I have made no estimate of the savings specific to my Office following the introduction of the electronic Q&A system, but like other Whitehall Departments, I expect to see savings delivered through the more efficient use of staff time, including through the removal of the need to deliver paper copies of answers, as well as in the reduction of the overall use of paper and other resources.
My Office has introduced no additional ICT systems or improvements due to the implementation of electronic Q&A.
One of the benefits of the new system is the possibility for the reporting of the timeliness of answers to Parliamentary Questions to be delivered with greater consistency and accuracy across all answering bodies.
It will be for the Procedure Committee to evaluate the effectiveness of the new system in improving performance when it assesses the evidence following the end of the Session.<\/p>"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask the Leader of the House, what estimate he has made of the savings to his Office from the Q&A system in the (a) 12 months and (b) five years since 4 June 2014; what additional ICT systems or improvements to existing systems his Office has introduced or plans to introduce that would not have been feasible without the Q&A system; and what assessment he has made of the extent to which the system has made it easier to answer questions from hon. Members on time.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
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I have not made a recent assessment of the effect of the creation of the Backbench Business Committee on the work of the House, but the Government response to the Procedure Committee review, published in February 2013, agreed that the Backbench Business Committee had been 'widely welcomed as a successful and effective innovation'.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/379", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Hague of Richmond"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Richmond (Yorks)"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr William Hague"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-12-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-12-04T15:52:32.57Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "34"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Leader of the House"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Leader of the House"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2014-12-01", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Backbench Business Committee"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Leader of the House, what assessment he has made of the effect of the creation of the Backbench Business Committee on the work of the House.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1610", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr William Bain"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Glasgow North East"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr William Bain"} ], "uin" : "906424"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/166409", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Leader of the House"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/166409/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
None. Short money is not available to parties whose Members have not taken the Oath.<\/p>
However, under a resolution of the House of 8 February 2006, financial assistance is provided to opposition parties represented by Members who have chosen not to take their seats. It is under this resolution that Sinn Fein Members claim expenses in connection with the party's representative business.
It is the Government's view that this issue of representative money for parties that do not take the Oath is primarily a matter for the House itself to resolve.<\/p>"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask the Leader of the House, what recent discussions he has had with other parties represented in the House of Commons on the payment of allowances to hon. Members representing Sinn Fein; and if he will make a statement.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
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