§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list each training and tuition course with a total cost exceeding £5,000 paid for by(a) 918W charged (a) with murder and (b) with manslaughter as a result of offences committed while on duty in Northern Ireland during the last five years; and what was the outcome in each case.
§ Sir John WheelerThe information is as follows:
Members of the armed forces charged with firearms offences in Northern Ireland 1990 to 1994 Name of person charged Main charge Month and year charged Clegg1 Murder July 1991 Aindow1 Attempted Murder July 1991 Boustead1 Attempted Murder July 1991 Elkington1 Murder February 1992 Callaghan1 Murder February 1992 Wright1 Murder September 1992 Fisher1 Murder September 1992 Clarke1 Attempted Murder October 1993 Hansell Possession of Firearms January 1994 his Department and (b) his agencies during the last 12 months, showing the title and objectives of each course, the name of the organisations engaged, the total cost of each course, a summary of the responsibilities of staff members taking part and the process for course evaluation by his Department or agency.
§ Mr. WaldegraveIn respect of the Department, this information can be assembled only at disproportionate cost.
In respect of the agencies, the matter has been delegated to them and I have asked the chief executives to reply direct.
Letter from Guy Stapleton to Mr. Archy Kirkwood, dated 3 February 1995:
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply to your question about training and tuition courses as this is a matter within my operational responsibility. The information is as follows:919WTitle: Milk Quota Management—Computer Development (Phase 1A) User Training.Objectives: To train users in a new computer system developed for the Milk Quotas Scheme.Organisation: Triad Special Systems Limited.Total Cost: £6,786+ VAT.Staff: 2 managers (1 HEO and 1 EO) plus 7 clerical staff in the Agency's new Milk Quotas section. Tuition provided over a period of 18 days during January 1994.Evaluation: This form of training is usually considered as part of the project costs of setting up a new computerised system and was paid for out of funds specifically designated for the project. Evaluation of the training will form part of the evaluation exercise for the success of the project as a whole. An initial assessment has been made by management of the ability of individual members of staff to effectively carry-out and operate the range of functions available on the computer system.Title: Team Building.Objectives: To provide training, using a range of simulated exercises, both in the classroom and out-of-doors, with the aim of building team-work and leadership skills. The course was tailored to the express needs of the particular team identified in a pre-course discussion. A secondary objective was to pilot this kind of training to see if it was an approach the Agency wished to use more widely.Organisation: Group 4 Securitas Training Limited.Total Cost: £7,460+ VAT. The course was residential (from 13 to 16 June 1994) and costs included full board and transport to and from the course by mini-bus provided by Group 4.Staff. 4 managers (1HEO and 3 EOs), plus 8 clerical staff from Crops Division, Non-Food Set Aside Scheme Section.Evaluation: Course assessment sheets were completed by each attendee immediately after the event and there was follow up evaluation after three months by questionnaires to attendees and their line managers. Because this was a pilot exercise, four members of the line management for this area of work, returning from a meeting in the locality, arranged to call in to observe the course in progress. A report was also made by the team leader after the event. Title: Certified Network Engineer.Objectives: To attain the standards required for professional certification.Organisation: Azlan Limited.Total Cost: £5,225+ VAT.Staff: Assistant Manager, PC Network (responsible for supporting the Agency's networked communications systems.)Evaluation: By external examination for a recognised qualification.Letter from T. W. A. Little to Mr. Archy Kirkwood, dated 3 February 1995:
The Minister has asked me to reply to your question about training and tuition courses held by the Agency over the last twelve months.CVL has not held any course which meets the criteria set out in your question in the last twelve months.Letter from Dr. P. T. Stanley to Mr. Archy Kirkwood, dated 3 February 1995:
Information about training and tuition courses costing in excess of £5000The Central Science Laboratory (CSL) has been an executive agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) since 1 April 1992. In the past twelve months the Agency has not paid for any single training or tuition course costing over £5,000. However there has been one composite training contract involving several similar courses in the area of IT.In terms of IT, CSL took the decision to move towards using Microsoft Word for Windows as the Agency's corporate software package. The objective of the training was to bring staff up to the appropriate level of competence to use the new software. The training requires individuals having access to a workstation and therefore each course is often restricted to six delegates at a time. A commercial training company, Genysis Training, was employed for a period of three months to provide the training on-site at the Agency's Slough laboratory at a total cost of £11,456. The six courses making up the composite training package and numbers of staff participating were as follows:
- Basic wordprocessing: 57
- Advanced wordprocessing: 28
920 - Basic spreadsheet: 87
- Advanced spreadsheet: 46
- Presentation graphics: 26
- E-mail: 43
The responsibilities of staff receiving training ranged from scientists working on R & D and service contracts to business support staff from areas such as finance, personnel and marketing.Courses were evaluated through the completion of questionnaires by the staff at the end of training courses and by interviews conducted by the CSL Training Officer.Letter from A. M. Kerr to Mr. Archy Kirkwood, dated 3 February 1995:
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply to your Question about expenditure on training and tuition courses in respect of the Pesticides Safety Directorate.In the last 12 months the Directorate has not run a course where the total cost exceeded £5,000.Letter from Dr. J. M. Rutter to Mr. Archy Kirkwood, dated 31 January 1995:
The Minister of State has asked me to reply to your question about training and tuition courses paid for by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate during the last 12 months, as this is an operational matter for which I am responsible as Chief Executive.During this period there were no training or tuition courses paid for by the Directorate with a total cost exceeding £5,000.Letter from Dr. J. M. Walsh to Mr. Archy Kirkwood, dated 3 February 1995:
As you know, the Minister has asked that I write to you direct with the answer to your question. In 1994 there were no courses run by this Agency that had a cost in excess of £15,000. However, there were two courses exceeding a total cost of £5,000. Details are as follows:ADAS New Entrants Conference. The objective was to welcome new staff (consultants and administrative) to ADAS and to provide them with a clear insight into the role and work of the Agency. Seventy-four staff attended and the duration of the conference was three days (including time for travel). All tuition was undertaken by ADAS staff except for one session which was organised by the company New Direction. Staff were given an evaluation sheet at the end of the training which sought views of participants relative to the detailed objectives. The total cost for this course was £12,650.National Training Conference for Dairy Consultants. This was a conference for ADAS Consultants working in the Dairy sector. Of the twelve sessions in the conference, eight were provided by ADAS and four were undertaken by a range of outside organisations. These were the Danish Dairy Board, Reading University, Veepro, Holland, Scottish Agricultural College, the Midland Bank plc and Liverpool University. The objective was to widen the consultants' horizons into the innovative and developing areas of the UK Dairy industry. Eighty-one staff attended and the duration was two days (including travel). There was an evaluation at the end of the conference seeking delegates views relative to the detailed objectives. The total cost was £8,000.