§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 19 November 1992,Official Report, columns 323–24, on how many occasions since 1988 disciplinary action has been taken against civil servants responsible for his departmental printing expenditure; in which financial year; and on how many occasions and on what dates such disciplinary action has involved (a) suspension on full pay, (b) suspension without pay, (c) summary dismissal and (d) criminal charges.
§ Mr. David HuntThere has been one such case of disciplinary action. The officer was suspended on full pay on 6 March 1992, without pay on 11 March 1992 and dismissed on 30 April 1992. Criminal charges are a matter for the police.
§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 19 November 1992,Official Report, columns 323–24, for what proportion of Welsh Office policy printing work inclusive of typesetting and graphic design the Central Office of Information is now responsible; and if he will make a statement on the changes in the relationship between HMSO, the Central Office of Information and the Welsh Office introduced since March 1992 in the responsibility for placing contracts.
§ Mr. David HuntApproximately two thirds.
In 1991 the Welsh Office, in reorganising its systems for handling paid publicity and in the interests of value for money, transferred much of this work to the Central Office of Information; in 1992 it transferred the rest.
The Central Office of Information's relationship with HMSO is a matter for them. The relationship between the Welsh Office and HMSO is subject to similar value for money considerations as its paid publicity handling, and since 1991 it has been the same as that between the Welsh Office and any other contractor.
§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 19 November 1992,Official Report, columns 323–24, what estimate he has made of the proportion and amount of his Department's total annual contract expenditure on printing, publicity and stationery placed with firms outside Wales in each full financial year since 1988, and for the first half of 1992–93.
451W
§ Mr. David HuntThis information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 19 November 1992,Official Report, columns 323–24, for what proportion of his Department's general stationery and miscellaneous printing contract work, inclusive of typesetting and graphic design, the Central Office of Information is currently responsible; and if he will make a statement on the changes in the responsibility for Welsh Office printing contracts between his Department, HMSO and the Central Office of Information in the last 12 months.
§ Mr. David HuntThe Central Office of Information is not responsible for the Department's general stationery and miscellaneous printing contract work including typesetting and graphic design. There have been no changes in the relationship between the Department, HMSO and the Central Office of Information regarding printing contracts in the last 12 months.
Since September 1991 the Department's printing contracts have been awarded entirely on the basis of competitive tendering.