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27 Jan 2010 : Column 917W—continued
The catering contractor for 1 Horse Guards Road introduced a food waste recycling programme in March 2008 under which food waste is removed from the
building and is transported to a biogas plant where it is subjected to an anaerobic digestion process. In addition, the process produces fertilizer and electricity as by-products.
Previously, volumes of food waste had been calculated using the industry standard of food produced but not used and was measured on the basis that each bag of food waste weighed around 3kg on average. When the food waste recycling programme was introduced in March 2008 for 1 HGR, the system changed from counting bags to physically weighing the waste before removing them from the site, and this explains the vastly increased figure from what was reported in earlier years.
The Rosebery Court office does not have on-site catering facilities.
Financial Services: EU Action
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely effects of proposed EU regulations on derivatives on businesses in the corporate sector which depend on very long-term hedging practices to manage risk and uncertainty; and if he will make a statement. [313007]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: In December, HM Treasury and FSA published a paper called 'Reforming OTC Derivative Markets, A UK Perspective', available at:
This paper sets out the UK's preliminary thinking on future regulation, both globally and in the EU, on derivatives issues, including the implications for corporates.
Government Departments: ICT
Mr. Vaizey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance his Department has issued to other Government departments on budget control for Government ICT projects. [313351]
Mr. Byrne: OGC's best practice sets a framework for public sector project management which includes cost and budget management through the project lifecycle. in addition, OGC's project assurance tools, eg the OGC Gateway(tm) process, give visibility of cost control aspects of projects and recommendations are made as appropriate.
In addition, a major strand of the supply management initiative which was launched in 2006 is performance improvement via a two-way common assessment framework designed to address shortfalls in delivery and to deliver cash savings. Every six months, on a commercially confidential basis, departments review supplier performance on key ICT projects: one of the areas for review being 'delivery to cost parameters'.
National Insurance Contributions: Local Government
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much and what proportion of the revenue from national insurance contributions for employers is attributable to local government employers. [313085]
Mr. Timms: The revenue from national insurance contributions for local Government employers was £4.7 billion in the 2007-08 tax year; equivalent to 8.3 per cent. of the total revenue from national insurance contributions for employers.
Revenue and Customs
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the objectives are of the HM Revenue and Customs Policy Development Programme. [312145]
Mr. Timms: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not have a Policy Development Programme.
HMRC's Policy Delivery Programme is a portfolio of projects which implement and deliver policy measures and legislation, including EU legislation, for the Department.
Streatham
Keith Hill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Streatham constituency, the effects on that constituency of changes to his Department's policies since 1997. [313391]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Neighbourhood Statistics Service provides a wide range of statistical information at parliamentary constituency level, taken from the 2001 census and other sources. This service is available on the National Statistics website at
The Government have put in place a broad programme of reform since 1997. Over the decade to 2007, the economic performance of all parts of the UK has improved considerably.
The global recession has had a negative impact on economic activity in all areas of the UK. However, the economy was starting from a position of strength and is actively supported by policies implemented by the Government, including the fiscal stimulus and a significant package of support for those out of work. In Streatham people are benefiting from this investment. Over the second half of 2009, more than 900 people moved off of the claimant count each month on average. The claimant count fell for two consecutive months in November and December and now stands 2 per cent. below its October level. At the end of 2009, claimant count unemployment is still 30 per cent. lower and long-term unemployment 85 per cent. lower than in May 1997.
Taxation: Self-Assessment
Mr. Cash: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the sum to accrue to the Exchequer from penalty charges and interest surcharges on unpaid tax from self-assessment tax returns for the 2008-09 tax year. [313448]
Mr. Timms: No such estimate has been made.
Women and Equality
Departmental Pay
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many (a) year-end and (b) in-year bonuses were paid to officials in the Government Equalities Office in each of the last three years; and how much was paid in such bonuses in each such year. [307101]
Michael Jabez Foster: Since its creation on 12 October 2007 the Government Equalities Office has awarded the following staff bonuses.
| Financial year | Number of bonuses | Total of bonuses (£) |
The Government Equalities does not differentiate between in-year and year-end bonuses.
Work and Pensions
Attendance Allowance
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will publish the modelling her Department has (a) undertaken and (b) commissioned in relation to its consideration of the merits of (i) ending and (ii) changing the (A) attendance allowance and (B) disability living allowance scheme in the last five years. [307680]
Jonathan Shaw: We are developing our care and support proposals, based on the Green Paper "Shaping the Future of Care Together".
The impact assessment was published with the Green Paper and is available on the Big Care Debate website at:
A copy of the impact assessment has been placed in the Library.
Cold Weather Payments
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each local authority area have received benefits through the Cold Weather Payment Scheme since 1 November 2009. [310785]
Helen Goodman: The information is not available.
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent on the Cold Weather Payment scheme since 1 November 2009. [310786]
Helen Goodman: The total expenditure authorised for cold weather payments in Great Britain since 1 November 2009 up to Tuesday 12 January 2010 is estimated to be £261 million.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the number of pensioners who are eligible to receive cold weather payments in 2009-10. [313011]
Helen Goodman [holding answer 26 January 2010]: The number of pensioner benefit units in Great Britain who are eligible to receive cold weather payments in 2009-10 if the temperature criterion is met is estimated to be 2.6 million.
A benefit unit can be either a single person or a couple. A benefit unit receives only one cold weather payment for a given week. The number of individual pensioners who are potentially helped by cold weather payments is about 3.3 million, taking account of couple households.
Departmental Information Officers
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much press officers in her Department and its agencies claimed in reimbursable expenses in 2008-09. [311124]
Jim Knight: The Department for Work and Pensions operates a single press office to support the work of the Department as well as agencies such as Jobcentre Plus and the Pensions, Disability and Carers' Service.
Press officers claimed £17,800.94 in reimbursable expenses in 2008-09.
Departmental Pay
Mr. Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been paid in bonuses to civil servants in her Department in each year since 2003. [306463]
Jim Knight: The Department operates two pay-related employee reward schemes. They comprise end of year non-consolidated performance pay and in-year special awards.
End of year non-consolidated performance pay
DWP employees below the senior civil service are eligible for an annual individual non-consolidated performance payment if they attain a "top", "higher" or "majority" rating under the annual performance and development system. The actual payment awarded is determined by the employee's pay band and the performance level achieved.
For the senior civil service, end of year non-consolidated performance pay is determined by the relevant departmental pay committee, in line with recommendations by the independent Senior Salaries Review Body.
The total payments made in respect the years since 2003 are as follows:
| Financial year | Total paid (£ million) | Work force |
The average payments in the years between 2002-03 and 2009-10 were between £199.48 and £350.39.
Individuals may be awarded a special award either as cash or in the form of retail vouchers. These are one-off recognition awards, payable at any time during the
performance year to recognise exceptional achievements beyond what would normally be expected.
Figures for retail vouchers are available from 2007 when they were introduced to the Department. Figures for cash payments are not available prior to 2007-08.
The total amount paid in awards was as follows:
| Cash payments | ||
| Financial year | Total paid (£ million) | Average for those receiving a payment (£) |
| Voucher payments | ||
| Financial year | Total cost (£ million) | Value |
In addition to individual performance bonus payments, DWP also paid team bonuses to selected units within the Department between the period 2002 and 2005. The total payments made were as follows.
| Financial year | Total paid (£ million) | Average for those receiving a payment (£) |
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