Asked by: Chris Leslie (The Independent Group for Change - Nottingham East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much in real terms his Department spent on public opinion polling in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The central communications directorate of the Ministry of Defence has spent the following amounts on public opinion polling since March 2012.
| 2012 | £55,500 |
| 2013 | £49,500 |
Information on any polls conducted on behalf of other constituent parts of the department or the Armed Forces in addition to those above are not included, as this information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Prior to March 2012, polling services were procured through the Central Office of Information. We are unable to identify the costs of those surveys in previous years because of the way the information was recorded.
The Department has yet to be charged for the survey that took place in September 2014.
Asked by: Chris Leslie (The Independent Group for Change - Nottingham East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons his Department's Annual Report and Accounts for 2013-14 has not yet been published; and when that report is due to be published.
Answered by Philip Dunne
The Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000 requires HM Treasury to lay the accounts of departments before the House of Commons not later than 31 January of the financial year following that to which they relate.
The accounts of the Ministry of Defence for 2013-14 will be laid before Parliament in accordance with that statutory deadline.
Asked by: Chris Leslie (The Independent Group for Change - Nottingham East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which five companies were used most often to provide temporary workers for his Department in the last financial year; and how much in agency fees was paid to each of them.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The Ministry of Defence uses a process called “manpower substitution” to engage temporary staff at agreed fixed rates on a national basis through a number of contracts. Manpower substitutes are employed for up to 11 months to fill vacant, funded posts. The majority are brought in to fill medical and dental requirements at military medical centres to cover for military positions that are vacant due to deployment into operational theatre. This enables the medical services to continue to provide the best possible care to members of the Armed Forces.
The five companies most frequently used by the Ministry of Defence in Financial Year 2013-14 to provide temporary workers, and the associated fees paid to each, are presented in the following table:
Company | Type of worker | Number of Temporary Workers | Fees Paid |
HoneyBee | Medical & Dental | 790 | £3.46m |
CastleRock Ltd | Medical & Dental | 490 | £2.61m |
Capita Resourcing | Interim Professionals | 320 | £2.07m |
Hayes | Medical & Dental | 190 | £0.59m |
Reed | Clerical & Admin | 160 | £0.11m |
The figures provided for Capita Resourcing cover the period from April 2013 to March 2014. All other data cover the period April 2013 to February 2014. Data is extracted from the MOD's centralised Manpower Substitution Service database and does not include any localised arrangements that individual Top Level Budget holders may have with other companies.
Asked by: Chris Leslie (The Independent Group for Change - Nottingham East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which 10 consultancy firms were paid the most by his Department in the last financial year; and how much each of those firms was paid.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The top ten companies which provided external assistance to the Ministry of Defence in financial year 2012-13 are listed in the attached table.