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22 Feb 2010 : Column 189W—continued
GCDA is a full cost recovery organisation: all costs incurred as a result of our operation are fully recoverable through charges to our customers.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many online payments were received by the Government Car and Despatch Agency in each of the last three years. [316266]
Paul Clark: The Government Car and Despatch Agency implemented new payment procedures in October 2008. Some 801 payments were made in the financial year 2008-09 using the Government Procurement Card, and 1,517 some such payments have been made from April 2009 to end January 2010.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many (a) cars and (b) other vehicles have been (i) owned and (ii) leased by the Government Car and Despatch Agency in each year since 1997. [316267]
Paul Clark: The information requested is in the following table:
| Cars (owned) | Other vehicles (owned) | Leased vehicles (cars) | Leased vehicles (other) | |
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many cars the Government Car and Despatch Agency has (a) purchased and (b) sold in each of the last five years. [316268]
Paul Clark: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 24 March 2009, Official Report, column 205W. Added to which the following information for 2008-09 and 2009 to date:
| Purchased | Sold | |
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many staff at the Government Car and Despatch Agency received bonuses in each of the last three years. [316269]
Paul Clark: An element of the Government Car and Despatch Agency's overall pay award is allocated to non-consolidated variable pay related to performance. These payments are used to drive high performance and form part of the pay award for members of staff who demonstrate exceptional performance, for example by exceeding targets set or meeting challenging objectives.
Non-consolidated variable pay awards are funded from within existing pay bill controls, and have to be re-earned each year against pre-determined targets and, as such, do not add to future pay bill costs. The percentage of the pay bill set aside for performance-related awards for the SCS is based on recommendations from the independent Senior Salaries Review Body.
The following table details how many people were eligible for and received a non-consolidated variable pay award, awarded under the Government Car and Despatch Agency's standard pay and performance management process for the last three performance years.
| GCDA headcount | Number of staff who received a non-consolidated performance payment | Number of staff who did not receive a non-consolidated performance payment | |
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much was spent on staff costs by the Government Car and Despatch Agency in each of the last five years. [316270]
Paul Clark: The Government Car and Despatch spent the following on staff costs in each of the last five years:
| Spend (£000) | |
Staff costs include employer's contribution to national insurance and pensions.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what proportion of drivers for the Government Car and Despatch Agency reported for work on (a) 7 and (b) 8 January 2010. [316271]
Paul Clark: The 7 and 8 January were days of heavy snowfall in the south-east. From a total of 234; 197 drivers reported for work on 7 January 2010 and 205 drivers reported for work on 8 January 2010 for the Government Car and Despatch Agency.
Relief drivers were used where regular drivers were unavailable.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment has been made of effects of the implementation of the European Working Time Directive on the Government Car and Despatch Agency; and what estimate has been made of the cost to that Agency of such implementation. [316272]
Paul Clark: Changes to the Government Car Service which came into effect on 12 October 2009, will reduce the cost to the taxpayer. Under the new system, drivers work a single daily shift. Ministers continue to have one dedicated driver (apart from those in the high security category), but any out-of-hours ministerial driving is met, on demand, by the Government Car and Despatch Agency's low carbon taxi service. This is a better deal for tax payers than the previous arrangements.
The cost of implementation is estimated as £500,000 for changes to the driver remuneration package.
£89,278.30 was the cost for consultancy assistance within the implementation project. All other costs have been absorbed by the Government Car and Despatch Agency.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many staff were employed by the Government Car and Despatch Agency to work in the Government Car Service in each of the last five years; and what the total cost was of the salaries of those staff. [316273]
Paul Clark: The information requested is in the following table.
| Total salary cost (£000) | Employees | |
| Note: As per published annual report and accounts. | ||
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether Ministers are entitled to express a preference for particular drivers to be assigned to them by the Government Car and Despatch Agency. [316349]
Paul Clark: Cars and drivers are allocated to Departments depending on the level of the job required. Drivers are trained to the appropriate level for the role they are expected to undertake. Departments and Ministers provide feedback to the Government Car and Despatch Agency on the service provided and if they have any concerns the Agency will address those concerns, including, if appropriate changing the driver.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many mechanics the Government Car and Despatch Agency employed in each of the last three years. [316484]
Paul Clark: The Government Car and Despatch Agency employed the following number of mechanics in each of the last three years.
| Number of mechanics | Number of apprentice mechanics | |
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the country of manufacture of each of the (a) cars and (b) vans in the Government Car and Despatch Agency fleet was in each of the last five years. [316485]
Paul Clark: The country of manufacture of each of the (a) cars and (b) vans in the Government Car and Despatch Agency fleet, in each of the last five years is as follows:
| 2009 | ||
| Country of manufacture | Cars | Vans |
| 2008 | ||
| Country of manufacture | Cars | Vans |
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