HC Deb 01 April 2004 vol 419 cc1689-94W
Mr. Hoban

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has made of the recruitment and retention of staff at Titchfield if the office is(a) not relocated and (b) relocated on the completion of the ONS modernisation programme; [164721]

(2) what assessment he has made of the number of people at the Office for National Statistics office in Titchfield who will be prepared to move to (a) Bristol and (b) Wales. [164755]

Ruth Kelly

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Mark Hoban dated 1 April 2004: As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent questions concerning what assessment the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has made of the recruitment and retention of staff at Titchfield and of the number of staff who would be prepared to relocate. An initial assessment of these issues was discussed with the Lyons review team. A fuller assessment will be considered as part of the Spending Review.

Mr. Hoban

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1)if he will publish the submission made to Sir Michael Lyons by the Office for National Statistics; [164722]

(2) what representations the Office for National Statistics made to Sir Michael Lyons during the preparation of his report. [164736]

Ruth Kelly

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Mark Hoban dated 1 April 2004: As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent questions concerning what representations the Office for National Statistics(ONS) made to Sir Michael Lyons during the preparation of his report and also if the ONS will publish the submission made to Sir Michael. ONS officials corresponded with and met members of Sir Michael Lyons' team on a number of occasions during the conduct of his review and preparation of his report. The submission was not a public document although ONS staff have been informed of its contents. Some information was provided to the Lyons Report on a confidential basis and will not be published.

Mr. Hoban

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment his Department made of the upfront relocation costs per person of staff employed at the Office for National Statistics in Titchfield; [164723]

(2) what assessment he has made of the service delivery improvements that would accrue from the relocation of the Office for National Statistics office from Titchfield; [164745]

(3) what assessment he has made of the cost of relocating the Office for National Statistics office from Titchfield to another location; and what cost savings are expected to arise from the relocation.; [164751]

(4) what assessment he has made of the (a) financial and (b) operational benefits that would accrue to the Office for National Statistics from the proposed move of its office from Titchfield. [164756]

Ruth Kelly

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Mark Hoban, dated 1 April 2004: As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent questions concerning the financial and operational implications of the proposed move of the Office for National Statistics from its office in Titchfield. (164756, 164751, 164723, 164745) An initial assessment of these issues was discussed with the Lyons Review team. A fuller assessment will be considered as part of the Spending Review, including detailed proposals for the costs of relocating staff.

Mr. Hoban

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans the Office for National Statistics has to develop regional pay rates. [164725]

Ruth Kelly

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Peter Walton to Mr. Mark Hoban dated 1 April 2004: The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question on what plans the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has to develop regional pay rates. I am replying in his absence. ONS already distinguishes between London and National rates of pay. National pay scales apply to staff based at all sites other than London. Any further plans to develop regional pay rates would have to be taken forward in the context of HM Treasury guidance.

Mr. Hoban

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what discussions he has had with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister concerning the use of the Office for National Statistics office at Titchfield; [164733]

(2) what assessment he has made of the future use of the Office for National Statistics site at Titchfield in the event of relocation. [164752]

Ruth Kelly

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Mark Hoban, dated 1 April 2004: As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent questions concerning future use of the Office for National Statistics site at Titchfield and what discussions have taken place with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. (164733, 164752) A key element of the Lyons Review recommendations is the need for a coordinated approach across Government. Discussion of the future use of the ONS site at Titchfield will depend on the outcome of the 2004 Spending Review. However, there have been no such discussions at this stage.

Mr. Hoban

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the links between the Office for National Statistics office at Titchfield and Southampton University will be maintained if the office is relocated. [164737]

Ruth Kelly

The information falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Mark Hoban, dated 1 April 2004: As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking whether the links between the Office for National Statistics office at Titchfield and Southampton University will be maintained if the office is relocated. (164737) We have no plans to cease links with Southampton University. The relationship between ONS and Southampton University is an important intangible benefit of location at Titchfield, and it has strengthened work on the 2001 Census in particular. If the work currently undertaken at the Titchfield site were to be relocated, we would work hard to preserve these links.

Mr. Hoban

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when Office for National Statistics(a) management and (b) staff were informed of the proposals set out in the Lyons Report. [164739]

Ruth Kelly

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Mark Hoban, dated 1 April 2004: As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking when Office for National Statistics (ONS) (a) management and (b) staff were informed of the proposals set out in the Lyons Report. (164739) Copies of the Lyons Report were sent to the heads of all Government departments (including ONS) late on the afternoon of Friday 12 March 2004. ONS staff were then informed of the proposals on the afternoon of Monday 15 March 2004.

Mr. Hoban

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will announce a final decision on the relocation of the Office for National Statistics from Titchfield.[164740]

Ruth Kelly

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Mark Hoban, dated 1 April 2004: As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking when a final decision on the relocation of the Office for National Statistics from Titchfield will be announced. (164740) I expect a final decision to be announced following the conclusion of the 2004 Spending Review.

Mr. Hoban

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (1)(a) full-time and (b) part-time employees are based at the Office for National Statistics in Titchfield; [164750]

(2)if he will list the (a) grade and (b) function of staff employed at the Office for National Statistics office in Titchfield; [164746]

(3) what supplements are payable to Office for National Statistics staff working in (a) London, (b) Southport,(c) Wales, (d) Bristol and (e) Hampshire; [164744]

(4) what the average salary is of the Office for National Statistics staff at (a) Titchfield and (b) Newport. [164743]

Ruth Kelly

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Mark Hoban dated 1 April 2004: As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions on staffing and remuneration issues relating to the Titchfield site of the Office for National Statistics (ONS).(164743, 164744, 164746, 164750) The average salaries of staff working at the Newport and Titchfield sites of ONS at March 2004 are as follows:

  • Newport £18,821
  • Titchfield £21,052
These earnings figures are for full time equivalent salaries for ONS civil servants and reflect the different mix of grades at each location. ONS do not make regional pay supplements. We only distinguish between London and National pay. National pay scales apply to staff based at all sites other than London. As of March 2004, there are 821 ONS civil servants based at the Titchfield site, of whom 672 are full-time and 149 are part time. There are additional crown employees working at Titchfield on a part-time basis as telephone interviewers. There are an average of 325 such staff employed, although the exact number varies between 300 and 350 on a monthly basis. The grades and functions of civil servants employed at the ONS Titchfield site are shown in the attached table.
Number, grade and functions of ONS civil service staff based at the Titchfield site, March 2004
Grade No of Staff (Headcount) Functions
A1 31 Basic administrative duties, Reprographic operators, Data entry and stores
A2 224 Administration staff.
A3 17 Library, Personal Assistants.
B1 and B2 193 First line managers, IT programmers.
AS 4 Assistant Statisticians.
C1 and C2 189 Business Managers, Middle managers, Technical team leaders (IT), Research officers, Methodologists, Geographers.
C3 50 Project managers, Business Analysts, Business managers,
C4 37 Senior Researchers, Senior Methodoligists, Senior Geographers, Senior Business Analysts Project Managers.
D2and D3 65 Branch Head Statisticians, Principal Research Officers, Principal Methodoligists
D4 7 Senior Managers
SCS grade 1 4 Senior civil servants (SCS)
Total 821

Mr. Hoban

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of the relocation of the Office for National Statistics office in Titchfield on the economy of South East Hampshire. [164754]

Ruth Kelly

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Mark Hoban, dated 1 April 2004: As National Statistician. I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what assessment has been made of the impact of the relocation of the Office for National Statistics office in Titchfield, on the economy of South East Hampshire. (164754) The impact of the proposed relocation will be a factor taken into account in the 2004 Spending Review.

Mr. Hoban

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the operating costs of the Office for National Statistics premises in Titchfield are. [164757]

Ruth Kelly

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Mark Hoban, dated 1 April 2004: As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the operating costs of the Office for National Statistics premises in Titchfield are.(164757) The forecast expenditure on estates, property and facilities management required to keep the Titchfield site operational in 2003–04 is £2.76 million.

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