| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
5 Jan 2010 : Column 105W—continued
Floods: Cumbria
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what role the National Hazards Team will play in recovery from the recent floods in Cumbria. [302142]
Ms Butler: The main role of the Natural Hazards Team within the Cabinet Office is to develop a programme to improve the resilience of critical infrastructure and essential services to severe disruption from natural hazards.
Members of the team shared information on critical national infrastructure at risk of flooding with regional and local responders at the onset of the recent flood emergency in Cumbria. Within Government, the Department for Communities and Local Government
is leading on the recovery from the floods, including in conjunction with the lead Government Departments for each sector of national infrastructure, to ensure essential services are restored as quickly as possible; the Natural Hazards Team will be available to advise, if required.
Government Departments: Computer Software
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of (a) her Department's and (b) other Government departments' software was open source software (i) in February 2009 and (ii) at the latest date for which information is available. [307323]
Angela E. Smith: Information on the current and future use of open source software in my Department and in other Government Departments is not held centrally and can be collected only at disproportionate cost.
The Cabinet Office follows the Government's Open Source Software (OSS) Policy (the most recent version was published in February 2009), which requires that Government consider OSS solutions alongside proprietary ones in IT procurements, and award contracts on a value-for-money basis. They do not therefore have plans in place to raise the level of OSS use, but rather will make software procurement decisions on a case-by-case basis.
Government Departments: Security
Chris Huhne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many different intrusion detection systems operate across Government departments in guarding against computer hacking. [307920]
Angela E. Smith: It would not be in the interest of the UK's national security for Departments to give information on the specific systems used to protect their networks.
The Security Policy Framework requires that Departments have effective information security policies and procedures in place including preventing unauthorised access to ICT systems. The Data Handling Report published in June 2008 requires that Departments conduct independent penetration testing of their systems to protect against hacking and other forms of malicious attack.
Hakluyt
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the answer of 5 November 2009, Official Report, column 1228W, on Hakluyt, if she will publish the submission to the Minister of State setting out (a) the (i) reasons and (ii) justifications for not providing the information requested in question 296746 and (b) the estimated cost of providing the information requested, as required in accordance with section 7.28 of the Cabinet Office's Guide to Parliamentary Work. [302818]
Angela E. Smith:
Officials' advice to Ministers is not normally disclosed. The previous question (296746) was responded to as disproportionate costs because the information requested is not held centrally. To obtain
the information would have required contacting each management unit and then each management unit manually interrogating their records. This interrogation would have exceeded the disproportionate cost threshold of £750.
Intelligence Services: Finance
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to her Department's press release of 10 October 2007, what the outcome was of the most recent review of the Single Security and Intelligence Budget; and if she will make a statement. [304021]
Angela E. Smith: Information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet and Cabinet Committees, covering the Ministerial Committee on National Security, International Relations and Development, including the number of meetings held and topics discussed, is generally not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.
The Security and Intelligence Agencies represents the largest component of the Single Security and Intelligence Budget. It has been the policy of successive Governments not to reveal details of the Security and Intelligence Agencies' spending, beyond what is already published.
National School of Government: Valuation Office
Robert Neill: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what courses representatives of the Valuation Office Agency attended at the National School of Government in (a) 2006-07, (b) 2007-08 and (c) 2008-09. [308708]
Angela E. Smith: This is a matter for the National School of Government. I have asked the Principal and Chief Executive to assist by writing to the hon. Gentleman.
Letter from Rod Clark, dated December 2009:
In the Written Ministerial Statement to the House on 9 January 2007 (Official Report Col 5WS), the then Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Pat McFadden MP) announced that the National School of Government was now a Non Ministerial Department. Consequently, the Minister for the Cabinet Office has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Questions about the National School of Government.
The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) has sent staff on a number of events at the National School of Government. A copy of the table which sets out the events will be placed in the House Library.
Pay
John Battle: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will establish a commission to inquire into high pay; and if she will make a statement. [307439]
Mr. Byrne: I have been asked to reply.
Pre-Budget report 2009 announced a set of fundamental reforms for pay-setting of senior public sector staff focusing on:
New scrutiny of pay levels above £150,000 and bonuses above £50,000
New requirements to publish salaries of senior public sector staff to increase transparency and accountability
The Prime Minister will ask Bill Cockburn as chair of the Senior Salaries Review Body to lead a review of senior pay across the public sector, reporting by Budget 2010.
Public Expenditure
Lynne Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many civil servants earned over £150,000 in the last 12 months; and what the total monetary value was of the budgets of (a) central government departments, (b) agencies and non-departmental public bodies and (c) local government. [307617]
Angela E. Smith: The information requested in relation to the number of civil servants earning over £150,000 falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
The information requested in relation to budgets of (a) central government departments, (b) agencies and non-departmental public bodies and (c) local government is a matter for the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Letter from Jil Matheson, dated December 2009:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning, how many civil servants earned over £150,000 in the last 12 months; what the total monetary value was of the budgets of (a) central government departments, (b) agencies and non-departmental public bodies and (c) local government. (307617)
The Office for National Statistics collects the annual salaries of civil servants, as part of the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES). At 31 March 2008, 100 civil servants earned over £150,000.
Information requested with respect to the total monetary value of the budgets of (a) central government departments, (b) agencies and non departmental public bodies and (c) local government is a matter for the Chancellor of the Exchequer and not the Office for National Statistics.
UK Statistics Authority: Hotels
Anne Main: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much the UK Statistics Authority has spent on hotel accommodation for its staff in each of the last five years. [305705]
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 16 December 2009:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how much the UK Statistics Authority has spent on hotel accommodation for its staff in each of the last five years. 305705
We changed our accounting system in 2006 and do not have complete information prior to that date. Prior to that date we can only provide spend made with our main supplier.
| £ 000 | ||
| Main supplier | Other suppliers | |
UK Statistics Authority: Internet
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what redesigns of websites operated by the UK Statistics Authority have been carried out since 27 June 2007; and what the (a) cost to the public purse and (b) date of completion of each such redesign was. [306205]
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 December 2009:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question requesting to list the redesigns of websites operated by the UK Statistics Authority since 27 June 2007; and what the (a) cost to the public purse and (b) date of completion of each such redesign was. (306205)
The Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 lead to the creation, on 1 April 2008, of the UK Statistics Authority, of which the Office for National Statistics is the Executive Office. On the same date, the Authority launched a new Publication Hub which provides a single portal to new National Statistics releases. This was part of a wider programme of web delivery activities undertaken by ONS, including work to redesign the ONS website and supporting back office processes. The cost of this wider programme, incurred up to financial year-end 2008-09, was £4.643m.
Ongoing enhancements and redesign of elements of the Publication Hub have been undertaken by ONS on behalf of the UK Statistics Authority, as part of a wider Web Programme. This resulted in an enhanced version on 27 July 2009. The costs associated with this amount to £218,000.
Work and Pensions
Carers' Benefits
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when her Department first determined that there would be no cash losers from the implementation of reforms proposed in the Green Paper, "Shaping the future of care together"; and if she will make a statement. [307202]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 14 December 2009]: As we said in the Green Paper, if we reform disability benefits, anyone receiving an affected benefit at the time of reform would continue to receive the equivalent level of support and protection thereby not experiencing a cash loss as a result of the reforms.
Children: Maintenance
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will review her Department's policy of excluding councillors' allowances from earnings in the calculation of child maintenance liabilities; and if she will make a statement. [303773]
Helen Goodman: We are still considering how allowances will be treated in the future scheme, currently planned for introduction in 2011. Maintenance calculations will be largely based on gross income information, received directly from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs. Future scheme regulations to be laid before Parliament between late 2010 and early 2011 will include definitions of the income to be taken into account. These regulations will of course be subject to public consultation.
There are no plans to review this policy in respect of the current statutory child maintenance scheme.
Council Tax
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of households were in receipt of a 100 per cent. council tax reduction on the latest date for which figures are available. [308704]
Helen Goodman: The estimated number of people receiving 100 per cent. council tax benefit is 4.3 million, constituting 17.1 per cent. of households in Great Britain.
Notes:
1. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
2. The caseload figure is rounded to the nearest one hundred thousand.
Source:
Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE): September 2009.
Departmental Billing
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of invoices submitted to her Department have been paid within 10 days in each month since October 2008; and if she will make a statement. [307970]
Jim Knight: DWP began collecting 10-day payment performance information from November 2008. DWP 10-day payment performance, by volume and as a percentage of all payments made for all of its suppliers, from November 2008 to the present date is as follows:
| Volume of invoices | Percentage paid within 10 days | |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |