HC Deb 07 June 2000 vol 351 cc247-8W
Mrs. Dunwoody

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many employees of private companies are seconded to his Department; and what is(a) the length of their secondment and (b) the subject of their work. [124788]

Ms Beverley Hughes

The Department currently has 11 secondees from private companies. They are all envisaged to last for a period of 12 months and the areas of work covered are as follows:

  • Construction Industry Sponsorship (7)
  • Export Promotion and Construction Materials
  • Housing Care and Support
  • Integrated Transport Task Force
  • Environmental Protection Strategy.

Mr. Don Foster

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 9 February 2000,Official Report, columns 158–59W, concerning secondments, which of the secondees listed were appointed for a period of 12 months or less. [124830]

Ms Beverley Hughes

From the organisations cited in the answer of 9 February 2000,Official Report, columns 158–59W, secondments of 12 months or less were agreed with the following companies:

  • Kvaerner Construction
  • OVE Arup
  • Crown House Engineering
  • Bovis Construction
  • Kvaerner Cementation Foundations
  • Geoffrey Reid Associates
  • Marks & Spencer
  • Bellway Urban Renewal
  • KPMG
  • ABROS
  • OPM
  • Institute for Fiscal Studies
  • Buro-Happold
  • Christiani and Nielson.

Secondments and attachments are part of the Interchange Initiative which promotes the exchange of people and good practice between the Civil Service and other organisations. All sectors of the economy are involved: Voluntary, Education, Health, Public and Private. Interchange is a key component of the reform agenda. The Modernising Government White Paper committed us to increasing interchange, in particular by bringing in more people on secondment and sending more of our people out.