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12 Jan 2010 : Column 951W—continued
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Afghanistan: Embassies
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the annual entertainment budget is of the British Embassy in Kabul in 2009-10. [307739]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Our embassy in Kabul has budgeted £58,493 (representing 0.3 per cent. of its budget) for the current financial year for hosting official contacts. These include working meetings with Senior North Atlantic Treaty Organisation/International Security Assistance Force personnel, with Kabul-based ambassadors, with senior Afghan political leaders, as well as hosting visiting hon. Members. These events are about supporting and furthering the UK's objectives in Afghanistan. Expenditure is monitored by budget holders, subject to audit and incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.
Departmental Flags
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) Union flags, (b) other national flags and (c) EU flags have been purchased by his Department in each of the last five years. [309840]
Chris Bryant [holding answer 11 January 2010]: This information is not held centrally and is available only at disproportionate cost.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) Union flags, (b) other national flags and (c) EU flags his Department has. [309930]
Chris Bryant: This information is not held centrally and is available only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Internet
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent on (a) strategy and planning, (b) design and build, (c) hosting and infrastructure, (d) content provision and (e) testing and evaluation for his Department's website in each of the last three years; and what budget has been allocated for each such activity in 2009-10. [310215]
Chris Bryant: The scope of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) web presence has evolved significantly over the last three years. We have moved from a web platform hosting a number of embassy websites (2003-08) to a completely new web platform hosting all of the FCO's websites plus FCO blogs and campaign sites like:
Because of the significant changes in our web presence we do not have full and comparable data for the last three years.
The data we provide relates to the entire FCO web platform, not just to our main UK site:
The FCO web platform hosts over 250 websites in 40 languages. These websites include the main FCO website, Arabic and Urdu versions of the FCO website, the UKvisas website, the FCO Freedom of Information website, and over 230 embassy, high commission and special mission sites.
These sites are viewed by 35 million visitors a year (2008-09 statistics).
(a) strategy and planning and (b) design and build :
The FCO Web project (2006-08) was about planning, designing, building, hosting and servicing a single technical platform for all the FCO websites. The project also delivered new designs, content, functionality and a new hub and spoke model for delivering business support.
The initial cost of £9.7 million for the FCO web platform was set out in the answer given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, on 30 January 2008, Official Report, column 398W.
The project followed the Office of Government Commerce Gateway Review process and delivered on time and under budget. The total cost of the project (from 2006 to 2008) was £9.3 million, £400,000 under budget. This included, for these years, procurement costs, client side advice, all design and development for the 250 websites, a new content management system implementation, hosting and licensing costs. In addition, it covered a number of additional costs, including costs for training of over 300 delegates worldwide, project management, strategy consultation, user testing, accessibility testing, and establishment of regional hubs (London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC) to provide business support and training.
Logica sub-contracted elements of the project out (e.g. to XM for design, to Alterian for the CMS, to Verizon for hosting). The amount Logica paid XM for the design work is commercially protected and not known to the FCO.
(c) hosting and infrastructure :
The following figures include support costs, as well as hosting and infrastructure costs. The most recent figures also include development costs. Because of the single contract with Logica to provide all these services, it is not possible to separate out the different cost elements. These costs are in addition to the one-off project cost set out above.
2006-07-support and hosting costs: c.£500,000 (development costs unknown)
2007-08-support and hosting costs: c.£515,000 (development costs unknown)
2008-09-support, hosting and development costs: £1.45 million
2009-10-projected support, hosting and development costs: £1.45 million
(d) content provision and (e) testing and evaluation :
We provide all content, and undertake all testing and evaluation in-house. Work that we do in-house (including testing, and content updates and changes, for example) is carried out on a daily basis by hundreds of staff across the organisation. It is not feasible for us to be able to calculate the total time spent on this work.
Departmental Pay
Mr. Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been paid in bonuses to civil servants in his Department in each year since 2006. [306428]
Chris Bryant: Payment of non-consolidated, variable pay linked to performance was introduced in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2002. We reward staff who are performing most effectively, frequently in dangerous and difficult posts.
For the total sums paid as non-consolidated, variable pay linked to performance in 2006-07, I refer the hon. Member to the reply by my right hon. Friend the Member for Eastwood (Mr. Murphy) to the hon. Member for Upper Bann (David Simpson) on 5 July 2007, Official Report, column 1142W
For 2007-08 the total paid was £6,748,152 and for 2008-09 the total paid was £7,571,836.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) year-end and (b) in-year bonuses were paid to officials in his Department in each of the last three years; and how much was paid in such bonuses in each such year. [307095]
Chris Bryant: For the number of year-end and in-year non-consolidated, variable payments linked to performance for the years 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 I refer the hon. Member to PQ 303951.
Departmental Trade Unions
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met trade union officials to discuss employment issues affecting his Department's staff. [308363]
Chris Bryant: Ministers meet many individuals during the course of their duties. It is not normal practice to disclose details of such meetings.
Diplomatic Service
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many consular staff his Department employees in each of its missions in Australasia. [310513]
Chris Bryant: The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff carrying out consular activities in Australasia (defined in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) as Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea) is 66.86.
The following table provides the details by post within Australasia.
| Post name | Consular FTE |
Some definitions of Australasia include the neighbouring Pacific Islands. Within this area the FCO has the following staff conducting consular work in Fiji and the Solomon Islands.
| Consular FTE | |
Government Hospitality: Wines
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 January 2010, Official Report, column 197W, on Government hospitality: wines, how many bottles of wine were (a) newly purchased for and (b) used from the Government wine cellar in the last 12 months. [310198]
Chris Bryant [holding answer 11 January 2010]: In the financial year 2008-09 (latest available figures) Government hospitality used 5,632 bottles of wine from its cellar stock and purchased 4,596 bottles of wine.
Kashmir
Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to support a bilateral resolution between India and Pakistan on the situation in Kashmir. [310501]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: It is not for the UK to prescribe a solution on Kashmir; that is for those parties directly involved to determine through dialogue. However, we continue to encourage both India and Pakistan to seek a lasting resolution to the issue of Kashmir, which takes into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
More generally, we recognise that the normalisation of relations between India and Pakistan will be vital for improving regional security and resolving conflict. Through our engagement we continue to encourage both India and Pakistan to establish and maintain dialogue.
Morocco
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received on the compliance with international law of UK companies which buy goods from Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara. [309544]
Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not received any representations on the compliance with international law of UK companies which buy goods from the disputed territory of Western Sahara.
Nigeria: Foreign Relations
Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aims and objectives he has set for UK foreign policy in respect of Nigeria. [309145]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Nigeria is an important partner for the UK, and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) engages with the country across all of our Departmental Strategic Objectives. I was able to discuss our objectives with a broad range of senior Nigerians, including President Yar'Adua, during my visit to Nigeria in November last year.
Conflict in the Niger Delta and inter-religious conflict in the North continue to be a priority, and the FCO works together with the Department for International Development and other Partners Across Government to address the underlying causes, including by reducing poverty and improving security. Deepening democracy and achieving electoral reform are an important part of this, particularly as Nigeria looks towards presidential elections in 2011. Nigeria's economic growth and prosperity are also key, and FCO priorities include improving governance and fighting corruption, as well as supporting economic reform and investment from British businesses. We also continue to engage on counter terrorism issues, increasing Nigeria's understanding of UK foreign policy aims and objectives. As Nigeria is a major oil exporter and growing gas supplier, we continue to engage heavily on energy security issues. On migration, we enjoy a constructive relationship with Nigeria, working towards maximising the return of immigration offenders, foreign
national prisoners and failed asylum seekers. We are also working on a without-consent prisoner transfer agreement.
Regionally and internationally, Nigeria is of strategic importance, and is likely to become even more influential. Nigeria's position within the Economic Community of West African States has proved critical in recent events across the region, and we will continue to engage intensively with the Federal Government of Nigeria on regional issues. Nigeria has a key role to play in the African Union; and as of January 2010, will also be taking up a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. We are particularly supportive of Nigeria's contribution on peacekeeping across the region, including on Darfur and Liberia.
Nigeria: Politics and Government
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the government of Nigeria on the contribution of its reform programme to the stability of that country. [310417]
Chris Bryant: The UK regularly discusses the reform programme with the Government of Nigeria, including at ministerial level. We will continue to work with the Government of Nigeria on issues such as conflict in the Niger Delta, on ethnic tensions in northern Nigeria, on electoral, economic and development issues, all of which are key factors affecting the stability of the country.
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