Possibly not the best, but definitely one of the most entertaining – how many other PQs feature ‘burlesque chanteuse Lady Beau Peep’ ?!?
From yesterday’s written answers:
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what date the decision was taken by his Department to authorise public expenditure on an away day at the Brickhouse burlesque club; how much was spent on the away day and on which contractors and firms; what form the teambuilding event took; and what steps have been taken to reduce expenditure on away days. [59209]
Robert Neill: This away day event was authorised by the Department in February 2010, before the coalition Government took office. The booking was made under the last Administration, while the cost of the event was debited via the Government Procurement Card in May 2010.
Poisson Rouge, an events management company, were contracted to provide the venue and the event. The total cost of the event was £4,719.21 which comprised £3,417.71 of payments made to Poisson Rouge and £1,301.50 to the venue, the Brickhouse.
The event involved hire of a room during the day at the venue, for a review of work in internal audit. While I am informed the Brickhouse often features such figures as ‘burlesque chanteuse Lady Beau Peep’ and ‘showgirl sensation Amber Topaz’, the event in this instance did not involve civil servants watching, or indeed, performing cabaret or other eclectic entertainment.
No alcohol was consumed at the event. The purpose of the staff event was to review work carried out for 2009-10, identify areas for improvement, agree changes for the forthcoming year to improve service delivery and build the team. However, the final part of the day did involve a team building event involving drumming, organised by Poisson Rouge.
http://www.poissonrouge.co.uk/events-organisers/services/team-building/rhythm.asp
The policy on such events has changed significantly following the arrival of the new Administration in May 2010. Team review events now take place at no or very limited costs, for example through using rooms in the Department. New checks and balances have been put in place, assisted by the discipline of the Department publishing all spending over £500 and greater openness over the Government Procurement Card.
I am aware that Poisson Rouge has been used in the past by a number of public sector clients. Embracing transparency and reducing away day spending is a prime example of how both Whitehall and the town hall can make sensible savings to cut costs, protect frontline services and pay off the deficit inherited from the last administration.
