Asked by: Simon Kirby (Conservative - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many private finance initiative projects his Department contracted for in each year from 1997 to 2010.
Answered by Lord Maude of Horsham
The Cabinet Office has one current private finance initiative (PFI) contract, which commenced in 2002.
In addition, in June 2007 the Cabinet Office entered into a contract, treated as a PFI contract in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts, which ended in June 2012.
Information on the Cabinet Office’s Private Finance Initiative contracts is available in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts. Online copies for 2007-08 onwards ARE on the GOV.UK website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/cabinet-office-annual-reports-and-accounts
Asked by: Simon Kirby (Conservative - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total private finance initiative liabilities of his Department are for the next 20 years; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Maude of Horsham
Information on the Cabinet Office’s expenditure under Private Finance Initiative contracts is available in the department’s Annual Report and Accounts 2013-14 (pages 156 to 157), available in the Library of the House and on the GOV.UK website below at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/cabinet-office-annual-reports-and-accounts
Asked by: Simon Kirby (Conservative - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to reduce energy costs in his Department; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Maude of Horsham
Information regarding my department’s energy consumption and meeting the cross-government Greening Government Commitments (GGC) can be found in the 2013/14 Annual Report at:
A copy of this publication is also available in the House of Commons library.
Asked by: Simon Kirby (Conservative - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has any plans to increase the number of replies within his Department's working day standard; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Maude of Horsham
My Department aims to respond to all correspondence within 15 working days.
Guidance on handling correspondence from Members of Parliament, Peers, MEPs and Members of devolved Administrations will be updated in due course.
Asked by: Simon Kirby (Conservative - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will estimate the annual cost to his Department of (a) stationery and (b) postage incurred when sending a ministerial reply to hon. Members; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Maude of Horsham
Ministerial replies to letters from hon. Members are hand delivered to Parliament so there is no delivery cost to the department. The stationery used is recycled paper supplied to the Cabinet Office by Banner Business Services on a closed loop arrangement, whereby our paper waste is fully recycled and returned to us to use as copy paper. Each sheet costs 0.004 pence.
Asked by: Simon Kirby (Conservative - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will review his departmental estate in order to reduce costs; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Maude of Horsham
Since 2010 the number of Cabinet Office buildings has reduced from 14 to 6 with an annual saving of around £10m. Further reductions are planned until 2016, to a total of 3 occupied properties, with a further £2m annual saving.
The State of the Estate Report (SofTE) provides annual progress updates on our work improving the efficiency of the Government’s Civil Estate. The Government estate is currently 2 million sq. m smaller since January 2010. More information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/state-of-the-estate
Asked by: Simon Kirby (Conservative - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of ministerial replies sent to hon. Members in electronic form only.
Answered by Lord Maude of Horsham
I refer the hon. Member to my Written Statement of 13 May 2014: Column 17WS.Information on the number of responses sent via email or letter is not held.
The Cabinet Office encourages all Departments to communicate with hon. Members via electronic mail where appropriate. Guidance on handling correspondence from Members of Parliament, Peers, MEPs and members of devolved administrations will be updated in due course.
Asked by: Simon Kirby (Conservative - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will estimate the total number of ministerial replies from his Department to hon. Members in a parliamentary session; and what proportion of such replies are sent (a) by letter and (b) by email.
Answered by Lord Maude of Horsham
I refer the hon. Member to my Written Statement of 13 May 2014: Column 17WS.Information on the number of responses sent via email or letter is not held.
The Cabinet Office encourages all Departments to communicate with hon. Members via electronic mail where appropriate. Guidance on handling correspondence from Members of Parliament, Peers, MEPs and members of devolved administrations will be updated in due course.
Asked by: Simon Kirby (Conservative - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many quangos have been abolished since 2010; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The Government has already reduced the number of public bodies by over 280. 185 bodies have been abolished.
This is the largest restructuring of public bodies in a generation, making the landscape smaller, more accountable and transparent, and offering better value for money to the public.