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28 Jun 2010 : Column 442W—continued
Business: Essex
Robert Halfon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many businesses employ fewer than 50 people in each local authority area in the ceremonial county of Essex. [3603]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many businesses employ fewer than 50 people in each local authority area in ceremonial Essex. [3603]
Annual statistics on business counts are available from the ONS release UK Business: Activity, Size and Location at:
The attached table contains data from 2009 and shows the count of VAT and/or PAYE based enterprises between 0 and 50 employees in each local authority for the County of Essex.
| Count of VAT and/or PAYE based enterprises between 0 and 50 employees in each local authority for County of Essex | |
| Number | |
Business: Witham
Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many small and medium-sized businesses were operating in Witham constituency in each year since 1997. [3753]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated June 2010:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many small and medium-sized businesses were operating in Witham constituency in each year since 1997. [3753]
Annual statistics on business counts are available from the ONS release UK Business: Activity, Size and Location at www.statistics.gov.uk. Data are only from 2004 to 2009 and are for the ward areas that cover the new constituency of Witham, by employee size.
| Count of VAT and/or PAYE based enterprises for the area that covers the new constituency of Witham. | ||
| Employee size | ||
| 0-49 | 50-249 | |
Citizens' Advice Bureaux
Richard Fuller: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will bring forward proposals to strengthen the role of citizens advice bureaux as part of the Government's programme for a big society. [3510]
Mr Hurd: The citizens advice bureaux play a vital role in providing free, impartial and independent advice.
It would be for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to consider any review of the role of citizens advice bureaux through their responsibility for promoting and sponsoring the citizens advice service on behalf of all Government Departments.
The remuneration for the Chair and members as agreed by the previous Government are shown in the following table:
Members can claim reasonable travel and subsistence expenses incurred in the course of the work in line with the appropriate Cabinet Office rules on financial expenditure.
Civil Servants: Recruitment
Dr Pugh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he has taken to improve the efficiency of Government recruitment processes following publication of the National Audit Office report on Recruiting Civil Servants Effectively in February 2009; and if he will make a statement. [4340]
Mr Maude: The Government are driving down the cost of recruitment across the civil service. In May 2010 we announced a recruitment freeze, restrictions to advertising spend on recruitment campaigns and a requirement that all central Government vacancies be advertised online.
In addition, the Government are progressing a range of initiatives to improve efficiencies in recruitment processes across central Government. The Next Generation HR programme is designed to standardise processes, and remove cost and time from the recruitment process.
Community Work
Robert Halfon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what arrangements he plans to make for trials of the Government's new community organisers scheme; and if he will make a statement. [3990]
Mr Hurd: The 'Communities Organisers' programme is currently being developed by the Cabinet Office and Communities and Local Government. This programme will train 5,000 Community Organisers over the lifetime of this Parliament. They will act as local catalysts, mobilisers and enablers to help galvanise change where the local community wants change. There are currently no plans for a trial.
Departmental Manpower
Mr Anderson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his estimate is of the cost to the public purse of proposed reductions in numbers of non-frontline staff in his Department and its agencies. [483]
Mr Maude: No cost estimate has been produced at this stage. The detailed allocation of the Cabinet Office's share of the £6 billion savings is still being finalised.
Departmental NDPBs
Helen Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office for what non-departmental public bodies his Department is responsible; what remuneration is given to (a) the chair and (b) members of each such body; and at what rate expenses under each category are paid in respect of the chair and members of each body. [3303]
Mr Maude: As at 31 May 2010, the Cabinet Office was responsible for nine advisory non-departmental public bodies and two executive bodies.
The remuneration for the chair and members as agreed by the previous government are listed below:
| Name of NDPB | Remuneration for chair | Remuneration for member |
|
Deputy Chair £370 per day. Other members £190 per day (plus £47.50 preparation fee for each case prepared) | ||
|
Deputy (x 1) £785 per day; Deputy Chair (x 2) unpaid (serving members of judiciary) | ||
| (1 )The latest figures for remuneration of board members for Capacitybuilders are for 2008-09 and are published in their annual report. This can be found at: www.capacitybuilders.org.uk | ||
Members can claim reasonable travel and subsistence expenses incurred in the course of the work in line with the appropriate Cabinet Office rules on financial expenditure.
Departmental Official Cars
Mr Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Government (a) cars and (b) drivers are allocated to Ministers in his Department. [287]
Mr Maude: The current interim arrangements for the Cabinet Office are three allocated cars and drivers. The three contracts have been cancelled and are currently within the cancellation notice period. In addition, Ministers may have the use of pool cars. I personally use my bicycle as much as I can.
The new ministerial code, published on 21 May 2010, contains changes that affect ministerial entitlement to travel by Government car. It states that
"the number of Ministers with allocated cars and drivers will be kept to a minimum, taking into account security and other relevant considerations. Other Ministers will be entitled to use cars from the Government Car Service Pool as needed."
The Department for Transport and its Government Car and Despatch Agency are working with Departments to effect the transition to the new arrangements.
The ministerial code, published on 21 May 2010, is available on the Cabinet Office website, and in the Libraries of the House.
Mr Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Government (a) cars and (b) drivers are allocated to Ministers in the Leader of the House's Office. [4547]
Mr Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave today.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Gordon Banks: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many contracts between his Department and with its suppliers in respect of (a) the Cabinet Office, (b) the Office of the Leader of the House and (c) the Prime Minister's Office are under review as a result of the recently announced reductions in public expenditure; and what the monetary value is of all such contracts which are under review. [3651]
Mr Maude: The Prime Minister's Office and the Office of the Leader of the House are integral parts of the Cabinet Office.
The Efficiency and Reform Group within the Cabinet Office is leading on the review and re-negotiation of Government contracts across all Government Departments. The review will identify priority contracts for re-negotiation.
Gordon Banks: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many officials in his Department are working on renegotiating contracts for the supply of goods and services to (a) the Cabinet Office, (b) the Prime Minister's office, (c) the Deputy Prime Minister's office and (d) the Office of the Leader of the House as a result of recently announced reductions in public spending; what savings are expected to accrue to his Department from such renegotiations; how much expenditure his Department will incur on such renegotiations; and when such renegotiations will be completed. [3673]
Mr Maude: The Prime Minister's Office, the Deputy Prime Minister's Office and the Office of the Leader of the House are integral parts of the Cabinet Office.
The Department's contracts form part of the work on the re-negotiation of Government contracts being led by the Efficiency and Reform Group within the Cabinet Office, with the support of officials in other Departments. This work is ongoing and the savings that will accrue have yet to be determined.
Information on the numbers of officials engaged in this exercise and the expenditure that will be incurred is not readily available and cannot be obtained without incurring disproportionate costs.
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