§ Norman BakerTo ask the Prime Minister (1) what is the(a) budget and (b) work programme of the (i) Forward Strategy Unit and (ii) Delivery Unit; and who belongs to each; [29065]
(2) for what period Lord Birt has been appointed to the Forward Strategy Unit; [29189]
(3) how many times he has met Lord Birt since 1 January; [29185]
(4) if Lord Birt has access to Cabinet papers relating to transport; [29315]
(5) how many hours per week Lord Birt works; [29184]
(6) how much Lord Birt has claimed from official funds by way of out-of-pocket expenses; and how much of this relates to taxi travel; [29191]
(7) what assessment he has made of how far the degree of information hitherto made public about the role of Lord Birt is consistent with the Government's guidelines on parliamentary accountability; [29182]
(8) when Lord Birt last travelled by train on official Government business; [29190]
(9) if he will list the transport organisations Lord Birt has met since his appointment; [29186]
(10) what secretarial support is available to Lord Birt; and what the expected annual cost of this is; [29183]
(11) if he will place in the Library a copy of Lord Birt's work on crime; [29193]
(12) what further information concerning the present activities of Lord Birt will be released when the Freedom of Information Act 2000 is fully in operation; [29194]
(13) what office space has been made available to Lord Birt; and in which buildings it is; [29188]
(14) if he will list the Ministers to whom Lord Birt reports. [29187]
720W
§ The Prime MinisterThe role of the Forward Strategy Unit is to provide long-term strategic analysis to me and to other Cabinet Ministers on a range of issues. The information on the work of the unit in the public domain is consistent with the long-standing principle that internal policy advice to Ministers remains confidential.
For the current work programme and budget of the Forward Strategy Unit, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 19 November 2001, Official Report, column 104W.
For the current work programme and budget of the Delivery Unit, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 19 November 2001, Official Report, column 83W.
Ministers, their special advisers and other civil servants meet many people in the course of their work. It is not our policy to make information on meetings or their content public.
Lord Birt as the PM's unpaid strategy adviser, based at No. 10, works with the Forward Strategy Unit on a range of projects.
Details of an individual's conditions of appointment are not made public in order to protect the privacy of the individual concerned.
Lord Birt last travelled by train on official Government business on 28 November 2001 and regularly travels by train on official business. He is entitled to claim reasonable expenses incurred during his work. His travel arrangements and expense claims are in accordance with the rules set out in the Cabinet Office Management Code.
External advisers when working with the Forward Strategy Unit may have access to its administrative facilities which are accounted for within the unit's budget.
In line with the practice of successive Governments, access to Cabinet papers is decided on a case-by-case basis.
As the Government have already made clear, Lord Birt's advice and conclusions on crime were one of the inputs reflected in the Government's strategy document "Criminal Justice: The Way Ahead" (Cm 5074). That document was published and placed before Parliament on 26 February 2001.