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14 Dec 2009 : Column 641W—continued
Olympic Games 2012
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics who is responsible for the planning of sports events in the Olympic Park after the London 2012 Olympics. [305791]
Tessa Jowell: The Olympic Park Legacy Company is responsible for developing and implementing plans for the use and regeneration of the Olympic Park site after the Games. This work will include planning for sporting events in the Park in the post-games period.
Olympic Games 2012: River Thames
Chris Huhne: To ask the Minister for the Olympics if she will make an assessment of the economic effects on businesses of the closure of sections of the River Thames for the duration of the rowing events at the London 2012 Olympic Games. [303925]
Tessa Jowell: No decision has been made to close any section of the River Thames for the duration of the rowing events at Dorney Lake, Windsor during either the Olympic Games or the Paralympic Games in 2012.
The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) is responsible for staging the event and is keen to keep the river open. Should it become necessary to close any part of the river, all interested parties will be consulted and economic effects evaluated.
Wales
Chief Information Officer
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what pay band his Department's chief information officer (CIO) is employed; whether the CIO is employed on a fixed-term or permanent contract; and what the size is of the budget for which the CIO is responsible in the period 2009-10. [307556]
Mr. Hain: As the Wales Office obtains its IT services through the Ministry of Justice, my Department does not have a chief information officer.
Christmas
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many Christmas trees were purchased by his Department in each of the last five years; what the cost was of those trees in each year; from where the trees were sourced; what account was taken of the sustainability of the sources of the trees; and by what process the trees were disposed of. [305636]
Mr. Hain: My Department has purchased two Christmas trees each year since December 2007, prior to this we were gifted two trees each year from Wales Forestry Commission.
In 2007-08 and 2008-09 we purchased Christmas trees through the Ministry of Justice, from a sustainable source, at a cost of £120 and £210 respectively.
In December this year we purchased our trees from a sustainable source in South Wales for £300.
Since 2006-07 all trees have been disposed of through our recycling contract.
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department has budgeted for Christmas trees in 2009. [306690]
Mr. Hain: As a small Department with only two offices we do not budget separately for Christmas trees. Their expenditure is included with the general office supplies.
Departmental Buildings
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on works and refurbishment to offices allocated to Ministers in his Department's buildings in the last 12 months. [305673]
Departmental Conferences
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which conferences held overseas have been attended by civil servants based in his Department in the last three years; and what the cost to the public purse was of such attendance at each conference. [305856]
Mr. Hain: In the last three years, civil servants in my Department have only attended one overseas ministerial conference, for e-Inclusion, in November 2008. The cost to the public purse was £275.90.
Departmental Electronic Equipment
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many plasma screen televisions his Department has purchased since 2001; and what the cost has been of purchasing and installing such screens in each such year. [306071]
Departmental Internet
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what redesigns of websites operated by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies have taken place since 27 June 2007; and what the (i) cost to the public purse and (ii) date of completion of each such redesign was. [306167]
Mr. Hain: The Wales Office redesigned its website in February 2008 at a cost of £10,500.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on (a) alcohol and (b) entertainment in the last 12 months. [305529]
Mr. Hain: In the past 12 months my Department has spent £308.86 on alcohol and £1,851 on entertainment. The costs for the alcohol and the majority of the entertainment were for hosting two ministerial receptions. The additional entertainment expenditure was for hosting a tea party for Latch, a Welsh children's cancer charity.
Departmental Publicity
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department has spent on (a) Ministerial photoshoots and (b) production of videos in which Ministers appear in the last three years for which figures are available. [305526]
Mr. Hain: In the last three years my Department has spent the following on:
(a) Ministerial photo shoots :
2006-07-£0
2007-08-£1,133.88
2008-09-£546.25
(b) Production of videos in which Ministers appear :
£0
Departmental Training
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department has spent on away days in the last 12 months; and what the (a) subject and (b) location of each away day was. [306407]
Mr. Hain: In the last 12 months my Department has spent £597 on an away day for policy branch to plan for the year ahead. The away day was held in Cardiff.
Hotels
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on hotel accommodation for (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) civil servants in each of the last five years. [305654]
Mr. Hain: The Wales Office does not keep records in this form, and the information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Out of Area Treatment
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many patients resident in England have received medical (a) treatment and (b) consultation in Wales in each year since 1997. [306513]
Mr. Hain: The following figures represent the published total number of all non-Welsh residents admitted for treatment in Welsh trusts for the periods 1999-2000 to 2008-09 but exclude out-patients. Reliable data prior to 1999 are not available. It is not currently possible to provide information on non-Welsh residents treated as out-patients at Welsh trusts. In the time available it has not proved possible to separate out the number of English residents treated as in-patients at Welsh Trusts but I will write to the hon. Member with this information as soon it is available and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
| Period | Number of patients |
The information is drawn from tables available at
Due to a change in the procedures for recording the information figures from 2005 onwards include day-case patients that may have been excluded from statistics in earlier years.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Birds: East of England
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish the report commissioned from the Farm and Wildlife Advisory Group by Natural England into the effect of the proposal to re-introduce sea eagles to East Anglia. [306017]
Huw Irranca-Davies: There are no plans to publish the Suffolk Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) report in isolation, but the proposed management package will be made publicly available, as part of the consultation that will be undertaken before any decision to proceed with the reintroduction is made. The consultation is planned to occur before March 2010. Although the development of the management options is not yet complete, Natural England will make available a copy of the, as yet unfinished, FWAG report to interested parties on request, and I will ensure the hon. Member receives a copy.
Commission for Rural Communities: Public Relations
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what public relations companies the Commission for Rural Communities has hired in the last three years; at what cost; for what purposes; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the contract between the Commission and each such company. [305296]
Dan Norris: The following figures set out the Commission for Rural Communities' (CRC) spend on public relations companies over the last three years, 1 April 2007 to 31 October 2009.
| Total (£) | |
CRC has contracted with the following bodies:
Pam Beddard PR (south west)
Navigator PR (north east, north west and Yorkshire and the Humber)
Kendalls (east of England)
Aura PR (east Midlands)
Rhian French Communications (south east)
Danks Cockburn Public Relations (west Midlands)
The increase in 2008-09 was largely due to the preparation and publication during that year of the CRC's "State of the Countryside" report. The CRC has used public relations companies to support activities relating to the gathering of evidence and the launching and dissemination of reports, research and guidance, particularly at a regional level.
Due to commercial sensitivity and constraints CRC will not be placing copies of the contracts in the Library.
Mr. Hurd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what public affairs companies the Commission for Rural Communities has engaged in
the last three years; at what cost and for what purposes; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the contracts under which such payments were made. [305753]
Dan Norris: The Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) contracted one public affairs company, Connect Public Affairs, to provide events management and communications support in respect of the CRC's activities at the 2007 and 2008 party conferences. The cost was as follows:
| Total (£) | |
Due to commercial sensitivity and constraints CRC will not be placing these contracts in the Library.
Common Land: Property Development
Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what changes he plans to propose to guidelines on town and village greens to prevent their application to land which already has planning permission for development. [305743]
Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA recently received the final report of research into the registration of new town or village greens: "Study of registered town and village greens and the attitudes towards applications". A summary of the research, together with the final report, is available on the DEFRA website.
The findings of the research, as well as feedback from local authorities and others, lead me to conclude that there is sufficient evidence to justify a review of the existing system, with a view to exploring possible changes. Therefore, DEFRA plans to consult in spring 2010 on whether there is a need for reform of the registration system, and the options for reform that exist.
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