Office for National Statistics (Hansard, 22 January 2003)

§ Mr. Laws
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of real terms expenditure at the Office for National Statistics in each year from 1996–97 to 2005–06 (planned); and if he will make a statement. [91701]

§ Ruth Kelly
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. David Laws, dated 22 January 2003: The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question concerning real term expenditure at the Office for National Statistics in each year from 1996–97 to 2005–06 (planned). I am replying in his absence. (91701) The requested information is shown in the attached table.

Office:for National Statistics¹ spending

Financial year Expenditure² (£ million)

1996–97³ 126.7

1997–98 106.5

1998–99⁴ 109.6

1999–2000⁴ 108.5

2000–01⁴ 156.6

2001–02⁴ 206.9

2002–03⁴ 147.4

2003–04⁵ 139.5

2004–05⁵ 156.7

2005–06⁵ 165.7

¹The Office for National Statistics' principal activities are the collection, analysis and dissemination of business, economic, socio-economic, health and population statistics, the production of social surveys, the census of population for England and Wales, maintenance of the National Health Service Central Register and the register of births, deaths and marriages.

²Figures are in real terms (2002–03 prices). Expenditure is calculated as the total of the resource budget plus the capital budget less depreciation. Figures are actual expenditure to 2001–02 and planned expenditure thereafter.

³The Office for National Statistics was created as a Government Department and an Executive Agency on 1 April 1996 by merging the Central Statistical Office (CSO) and the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS). During 1996–97, ONS moved most of its London staff from four existing sites to a complex of building at Drummond Gate Pimlico. Most of the cost of refurbishment and fitting out of those buildings fell in 1996–97.

416W

⁴Figures from 1998–99 to 2002–03 include additional provision for planning, fieldwork and initial processing of the 2001 Census of Population in England Wales.

⁵ Figures from 2003–04 include additional provision in the Spending Review 2002 settlement for ONS to invest in a programme of modernisation to improve the quality of official statistics.

§ Mr. Laws
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what reasons underlie the increase in real spending on the Office for National Statistics, comparing 1998–99 with 2003–04; and if he will make a statement. [91705]

§ Ruth Kelly
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. David Laws, dated 22 January 2003: The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question concerning what reasons underlie the increase in real spending on the Office for National Statistics, comparing 1998 with 2003–04. I am replying in his absence. (91705) Office for National Statistics spending¹ in 1998–99 was £109.6 million in real terms (2002–03 prices) and is estimated to increase to £139.5 million in 2003–04. Most of the increase in funding is to enable the Office for National Statistics to develop a programme of "Neighbourhood Statistics" to provide better local level data to inform policy and programmes to combat social exclusion. The balance is to support the Office's programme of modernisation aimed at improving and expanding statistical outputs, and enhancing web-enabled access by data users and suppliers. ¹Spending is calculated as the total of the resource budget plus the capital budget less depreciation.

§ Mr. Laws
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the value of(a) land, (b) buildings and (c) other assets owned by the Office for National Statistics; and if he will make a statement. [91706]

§ Ruth Kelly
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. David Laws, dated 22 January, 2003: The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question concerning the value of (a) land, (b) buildings and (c) other assets owned by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). I am replying in his absence. (91706) As at 31March 2002 the written down value of assets owned by ONS was as follows;

a) Land £6,779,000

b) Buildings £36,853,000

c) Other assets £9,372,000

§ Mr. Laws
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the total value of all the fixed assets of the Office for National Statistics; and if he will make a statement. [91707]

§ Ruth Kelly
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. David Laws, dated 22 January 2003: As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning the total value of all the fixed assets of the Office for National Statistics (ONS). (91707) 417W As at 31st March 2002 the value of assets owned by ONS was £53 million.

§ Mr. Laws
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the value of the Drummond Gate Offices of the Office for National Statistics; and if he will make a statement. [91708]

§ Ruth Kelly
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. David Laws, dated 22 January 2003: The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question concerning the value of the Drummond Gate Offices of the Office for National Statistics (ONS). I am replying in his absence. (91708) ONS leases the Drummond Gate office and is therefore unable to say what its estimated value is. However, the refurbishment work undertaken by ONS has been capitalised and its written down value at 31st March 2002 was £21,104,000.

§ Mr. Laws
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many motor vehicles are owned by the Office for National Statistics; if he will list these with the current total valuation; and if he will make a statement. [91711]

§ Ruth Kelly
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. David Laws, dated 22 January 2003: The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your question concerning how many motor vehicles are owned by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and their total current valuation. I am replying in his absence. (91711) ONS owns fourteen vehicles. Their written down values as at 31st March 2002 were:

Vauxhall Astra £1,873

Ford Focus £4,082

Vauxhall Astra £3,843

Ford Focus £5,755

Ford Focus £5,840

Ford Focus £5,843

Vauxhall Vectra £6,302

Ford Mondeo £7,246

Ford Zetec £8,033

Celebrity Scooter £1,956 (disabled wheelchair)

Ford Mondeo £10,192

Ford Focus £7,820

Citroen Zsara £7,805

Ford Mondeo £9,407

£85,997

Office:for National Statistics¹ spending
Financial year	Expenditure² (£ million)
1996–97³	126.7
1997–98	106.5
1998–99⁴	109.6
1999–2000⁴	108.5
2000–01⁴	156.6
2001–02⁴	206.9
2002–03⁴	147.4
2003–04⁵	139.5
2004–05⁵	156.7
2005–06⁵	165.7
¹The Office for National Statistics' principal activities are the collection, analysis and dissemination of business, economic, socio-economic, health and population statistics, the production of social surveys, the census of population for England and Wales, maintenance of the National Health Service Central Register and the register of births, deaths and marriages.
²Figures are in real terms (2002–03 prices). Expenditure is calculated as the total of the resource budget plus the capital budget less depreciation. Figures are actual expenditure to 2001–02 and planned expenditure thereafter.
³The Office for National Statistics was created as a Government Department and an Executive Agency on 1 April 1996 by merging the Central Statistical Office (CSO) and the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS). During 1996–97, ONS moved most of its London staff from four existing sites to a complex of building at Drummond Gate Pimlico. Most of the cost of refurbishment and fitting out of those buildings fell in 1996–97.