§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will place in the Library the written agreements and protocols with the Whitehall and Industry Group governing their secondments to Government; and if he will list all the secondments placed under the auspices of the group since June 2001. [40561]
§ Mr. LeslieA memorandum of understanding between the Cabinet Office, as sponsors of the Whitehall and Industry Group (WIG), and WIG is currently under negotiation. Copies of the agreement will be placed in the Libraries of the House in due course. It is open to any organisation to become a member of the Whitehall and Industry Group and some 45 Government Departments and agencies have joined. Copies of the information pack that organisations receive when they join WIG have been placed in the Libraries of the House.
Currently two senior civil servants act as non-executive directors of the Whitehall and Industry Group.
Since June 2001 five secondments (lasting three months or more) have been arranged through WIG into Government Departments, comprising:
three into the Lord Chancellor's Department;one into the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions; andone into the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.