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Laws, David
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Laws, David (525)
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Can the Chancellor explain why, in the Home Office section of the report, identity cards are not even mentioned as one of the Home Office spending priorities? Is that because the Treasury was responsible for the leak by David Foord of the Office of Government Commerce, who talked about the unaffordability of the ID card project and a ““lack of clear benefits””? He said:"““Just because ministers say do something does not mean we ignore reality””."
Has the Chancellor finally accepted the reality, which is that the scheme will not wash?
Can the Chancellor explain why, in the Home Office section of the report, identity cards are not even mentioned as one of the Home Office spending priorities? Is that because the Treasury was responsible for the leak by David Foord of the Office of Government Commerce, who talked about the unaffordability of the ID card project and a ““lack of clear benefits””? He said:"““Just because ministers say do something does not mean we ignore reality””."
Has the Chancellor finally accepted the reality, which is that the scheme will not wash?
Asked by
David Laws
(Liberal Democrat)
Answering body
Treasury
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
13 July 2006
Sometimes I think that the hon. Gentleman lives in a completely unreal world. Identity cards are the policy of this Government. I should have thought that the more that people see the chances of their identity being stolen by organised crime, the more that they would support identity cards. The Opposition parties have made a very big mistake in opposing identity cards, which are part of the spending settlement for the Home Office.
Subjects
Identity cards; Public expenditure; Finance; Government departments; Economic growth; Ministerial statements
Date
13 July 2006
Reference
448 c1476
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been spent by his Department on media training in each year since 1997–98.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been spent by his Department on media training in each year since 1997–98.
Asked by
David Laws
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Gareth Thomas
(Labour; Co-operative Party)
Answering body
Department for International Development
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
27 February 2006
For answer on
1 March 2006
Answered on
13 March 2006
DFID began media training for senior staff in 2005–06. Final figures for this year are not yet available.
Subjects
Department for International Development; Government departments; Media; Training
Date
13 March 2006
Reference
55220; 443 c1939W;443 c1939W
House
House of Commons
(2) when he expects to answer question reference 23294 tabled by the hon. Member for Yeovil.
(2) when he expects to answer question reference 23294 tabled by the hon. Member for Yeovil.
Asked by
David Laws
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Baroness Primarolo
(Labour)
Answering body
Treasury
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
28 November 2005
For answer on
30 November 2005
Answered on
10 March 2006
I very much regret that I have not been able to let the hon. Gentleman have an earlier reply.The number of contact centres operated by HM Revenue and Customs and the two predecessor departments (Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise) in each relevant year are shown in the following table:
Within the limitations of underlying data systems, HM Revenue and Customs best available estimates of call volumes for each relevant year are shown in the following table:
| HM Customs and Excise | Inland Revenue | HM Revenue and Customs | |
| 2003–04 (as at 5 April 2004) | 6 | 21 | None |
| 2004–05 (as at 5 April 2005) | 6 | 22 | None |
| 2005–06 (as at 1 March 2006) | None | None | 28 |
| All figures in millions rounded to nearest 100 thousand | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | 2004–05 | 2005–06 (to 31 December 2006) | |
| Calls handled | 35.3 | 48.7 | 42 |
| Calls received but abandoned | 6.1 | 2.7 | 3.3 |
| Calls encountering an engaged tone | 25.4 | 31 | 63 |
| (4) Where the caller spoke to an adviser. | |||
| (5) Where the caller selected an option from the call steering menu and was put in a queue to speak to an adviser but the call was terminated before the caller spoke to an adviser. | |||
| (6) Call attempts where the caller was played an engaged tone. |
Subjects
Government departments; Standards; Telephone services; Treasury
Date
10 March 2006
Reference
443 c1801-2W;443 c1801-2W; 33747
House
House of Commons
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many call centres were run by his Department and its agencies in (a) 2003–04, (b) 2004–05 and (c) 2005–06 to date; and how many and what proportion of calls (i) were handled by an adviser, (ii) were received but abandoned and...
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many call centres were run by his Department and its agencies in (a) 2003–04, (b) 2004–05 and (c) 2005–06 to date; and how many and what proportion of calls (i) were handled by an adviser, (ii) were received but abandoned and...
Asked by
David Laws
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Baroness Primarolo
(Labour)
Answering body
Treasury
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
26 October 2005
For answer on
28 October 2005
Answered on
10 March 2006
I very much regret that I have not been able to let the hon. Gentleman have an earlier reply.The number of contact centres operated by HM Revenue and Customs and the two predecessor departments (Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise) in each relevant year are shown in the following table:
Within the limitations of underlying data systems, HM Revenue and Customs best available estimates of call volumes for each relevant year are shown in the following table:
| HM Customs and Excise | Inland Revenue | HM Revenue and Customs | |
| 2003–04 (as at 5 April 2004) | 6 | 21 | None |
| 2004–05 (as at 5 April 2005) | 6 | 22 | None |
| 2005–06 (as at 1 March 2006) | None | None | 28 |
| All figures in millions rounded to nearest 100 thousand | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | 2004–05 | 2005–06 (to 31 December 2006) | |
| Calls handled | 35.3 | 48.7 | 42 |
| Calls received but abandoned | 6.1 | 2.7 | 3.3 |
| Calls encountering an engaged tone | 25.4 | 31 | 63 |
| (4) Where the caller spoke to an adviser. | |||
| (5) Where the caller selected an option from the call steering menu and was put in a queue to speak to an adviser but the call was terminated before the caller spoke to an adviser. | |||
| (6) Call attempts where the caller was played an engaged tone. |
Subjects
Government departments; Standards; Telephone services; Treasury
Date
10 March 2006
Reference
443 c1801-2W;443 c1801-2W; 23294
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much has been spent by his Department on media training in each year since 1997–98.
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much has been spent by his Department on media training in each year since 1997–98.
Asked by
David Laws
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Lord Hain
(Labour)
Answering body
Office of the Secretary of State for Wales
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
27 February 2006
For answer on
1 March 2006
Answered on
9 March 2006
None.
Subjects
Costs; Expenditure; Government departments; Media; Training; Wales Office
Date
9 March 2006
Reference
55218; 443 c1640W;443 c1640W
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been spent by his Department on media training in each year since 1997–98.
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been spent by his Department on media training in each year since 1997–98.
Asked by
David Laws
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Alan Johnson
(Labour)
Answering body
Department of Trade and Industry
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
27 February 2006
For answer on
1 March 2006
Answered on
9 March 2006
Records held centrally do not distinguish between media training and other forms of training undertaken by DTI staff and the requested information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Subjects
Costs; Department of Trade and Industry; Expenditure; Government departments; Media; Training
Date
9 March 2006
Reference
55221; 443 c1731W;443 c1731W
House
House of Commons
To ask the Prime Minister how much has been spent by his Office on media training in each year since 1997–98.
To ask the Prime Minister how much has been spent by his Office on media training in each year since 1997–98.
Asked by
David Laws
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Tony Blair
(Labour)
Answering body
Prime Minister
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
27 February 2006
For answer on
1 March 2006
Answered on
6 March 2006
For these purposes my office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Jim Murphy) today.
Subjects
Government departments; Prime Minister; Media; Training
Date
6 March 2006
Reference
55223; 443 c1076W;443 c1076W
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent by her Department on media training in each year since 1997–98.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent by her Department on media training in each year since 1997–98.
Asked by
David Laws
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Richard Caborn
(Labour)
Answering body
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
27 February 2006
For answer on
1 March 2006
Answered on
6 March 2006
The Department does not record media training separately from other forms of training.
Subjects
Government departments; Media; Training; Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Date
6 March 2006
Reference
55211; 443 c1081W;443 c1081W
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent by her Department on media training in each year since 1997–98.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent by her Department on media training in each year since 1997–98.
Asked by
David Laws
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Lord Knight of Weymouth
(Labour)
Answering body
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
27 February 2006
For answer on
1 March 2006
Answered on
6 March 2006
Defra was formed in June 2001; information on media training is not held centrally prior to that date. Media training expenditure through the centrally held budget managed by Defra's Communications Directorate since that date is as follows:
These payments have been made to a company providing television and radio interview training . This training has enabled senior Defra delivery staff to accept invitations from regional media to do factual interviews explaining their work.Providing details of non-centralized Defra spend would incur disproportionate cost.
| FY | £ |
| 2001–02 | 56,198.44 |
| 2002–03 | 31,313.75 |
| 2003–04 | 28,728.75 |
| 2004–05 | 66,616.62 |
| 2005–06 | 65,096.78 |
Subjects
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Government departments; Media; Training
Date
6 March 2006
Reference
443 c1072W;443 c1072W; 55207
House
House of Commons
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent by his Department on media training in each year since 1997–98.
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent by his Department on media training in each year since 1997–98.
Asked by
David Laws
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
John Healey
(Labour)
Answering body
Treasury
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
27 February 2006
For answer on
1 March 2006
Answered on
6 March 2006
The cost of media training, being the provision by external suppliers of training to prepare senior officials to be interviewed for television and/or radio, is not recorded in the Treasury's accounting system separately from other forms of training. Therefore figures for spending on media training, if any, over the period referred to could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Subjects
Costs; Expenditure; Government departments; Media; Training; Treasury
Date
6 March 2006
Reference
55224; 443 c1103W;443 c1103W
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the information technology projects being undertaken by his Department and associated agencies; what the (a) start date, (b) planned completion date, (c) current expected completion date, (d) planned cost and (e) current estimated cost is of...
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the information technology projects being undertaken by his Department and associated agencies; what the (a) start date, (b) planned completion date, (c) current expected completion date, (d) planned cost and (e) current estimated cost is of...
Asked by
David Laws
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Stephen Timms
(Labour)
Answering body
Department for Work and Pensions
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
12 October 2005
For answer on
14 October 2005
Answered on
27 February 2006
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) does not differentiate between information technology projects and other types of projects such as business change. Currently, the Department has in excess of 100 individual projects that embrace both information technology and business change. The entire programme of work is complex and the Department utilises considerable expertise to manage and develop strategies for maximising the success of technology projects. We also make use of lessons learned from previous project implementations to maximise the effectiveness of project delivery.The following tables provide the information on the Department's major projects based predominantly on IT change.
"¹ The current forecast cost column is the latest forecast of the total cost of the project implementation.""Notes:""1. Expenditure on projects is formally approved by the Departments governance process and authorised through review gates. These reviews ensure that projects are meeting the standards we expect (including business change, technical and commercial criteria) before authority to progress to the next stage of their development. It is only when the reviews are complete that the next stage funding is authorised.""2. Project details may alter as they pass through the project lifecycle. This may mean that the scope of a project is changed as a result of the development of a project's plans. Changes in scope may shorten the time for completion of a project or lengthen it. It may also increase or decrease the total costs of a project or change the year in which expenditure is planned to be incurred. All such changes are subject to scrutiny by the Department's governance processes and requires appropriate approvals before being adopted within the project's plans. This is more likely early in a projects lifecycle however projects later in the cycle are not immune to these changes. All of these issues are in the ordinary course for a project, but especially so for large IT based projects.""3. Additionally the Department had a Private Finance Initiative contract for the provision of IT services to the Child Support Agency worth approximately £456 million over 10 years. This contract commenced in August 2000 with a ten year duration to August 2010. Under a general realignment of Departmental contracts announced in August 2005, EDS will complete the system as currently specified, including correcting all agreed defects. The revised contract still has a completion date of August 2010 and the department expects to save around £65 million (net present value basis) in Child Support information technology costs over the remaining period of the deal with EDS."
| Project | Start date | Plannedend date | Current expected completion date | Currentforecast (cost£ million) |
| Customer Management System | October 2001 | November 2005 | November2005 | 250 |
| Purpose: This system allows the information supplied by working age customers to be gathered electronically by staff, improving efficiency and customer service. |
| Project | Startdate | Plannedend date | Current expectedcompletion date | Currentforecast (cost£ million) |
| Benefit Processing Replacement Programme (Watch 2) | December 2003 | October 2006 | TBA | TBA |
| Purpose: The programme enables modernised benefit processing, effective fraud management and improved service to employers. It provides the strategic IT platform for the Department providing the foundation for future policy initiatives. As part of the programme's governance it attended a agate on Monday 6 February 2006. At this gate a number of options for progressing the programme were presented. The gate reserved its decision and asked the programme to: 1. Return to a gate in four months time having considered the impact of the Welfare Reform Green Paper; and 2. Continue its investment programme until the next gate by progressing work in areas common to all options presented. Agreed forecast costs and completion date is dependant upon this decision. |
| Project | Start date | Planned end date | Current expected completion date | Currentforecast (cost £ million) |
| Pensions Transformation Project | January2002 | 2006 | Wave 1a November 2005; Waves 1b, 2a and 2b by March 2008; Waves 3–5 by 2010 | 659 |
| Purpose: The programme will transform the way that the Pension Service delivers its business. This will bring significant improvements and convenience for pensioners as well as benefits to the taxpayer in terms of efficiencies. The original programme was planned to be delivered in five waves of change (learning lessons from other programmes of change) between 2002 and 2006. The first phase of the first wave of change involving new state pension claim processes was deployed in three pension centres between August and November 2005. The next phase involving all pension centres for new customer applications for state pension and pension credit will commence July 2006. Following re-planning of the delivery of the programme it was agreed that the three latter waves of change would be delivered more affordably over a longer period. The first two more significant waves will be completed by March 2008. The final waves 3–5 will be completed by 2010. |
| Project | Start date | Planned end date | Current expected completion date | Currentforecast (cost £ million) |
| Customer Information System | July2003 | July2007 | July2007 | 83 |
| Purpose: This project will deliver a database of key citizen information to be shared across DWP. The database will complement information currently available in the Department's key customer information systems, ie Personal Details Computer System and Departmental Central Index, and become their replacement. |
| Project | Startdate | Planned end date | Current expected completion date | Current forecast (cost £ million) |
| Resource Management | April 2001 | September 2006 | September2006 | 169 |
| Purpose: Will provide modernised HR, financial and procurement functions for the Department. Automated data and processes to save time and resources. The new processes are currently being tested. |
| Project | Start date | Planned end date | Current expected completion date | Currentforecast (cost £ million) |
| Debt Management | November 2000 | April 2005 | February2006 | 106 |
| Purpose: To bring increased focus to the management, recovery and accounting of benefit debt owed to the department. Negotiations with developers and suppliers of the key system, debt manager, took longer than first planned and this impacted the training and data migration work. These changes were approved through standard project governance at a project gate. However, by the end of February 2006, the process of migrating work into debt centres will be complete. Despite the 10 month delay, the Debt Programme will be delivered over £10 million (9.5 per cent.) under the original financial forecast. |
| Project | Start date | Planned end date | Current expected completion date | Currentforecast (cost £ million) |
| Central Payments System (formerly partof PaymentModernisation) | April 2004 | September 2009 | September2009 | 117 |
| Purpose: New payment processing IT functionality is required to support the DWP to process payments for new entitlement management and financial scheduling systems. |
Subjects
Costs; Executive agencies; Department for Work and Pensions; ICT; Government departments
Date
27 February 2006
Reference
18859; 443 c249-51W;443 c249-52W
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has (a) undertaken and (b) commissioned research into the presence and reporting in the (i) broadcast and (ii) print media of the hon. Member for Yeovil since 5 May.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has (a) undertaken and (b) commissioned research into the presence and reporting in the (i) broadcast and (ii) print media of the hon. Member for Yeovil since 5 May.
Asked by
David Laws
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Anne McGuire
(Labour)
Answering body
Department for Work and Pensions
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
7 December 2005
For answer on
12 December 2005
Answered on
16 February 2006
We do not currently evaluate broadcast media coverage.Departmental analysis of print media activity monitors coverage of departmental policies and services. Only comments made by the hon. Member in his capacity as Front-Bench spokesman will be included in that analysis.
Subjects
Department for Work and Pensions; Government departments; Members; Media; Research
Date
16 February 2006
Reference
442 c2444-5W;442 c2444-5W; 37032
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff have been employed by his central Department in each year since 1996–97 (a) in total, (b) on press and publicity work and (c) on policy work; and if he will make a statement.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff have been employed by his central Department in each year since 1996–97 (a) in total, (b) on press and publicity work and (c) on policy work; and if he will make a statement.
Asked by
David Laws
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Anne McGuire
(Labour)
Answering body
Department for Work and Pensions
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
9 January 2006
For answer on
11 January 2006
Answered on
16 February 2006
The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001 from the Department of Social Security and parts of the former Department for Education and Employment including the Employment Service. Comparable historical staffing information prior to this date is not available.Information on the number of staff in the central Department, excluding the Department's agencies is in the following table. The figures include staff engaged on policy development and those employed in corporate and shared services, such as human resources, finance and debt management. The table also includes information on the number of staff employed in the central department on press and publicity work.The number of staff currently employed on policy work is 1,233. The number of staff employed on policy work is not available historically.
| Total central staff | Press and publicity staff (included in total staff numbers) | |
| 30 April 2002 | 14,118 | 75 |
| 31 March 2003 | 13,898 | 78 |
| 31 March 2004 | 12,068 | 90 |
| 31 March 2005 | 11,874 | 92 |
| Notes: 1. Figures are point in time at the stated dates, are full-time equivalent and include temporary staff. 2. Figures for 2002 are given as at 30 April, because this is the first point at which data is available for the Department in a form comparable to its current structure. |
Subjects
Civil servants; Department for Work and Pensions; Government departments; Press; Publicity; Staff; Policy
Date
16 February 2006
Reference
41329; 442 c2433-4W;442 c2433-4W
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what budget his Department has allocated to (a) press and (b) communications in 2005–06; and how much has been spent in each case.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what budget his Department has allocated to (a) press and (b) communications in 2005–06; and how much has been spent in each case.
Asked by
David Laws
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Anne McGuire
(Labour)
Answering body
Department for Work and Pensions
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
15 November 2005
For answer on
17 November 2005
Answered on
16 February 2006
The main communications budget allocation for 2005–06 is £47,692,000 of which £3,561,000 is for press. These figures include both staff and non-staff costs, including all major marketing campaigns. The year to date spend figures to January 2006 are £26,506,000, and £2,497,000 respectively.
Subjects
Department for Work and Pensions; Communication; Expenditure; Government departments; Press; Information services
Date
16 February 2006
Reference
442 c2433W;442 c2433W; 29986
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library copies of (a) print and (b) broadcast media reports undertaken for his Department since 2002.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library copies of (a) print and (b) broadcast media reports undertaken for his Department since 2002.
Asked by
David Laws
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Anne McGuire
(Labour)
Answering body
Department for Work and Pensions
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
7 December 2005
For answer on
12 December 2005
Answered on
16 February 2006
The Department is committed to the publication of evaluation data and will ensure that all existing media analysis data is placed in the DWP catalogue by April 2006.
Subjects
Department for Work and Pensions; Government departments; Media; Research
Date
16 February 2006
Reference
37030; 442 c2444W;442 c2444W
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on how many occasions since May 2005 officials in his Department have consulted their Freedom of Information Officer on answers to parliamentary Questions from (a) the hon. Member for Yeovil and (b) all hon. Members.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on how many occasions since May 2005 officials in his Department have consulted their Freedom of Information Officer on answers to parliamentary Questions from (a) the hon. Member for Yeovil and (b) all hon. Members.
Asked by
David Laws
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Anne McGuire
(Labour)
Answering body
Department for Work and Pensions
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
10 January 2006
For answer on
12 January 2006
Answered on
16 February 2006
Answers to parliamentary questions are drafted in accordance with Guidance to Officials on Drafting Answers to Parliamentary Questions.Information is not held centrally on the number of occasions that officials may have sought advice from the Department's Freedom of Information practitioners.
Subjects
Department for Work and Pensions; Freedom of information; Government departments; Members; Parliamentary questions
Date
16 February 2006
Reference
41853; 442 c2437W;442 c2437W
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost of the enhanced early retirement scheme for civil servants in his Department and its agencies was in each year from 1997–98 to 2004–05; what the estimated cost is for each year from 2005–06 to 2007–08; and if...
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost of the enhanced early retirement scheme for civil servants in his Department and its agencies was in each year from 1997–98 to 2004–05; what the estimated cost is for each year from 2005–06 to 2007–08; and if...
Asked by
David Laws
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Alan Johnson
(Labour)
Answering body
Department of Trade and Industry
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
18 January 2006
For answer on
20 January 2006
Answered on
14 February 2006
The Department records total annual liabilities for all early departure schemes, including continuing costs of compensation payments and early severance payments that are not retirements. It does not keep separate records of the costs that relate specifically to enhanced early retirement schemes. This information for eight financial years could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The estimated cost of enhanced early retirement schemes in 2005–06 including flexible and compulsory early retirements and approved early retirement schemes (including the Insolvency Service) is £8.1 million. It is expected that the reduction of DTI staff by 1,010 civil servants will lead to cumulative savings of £37.20 million by 2007–08. This should offset the initial expenditure on the enhanced early retirement schemes.My Department may run early retirement schemes during future years to deal with areas where staff cannot be re-deployed by alternative means but currently has no firm plans to do so.DTPs agencies will be replying to the hon. Member directly.Letter from Dr. Jeff Llewellyn, dated 14 February 2006:"The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply on behalf of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) to your question regarding what the cost of the enhanced early retirement scheme for civil servants in his Department and its agencies was in each year from 1997–98 to 2004–05; and what the estimated cost is for each year from 2005–06 to 2007–08.""NWML has not run any enhanced early retirement schemes for the period 1997–98 to 2004–05, and is not currently considering such a scheme for the period 2005–06 to 2007–08."Letter from Claire Clancy, dated 14 February 2006:"I am responding to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on behalf of Companies House, which is an Executive Agency of the DTI.""Companies House did not have an enhanced early retirement scheme from 1997 to 2005 therefore the cost is nil. We have budgeted for spend of £1.5m on voluntary early retirement in 2006/7. This is an estimated maximum figure and will depend on take-up, so is not the actual cost. We are not currently planning for any early retirement schemes in 2007/8."Letter from Ron Marchant, dated 14 February 2006:"I am responding to this parliamentary question, tabled on 19 January 2006, regarding what the cost of the enhanced early retirement scheme for civil servants in the Patent Office was in each year from 1997–98 to 2004–05 and what the estimated cost is for each year from 2005–06 to 2007–08.""The total cost, on an accruals basis, of early retirements with enhanced terms (added years) for the Patent Office is:"
Letter from Jeanne Spinks, dated 14 February 2006:"You asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the cost of the enhanced early retirement scheme for civil servants in his Department and its agencies was in each year from 1997–98 to 2004–05; and what the estimated cost is for each year from 2005–06 to 2007–08.""The cost of the enhanced early retirement scheme for civil servants in the Employment Tribunals Service for the year 1999–2000 was £28,000. The estimated cost of this scheme for the year 2005–2006 is £26,000. However we are unable to provide an estimated cost for this scheme for future years because the Agency has no plans at present for any schemes."
| Amount (£) | |
| 2007–08 | est 0 |
| 2006–07 | est 0 |
| 2005–06 | est 39,000 |
| 2004–05 | 0 |
| 2003–04 | 0 |
| 2002–03 | 267,000 |
| 2001–02 | 0 |
| 2000–01 | 0 |
| 1999–2000 | 101,000 |
| 1998–99 | 0 |
| 1997–98 | 0 |
Subjects
Costs; Executive agencies; Civil servants; Department of Trade and Industry; Government departments; Early retirement
Date
14 February 2006
Reference
44769; 442 c1860-1W;442 c1860-1W
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the running costs of his central Department for 2005–06; and if he will make a statement.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the running costs of his central Department for 2005–06; and if he will make a statement.
Asked by
David Laws
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Anne McGuire
(Labour)
Answering body
Department for Work and Pensions
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
18 January 2006
For answer on
20 January 2006
Answered on
13 February 2006
Information on departmental running costs in resource terms, including a breakdown by client group, is published on an annual basis in the Department's Departmental Report, which can be found in the Libraries of the House. The 2005 Departmental Report was published in June 2005 (Cm 6539).
Subjects
Costs; Department for Work and Pensions; Government departments; Operating costs
Date
13 February 2006
Reference
44760; 442 c1673-4W;442 c1673-4W
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the administration costs of (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies in (i) cash terms and (ii) real terms using 2004–05 prices since 1996–97, broken down by business area; what the forecast...
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the administration costs of (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies in (i) cash terms and (ii) real terms using 2004–05 prices since 1996–97, broken down by business area; what the forecast...
Asked by
David Laws
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Anne McGuire
(Labour)
Answering body
Department for Work and Pensions
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
9 January 2006
For answer on
11 January 2006
Answered on
8 February 2006
The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001 from the Department of Social Security and parts of the former Department for Education and Employment including the Employment Service. Therefore it is not possible to provide information prior to 2001–02.Information on departmental administration costs in resource terms, including future plans, is published on an annual basis in the Department's Departmental Report, which can be found in the Libraries of the House. The 2005 Departmental Report was published in June 2005 (Cm 6539).
Subjects
Administration; Costs; Executive agencies; Department for Work and Pensions; Government departments; Operating costs
Date
8 February 2006
Reference
41217; 442 c1186W;442 c1186W
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost of internal fraud has been to (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in each year from 2000–01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost of internal fraud has been to (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in each year from 2000–01.
Asked by
David Laws
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
James Plaskitt
(Labour)
Answering body
Department for Work and Pensions
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
9 January 2006
For answer on
11 January 2006
Answered on
6 February 2006
Details of estimated cost of internal fraud to the Department are presented in table 1.
The Department has a robust approach to the detection, prevention and deterrence of internal and contractor fraud. This approach is consistent with Treasury guidance.The Department has a Fraud Response Plan and an Anti-Fraud Policy in place. Investigations into suspected internal or contractor-related frauds are conducted by a professional and dedicated team.In addition to investigations staff, there is a network of security advisers in place across the Department. Their role includes promoting internal security throughout businesses, reporting and initial investigation potential security incidents, and providing security awareness training to staff.The Department has a Whistleblowers Hotline to enable staff to report suspicions of internal fraud outside of management structures.The Department also has in place a comprehensive set of management checks and procedures to ensure that financial transactions are protected from the risk of internal fraud and abuse.
| Table 1: Cost of fraud (£) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agency | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | 2004–05 | 2005–06(to December) |
| Jobcentre Plus | 44,309 | 208,823 | 557,007 | 71,100 | 36,670 | 212,014 |
| The Pension Service | n/a | n/a | n/a | 600 | 876 | 25,735 |
| Child Support Agency | 9,200 | 4,111 | 0 | 1,812 | 3,338 | 1,565 |
| Disability and Carers service | n/a | n/a | 0 | 40 | 11,913 | 7,875 |
| Appeals Service | 0 | 203 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 2,879 |
| War Pensions Agency | 3,583 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Employment Service | 3,023 | 1,045,977 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Departmental Headquarters and Snared Directorates | 14,019 | 620 | 8,595 | 0 | 60 | 8,467 |
| Contractors | n/a | n/a | n/a | 765,526 | 559,959 | 324,129 |
| Total | 74,134 | 1,259,734 | 565,602 | 839,102 | 612,816 | 582,664 |
| Source: This information has been compiled from annual returns detailing fraud losses. | ||||||
| (19) Year to date figures for 2005–06 are based on investigations completed since 31 March 2005. | ||||||
| (20) Jobcentre Plus—a new agency created in 2002 merging parts of the Benefits Agency and the Employment Service. Figures up to 2001–02 relate to losses within the Benefits Agency. | ||||||
| (21) War Pensions Agency transferred to the Ministry of Defence in 2002. | ||||||
| (22) Employment Service—figures to 2001–2002 include contractor fraud. |
Subjects
Costs; Executive agencies; Department for Work and Pensions; Fraud; Government departments
Date
6 February 2006
Reference
41330; 442 c870W;442 c870W
House
House of Commons