| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
National Lottery
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what is the current National Lottery surplus; and if he will make a statement. [62634]
Mr. Banks: The National Lottery has so far raised £6.6 billion for Good Causes. £5.6 billion has been awarded to projects across the UK of which £2.99 billion has already been paid out. The remaining £1 billion is yet to be committed to projects. Any money held in the National Lottery Distribution Fund earns (tax free) interest for the good causes.
The recent changes to the Lottery will allow a more flexible approach to distributing Lottery money. The shift in emphasis from buildings to people should mean that more money will be distributed more quickly across the country.
8 Dec 1998 : Column: 143
Policy Unit (Travel)
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list each overseas trip paid for out of public funds by members of the No. 10 Policy Unit since 1 May 1997, indicating in each case the (a) individuals involved, (b) destination, (c) purpose and (d) cost; and if he will make a statement. [62095]
The Prime Minister [holding answer 3 December 1998]: For the period 1 May 1997 to the end of October 1998, members of the No. 10 Policy Unit have travelled overseas on official business for talks with officials from European governments on 26 occasions. The average cost of travel was about £380.00 per person. Only one special adviser travelled on each occasion except for a visit to Bonn undertaken by three special advisers. Subsistence costs were met on four occasions, totalling approximately £700. All visits have been made in accordance with the rules set out in the Civil Service Management Code.
In addition, members of the No. 10 Policy Unit have accompanied me and other Ministers on my official visits abroad. Information on these visits has been provided in answer to previous parliamentary questions.
These arrangements follow the practice of successive administrations.
Mr. Robert Jackson:
To ask the Prime Minister if he will list all current special advisers in his Office; and if he will indicate the subjects on which they advise. [62798]
The Prime Minister:
I refer the right hon. Member to the answers I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) on 30 October 1997, Official Report, column 860; my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Erdington (Mr. Corbett) on 14 January 1998, Official Report, column 233-34; the right hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Mr. Forth) on 5 May 1998, Official Report, column 278; and the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow), on 6 July 1998, Official Report, columns 356-57.
In addition, Dr. Iain Anderson is employed as a part-time, unpaid Adviser on the Millennium Bug providing advice to me and my right hon. Friend the President of the Council.
Mr. Chaytor:
To ask the Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the total costs of the State Opening of Parliament. [62214]
The Prime Minister:
Some £50,000 has been jointly set aside by the two Houses, from their Vote, for the State Opening of Parliament. As in previous years, approximately £1,600 has been allocated for the printing of the Queen's Speech.
The Metropolitan Police estimate policing costs for the State Opening at around £240,000, a similar figure to previous years. This excludes the costs incurred by the Metropolitan Police in providing the permanent security service within the Palace of Westminster. It also excludes
8 Dec 1998 : Column: 144
costs such as catering. These figures do not include any additional cost of military staff who took part in the ceremony, which are not separately costed.
Mr. Robert Jackson:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the special advisers in her Department and the issues on which they specialise; and to what level they have been security cleared. [62836]
Clare Short:
I have two Special Advisers, David Mepham and Dee Sullivan, who advise me on the full range of issues for which I am responsible. They are strongly committed to international development and I value their work greatly. They work in full co-operation with my departmental officials on the issues on which it would be inappropriate for officials to work. Special Advisers are subject to the usual security clearance arrangements. It would not be appropriate to give details about the level of security clearance applying in the case of particular individuals.
Mr. Brake:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what is her e-mail address. [62878]
Clare Short:
The e-mail address of my office is c-short@dfid.gtnet.gov.uk.
Mr. Gerrard:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has in respect of future humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. [63056]
Clare Short:
My Department has just concluded a review of Department for International Development's (DFID) current humanitarian programme to Afghanistan.
Our assessment is that while the forthcoming winter may see a seasonal lull in active fighting, there is little prospect for a settlement of the conflict.
Serious human rights abuses appear to have been perpetrated by all parties, and the discovery of mass graves has generated demands for an external investigation, together with the deployment of human rights monitors. We are supporting this in the UN, and have urged the involvement of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Taliban continue to impose difficult working conditions including limiting access to women. The Taliban have also not kept their pledge on narcotics, and production has actually expanded over the past year.
The UN aid agencies have not returned their expatriate staff to Afghanistan as conditions for their return (including satisfactory account of investigations into the past killings of UN workers, and assurances over future security) have not yet been met. The ICRC have remained in the country but with a curtailed programme and
8 Dec 1998 : Column: 145
reduced expatriate representation. Some NGOs are sending back their expatriate staff, while others are still waiting to see what happens in coming weeks.
The humanitarian situation inside Afghanistan--in terms of basic physical needs--is under reasonable control at the present time. People are coping partly due to increased food production in areas that have seen little active fighting this year. However health services, rudimentary to start with, are further stretched or broken down. We are also informed that the situation in the Central Bamiyan region is precarious. Humanitarian needs may become more stark in parts of Afghanistan if there is a severe winter.
Current DFID Programme
During our Presidency of the European Union, the UK negotiated a Common Position, led a Joint EU Mission to create a broad consensus on aid strategy, and hosted a meeting of the Afghan Support Group in London. We also continue to support the mediation efforts of the United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan, and the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi.
Our effort to help create a system-wide approach to Afghanistan, and increase synergy between peace-making and humanitarian assistance, has been underpinned by the provision of £8.5 million in 1998: this includes support for:
Useful impact has been achieved in terms of encouraging an effective principled common approach to programming, promoting protection, building livelihood security and making use of the available modest opportunities for education for girls and boys. We also provided disaster relief when two major earthquakes struck Northern Afghanistan earlier this year.
Forward Strategy
We will continue to remain engaged in Afghanistan. In doing so, we will be informed by the principled common programming approach under the United Nations led Strategic Framework for Afghanistan that we have been instrumental in developing and promoting. The purpose of the Strategic Framework is:
8 Dec 1998 : Column: 146
We recognise that the operating context for humanitarian agencies will remain highly uncertain for the time being. Until we have fresh information to the contrary, we shall continue to advise British aid workers against returning to Afghanistan because of security concerns. This means that we are not able to support NGOs that send expatriates back into the country. This restriction does not apply in the same way to ICRC and UN agencies because of their specially mandated role under international agreements.
We shall also consider further funding for ICRC and selected UN agencies in Afghanistan after appraisal of the Consolidated Interagency Appeal due to be launched next week by the United Nations. Guidance to Agencies wishing to apply for DFID funds includes the expectation that they will also subscribe to the above principles of the Strategic Framework for Afghanistan. New funding commitments would be limited to six months. We shall conduct another review of Afghanistan policy in mid- 1999 unless there is significant earlier change in circumstances.
ICRC's protection, humanitarian law and medical relief work;
demining through the UN and Halo Trust;
United Nations Office For The Co-ordination Of Humanitarian Assistance for Afghanistan (UNOCHA) for co-ordination and common services to benefit the whole system (e.g. communications, logistics, aircraft);
NGOs (Afghanaid, Christian Aid, CARE, TEAR Fund, Support for Afghan Further Education (SAFE); BBC, Children in Crisis, the Agency Co-ordinating Body for Afghan Relief (ACBAR), British Agencies Afghan Group) for education, health, water, sanitation and co-ordination activities;
UNHCR for refugee care and protection programmes;
and FAO for livestock and food security.
to enhance reinforcement between the United Nations political strategy in Afghanistan and international assistance activities;
to promote greater effectiveness and coherence in the international assistance programme.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |