstances. A detail of such use is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Statistics
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of the statistical datasets collected by his Department are published. [299661]
Mr. Hain: None, my Department does not produce any statistical datasets.
Shoplifting
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on measures to reduce the incidence of shoplifting in Wales. [298185]
Mr. Hain: The Government take shoplifting very seriously. That is why we recently introduced the Home Office driven £5 million "Small Retailers Capital Fund" for both England and Wales.
It was unveiled on 6 August 2009 and identified four priority areas in Wales-Merthyr Tydfil, Swansea, Blaenau Gwent and Rhondda Cynon and Taf. The fund provides grants of up to £3,000 for small retailers to:
Support work to reduce the risk and occurrence of crime against smaller retailers in priority areas
Strengthen local retail partnerships to work collectively to reduce crime and disorder
Identify and create effective means to tackle crime against small retailers.
Partnership grants of up to £50,000 are also available under the following themes:
Work that reduces the risk and occurrence of crime such as antisocial behaviour, shoplifting, fraud, criminal damage, robbery, burglary, hate crime and violent crime through the installation of equipment within shop(s)/ retail outlet(s).
Work that adds value to existing crime/antisocial behaviour prevention and reduction schemes to improve local shopping districts.
External work that is visible, provides reassurance and builds confidence that shops and shopping areas are safe.
Equipment that helps small business work collectively and in partnership with the police and other statutory agencies such as local authorities and fire and rescue authorities.
Work that supports particularly vulnerable retailers including those in rural and minority communities where crime is a particular problem.
Culture, Media and Sport
Avebury: Conservation
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had on the (a) protection and (b) maintenance of the (i) Avebury and (i) Stonehenge world heritage site. [297244]
Margaret Hodge: Over the last year, my hon. Friend the Member for Stevenage (Barbara Follett) has jointly chaired the Stonehenge Project Board which oversees plans to improve the environment and facilities at Stonehenge including closure of the A344.
The Government recently announced a £10 million contribution to enable English Heritage to build new, environmentally sustainable visitor facilities which will deliver a world class visitor experience at this iconic monument.
There are ongoing discussions between ministers, officials and English Heritage on the protection and maintenance of both Stonehenge and Avebury.
Departmental Air Travel
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many first-class flights were taken by each Minister in his Department in 2008-09; and what the (a) origin, (b) destination and (c) cost was of each such flight. [298756]
Mr. Simon: Travel by Ministers is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code. Information relating to flights taken by ministers is published in the annual list of Minister's overseas travel costing more than £500. The list for 2008-09 can be accessed at:
Departmental Billing
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of invoices from suppliers his Department paid within 10 days of receipt in (a) September and (b) October 2009. [299560]
Mr. Simon: In October the Prime Minister announced that all central Government Departments will pay valid invoices within 10 (working) days.
The Department's performance for payment of invoices against this commitment was 91.41 per cent. in September 2009 and 94.94 per cent. in October 2009. The value of invoices paid within 10 days totalled £5.95 million and £2.37 million in September and October respectively.
Departmental Freedom of Information
Mrs. Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff in his Department were employed on the management of freedom of information requests submitted to his Department in each year since 2005; and how much his Department spent on the management of such requests in each such year. [299138]
Mr. Simon: A dedicated team handling freedom of information requests was set up in April 2008. The staffing levels of the team have varied at different times, but have equated to roughly three full-time equivalent members of staff, with low and variable levels of input from colleagues across the wider Department dependent on the subjects.
As the exact numbers and grade structure of the central team has fluctuated, as have the levels of other input required at any given point, it is not possible to
provide accurate costs for this period. It is also not possible to provide staffing numbers or costs prior to April 2008 as duties were spread across the entire Department.
Departmental Official Cars
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost of provision of Government cars to special advisers in his Department was in the last 12 months. [299584]
Mr. Simon: No special advisers are provided with an allocated Government car and driver. As with civil servants, special advisers may use an official car or taxi in properly defined circumstances. Details of such use is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
All travel is in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.
Departmental Political Activities
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many of his Department's non-departmental bodies sent representatives to attend each of the party political conferences in 2009. [298717]
Mr. Simon: This information is not held by my Department.
Departmental Procurement
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether there has been any nugatory cost to his Department and its agency on procurement under tender because the tender process has been cancelled prior to the award of the contract in the last 12 months. [299347]
Mr. Simon: The Department has cancelled one tender in the last 12 months, in respect of catering services. The nugatory costs involved were small, and in particular included a cost of £180 for setting up two electronic tender-boxes for the deposit of pre-qualification questionnaires and invitations to tender and an additional staff cost of £200 for preparation of documents, meetings and assessments. Our agency the Royal Parks has incurred no nugatory costs in this area.
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