HC Deb 15 December 1998 vol 322 cc497-8W
Mr. Swinney

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list(a) total expenditure and (b) expenditure by programme by his Department in Scotland on areas covered by the exceptions under (i) D.5 of Head D and (ii) F.1 of Head F in Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998. [63799]

Mr. Timms

Schedule 5, Head D.5 of the Scotland Act relates to Parliament's role in promoting energy conservation. This Department is conscious of the need to conserve energy, but does not directly incur expenditure in doing so, following the letting of its estates contract to an outside contractor, Trillium, in April 1998. Trillium are currently developing a number of spend-to-save measures.

Schedule 5, Head F.1 of the Scotland Act lists social welfare matters which are excepted from the reservation of Social Security. All these matters in Scotland are currently the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and this Department has no responsibility for expenditure on them. They are identified in the Act to make it clear that they are not included within the definition of Social Security.

Mr. Swinney

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the offices or agencies under his control which will be subject to L.2 of Head L in Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998; how many people are currently employed in these offices; and what equal opportunities practices are adopted in these offices. [63800]

Mr. Timms

This Department consists of a Headquarters business unit and a number of Executive Agencies; the Benefits Agency, Contributions Agency, Child Support Agency, Information Technology Services Agency and War Pensions Agency. In total, there are 9,434 Departmental staff in Scotland.

The Department is committed to providing equality of opportunity for all staff, in all of its business units, in all locations. This commitment is set out in the Department's Equal Opportunities policy statement which was revised and issued to all staff in September. A copy has been placed in the Library.

Equal Opportunities practices are integral to the work of the Department, both in terms of employment practices and service to customers. Examples include Equal Opportunities training for all staff, establishing consultative/development staff groups, a network of Harassment Advisers in each business unit, and implementing a range of "family friendly" policies such as career breaks and alternative working patterns.

In addition, the Department uses the Employment Service's "positive about disabled people" symbol, conducts disability awareness sessions for staff and has completed staff disability surveys using the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) definition of disability. An increasing number of buildings occupied by the Department now fully meet the requirements of the DDA, and the impetus will be maintained by our private sector partner, Trillium, as they continue to upgrade the buildings.