§ Mr. GrieveTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the special advisers in his Department and(a) their date of appointment and (b) their responsibilities; if any of them are authorised to speak to the media; and if he will make a statement. [9485]
§ Mr. BlunkettThe number of special advisers working for me had been increased by 0.5 of a full-time post compared with the number working for me in the pre-election period. This, as with the arrangements between 1997 and 2001, reflects the particular circumstances of my position and also the extent of written work associated with my present post. Nick Pearce, Katharine Raymond and Sophie Linden (part-time) took up their appointments as special advisers on 8 June. Huw Evens took up his appointment on 2 July. As part of their duties they will brief the media as appropriate.
212WThe Home Office and its agencies have introduced new guidelines, policies and procedures with a view to reducing sickness absence. The Department's service delivery targets for April 2001 to March 2004, which include a target for sickness absence, were published on Friday 3 November 2000 and are available on the Home Office website. The targets are to reduce sickness absence, and sustain this improvement thereafter in the:
Home Office and its agencies (excluding the Prison Service) to an average of 6.9 days by end of March 2003.Prison Service to an average of 9.0 days per member of staff by 2004.
Table 1: Average working days recorded as lost due to sickness in the Home Office 1999–2001 Area/year1 1999 2000 2001 Home Office and non-Prison Service agencies2 10 7.5 7.2 Prison Service 12.6 13.4 13.9 1 Data for Home Office and non-Prison Service agencies are given by financial year. Prison Service data are given by calendar year (to August). Comparable data for earlier years are not available. 2 United Kingdom Passport Agency, Forensic Science Service and Fire Service College. Note:
Responsibility for the Fire Service College passed from the Home Office to DTLR in the 2001 machinery of Government changes.
With the transfer of the United Kingdom Anti-Drug Co-ordination Unit from the Cabinet Office, Keith Hellawell is joining the Home Office, on special adviser terms, in an advisory role on international drug issues.