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Ian Pearson: A copy of this document will be placed in the Library.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the Valuation Office Agency's Council Tax Revaluation 2007 Programme Board minutes of 19 October 2004, paragraph 3.10, if he will place in the Library a copy of the presentation on the insight to automated valuation model estimates; and in which areas the mini-revaluations took place. [324319]

Ian Pearson: This presentation was a live demonstration of emerging test modelling outputs and outcomes. As such there is no presentation that can be placed in the Library.

Prior to the postponement of the 2007 Council Tax Revaluation in England, 'Mini Revaluation' (later known as Test Modelling) exercises were carried out, in order to test and refine the automated valuation model, in the following billing authority areas:

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the Valuation Office Agency's Council Tax Revaluation 2007 Programme Board minutes of 25 May 2005, if he will place in the Library a copy of the paper presenting the case for the acquisition of Rightmove data. [324365]


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Ian Pearson: A copy of this document, with commercially sensitive information redacted, will be placed in the Library.

Departmental Contracts

Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will issue guidance on his Department's policy on the relocation offshore of departmental jobs to companies bidding for contracts let by his Department. [324792]

Mr. Byrne: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the Government's written evidence to the Treasury Sub-Committee's inquiry into Estate Management in the Chancellor's Departments, HC 852-i 2007-08, Ev 37.

Departmental Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate the Office of Government Commerce has made of the extent of the use of (a) voltage optimisers and (b) equivalent technologies within buildings occupied by (i) central Government Departments and (ii) the Government estate since the publication of the Delivery Plan for Sustainable Procurement and Operations on the Government Estate. [324953]

Ian Pearson [holding answer 29 March 2010]: The Office of Government Commerce recommends reducing the voltage of supplied electricity, including voltage optimisation to central Government Departments as one means to achieving the target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 12.5 per cent. by 2010-11.

Government hold data on voltage reduction. However, the element of voltage optimisation is not disaggregated within this.

Two Departments are already making use of a framework agreement for voltage reduction and/or optimisation technology and we estimate that a further seven Departments and wider Members of the Government estate are planning usage of improving voltage supply technologies in their buildings across the Government estate.

Departmental Marketing

Mr. Syms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Ruislip Northwood of 5 January 2010, Official Report, column 103W, on departmental marketing, how much (a) his Department, (b) its agencies, (c) HM Revenue and Customs and (d) the Valuation Office Agency have spent on advertising, marketing, public relations and publicity in relation to the (i) Real Help Now and (ii) Building Britain's Future themed campaign to date. [320496]

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: For HM Treasury, the "Real Help Now" endorsement phrase has been included in some marketing material to promote the Money Guidance pilot service in the north west and north east of England between April 2009 and March 2010. The marketing campaign is aimed at raising awareness of the service as a free source of impartial help for families on personal finance matters. The service is available to all but is
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targeted at those most vulnerable to poor financial decision making. Some of the marketing material on TV, local radio and local press advertising carried the "Real Help Now" logo. There were no additional costs to the campaign as a result of including "Real Help Now". In total just under £3 million has been spent marketing the Money Guidance pathfinder service since April 2009.

For HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), £1.4 million has been spent on the "Real Help Now" cross-government campaign; £230,000 of the total was funded by HMRC with the balance coming from other Government Departments. Two further campaigns included "Real Help Now" identifiers. £388,000 was spent on the Business Payments Support Service advertising campaign which carried the "Real Help for Business Now" logo and £165,000 was spent on those elements of the Payments for Parents campaign which carried the "Real Help for Families Now" logo. All of the spending was funded from within existing departmental budgets.

No spending on Building Britain's Future-themed campaigns was reported by any of the Departments, and no spending on "Real Help Now" was reported by the Valuation Office Agency, Debt Management Office or the Office of Government Commerce.

Economic Situation: Multiple Births

Mr. Cox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he has given to the financial situation of multiple birth families; and if he will make a statement. [325185]

Mr. Timms: The Government's system of financial support for families recognises the additional costs involved in multiple births as child benefit and child tax credits are paid per child to eligible families.

The Sure Start maternity grant, which is specifically intended to help people on certain benefits and tax credits to meet the immediate needs of a new baby, is also paid per child. The Health in Pregnancy grant is intended to provide financial support for women during pregnancy, not to their children after birth and the grant is therefore paid per pregnancy.

Employment

Mr. Leech: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of (a) public and (b) private sector jobs contracted to deliver public services which were relocated offshore in each of the last 10 years. [323941]

Mr. Byrne: No specific estimate has been made of the number of public and private sector jobs contracted to deliver public services relocated off-shore.

Equitable Life Assurance Society: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the number of Equitable Life pension fund members resident in City of York constituency. [324225]

Mr. Byrne: The Treasury does not hold the details of Equitable Life pension fund members resident in City of York constituency.


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EU Grants and Loans: Wales

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much funding from the (a) European Social Fund and (b) European Regional Development Fund was available to Wales in (a) 2009-10 and (b) each of the last 10 financial years; how much such funding from each fund was drawn down in respect of Wales in each of those years; and how much such funding from each fund he expects to be available to Wales in each of the next two financial years. [325146]

Mr. Byrne [ holding answer 30 March 2010]: The UK Government are responsible for managing the UK's overall contribution to the EU budget. However, the management of the EU social fund and regional development fund in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Assembly Government and the EU Commission.

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect on the level of EU funding for Wales of the new cohesion policy provided for by the Lisbon Treaty. [325148]

Mr. Byrne [holding answer 30 March 2010]: The management of EU structural fund programmes in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Assembly Government and the EU Commission.

Government Departments: Bank Cards

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Government procurement cards were reported (a) lost and (b) stolen in the last year for which figures are available. [323522]

Ian Pearson: 3,316 Government Procurement Cards were officially reported lost or stolen during the period January to December 2009.

Buying Solutions, an Executive agency of the Office of Government Commerce, and the banks that issue the Government Procurement cards take lost and stolen cards very seriously. Buying Solutions provides advice to departments on how to reduce the risk of card fraud and each of the card issuers provides guidance to cardholders and programme administrators on the importance of keeping cards safe. Card issuers also use statement messaging to advise customers on security.

Government Departments: Buildings

Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what targets have been set for Government departments to reduce the cost of their estates; and what estimate he has made of the likely level of savings in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12. [323207]

Mr. Byrne: Through the High Performing Property (HPP) programme Government has targeted annual real running cost savings of between £1 billion and £1.5 billion per annum by 2013 from the central civil Government estate, not broken down by individual Departments. This target saving contributes to the target announced in Budget 2010 to save £5 billion per annum in property running costs through more effective management of assets and property across the whole public sector.


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The State of the Estate for 2009 reports that the Government estate is performing better than the private sector in a number of key areas. The annual real cost of running the estate, adjusted for inflation, has fallen by 17 per cent., equivalent to a reduction of approximately £740 million since 2003-04. This achieves the interim targeted annual savings of between £600 million and £800 million by March 2011. No target was set for 2009-10 or 2011-12. Government Departments are therefore on track to meet the HPP target savings.

Government Departments: Consultants

Mr. Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total cost to the public purse was of expenditure by Government departments on consultancies in the last year for which figures are available; and what the estimated level of such expenditure is in each of the next three years. [324211]

Mr. Byrne: The most recent year for which public expenditure on consultancy is available 2008-09. These data were published by the Office of Government Commerce alongside Budget 2010 in the "Public Sector Procurement Expenditure Survey 2009"

The expenditure set out here will be reduced by 50 per cent. a year by 2012-13, as set in the pre-Budget report 2009.

Government Departments: Marketing

Mr. Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 24 February 2010, Official Report, column 604W, on Government departments: marketing, (1) what the estimated cash value is of the level of marketing and communications spend in 2009-10 on which the 25 per cent. cut will be based; [324207]

(2) what the base (a) year and (b) cash value is of the level of consultancy spend on which the cut of 50 per cent. will be based. [324208]

Mr. Byrne: Budget 2010 announced that over £11 billion of savings have now been identified by Department for the years from 2012-13. This includes the consultancy, marketing and communications cuts which were identified based on 2008-09 spending levels, currently the most recent financial year that spending levels are available for. The 2008-09 spend is set out in the 'Public Sector Procurement Expenditure Survey 2009', published alongside the Budget.

Mr. Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 24 February 2010, Official Report, column 604W, on Government departments: marketing, what the estimated level of savings is from reducing consultancy and marketing/advertising spend in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12. [324209]

Mr. Byrne: Budget 2010 announced that over £11 billion of savings have now been identified by Departments for the years from 2012-13. This includes over £650 million by 2012-13 from reducing departmental consultancy spend by 50 per cent. and departmental marketing and communications spend by 25 per cent. from 2008-09
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spending levels, currently the most recent financial year that spending levels are available for. The 2008-09 spend is set out in the "Public Sector Procurement Expenditure Survey 2009", published alongside the Budget, it will be up to Departments to decide how they implement these cuts to ensure they meet the targets by 2012-13.

Mr. Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the total cash spend on marketing, advertising and public relations by central Government in the last 12 months; and what proportion of such expenditure was made through the Central Office of Information. [324213]

Mr. Byrne: Central Government departmental total cash spend on marketing, advertising and public relations is collected by financial year. Therefore the most recent data collected cover financial year 2008-09. This information was published by department and non-departmental public body alongside Budget 2010 by the Office of Government Commerce in "Public Sector Procurement Expenditure Survey 2009".

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