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World Bank
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what has been the total (i) UK and (ii) international contribution to the World Bank's fund to assist developing countries with millennium computer compliance; and what the fund has been spent on to date. [84217]
Clare Short: The UK made a £10 million grant commitment in March 1998 to a Millennium Bug project managed by the World Bank through InfoDev. InfoDev is a multi-donor funded programme set up to promote the increased use of information and communication technologies in developing countries. To date, £6 million has been paid into the project and further sums will be released this year, as disbursements are made by the Bank.
Following the UK's lead in supporting this project, others have made substantial grant commitments, including the US ($12 million), Canada ($0.7 million), Sweden ($1.26 million), Italy ($0.3 million), and The Netherlands ($3.5 million). The total international commitment to the project presently stands at $34.2 million.
The Project has produced an information guidance document, "Year 2000 Toolkit--A National Plan for Developing Countries", which has been disseminated world-wide through 18 regional and country conferences undertaken throughout 1998, attended by some 120 developing countries. Participants consisted of senior government officials and information technology managers. The document is available on the internet.
The Project also provides grants to assist developing countries prepare national action plans and to support work on systems of critical national importance. So far, a total of 84 developing countries are included in the grant arrangements, mainly to help them prepare national action plans, for which grants of up to $100,000 have been provided. Larger grants are available to help with remediation and testing work. Grant applications presently total about $15.7 million.
The InfoDev Project is now working closely with the International Y2K Cooperation Centre (IYCC) in Washington, using US funding. The IYCC, which
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includes the UK's Action 2000, is coordinating international efforts to minimise the impacts of the Millennium Bug problem on the global economy.
Dr. Kumar:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to her answer of 5 May 1999, Official Report, column 397, on the reference for the former Deputy Chief Constable of Cleveland Police for the post of Deputy Commissioner of Royal Turks and Caicos Islands, on what date the references were requested by her Department. [84219]
Clare Short:
My Department sought references for Mr. Turnbull on 3 and 19 February 1999.
Mr. Tyrie:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to her answer of 15 March 1999, Official Report, column 510, on Special Advisers, if she will give the total travel cost of each occasion when (a) a departmental and (b) non-departmental advisers have travelled abroad in an official capacity since 2 May 1997 and the place visited. [82410]
Clare Short:
For the period 2 May 1997 to 31 March 1999, Special Advisers in my Department have travelled overseas in an official capacity on 14 occasions to a variety of locations. The total cost of travel and any accommodation was £31,618. All travel complied with the requirements of the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many (a) civil servants and (b) Special Advisers involved in media relations were employed within her Department at 1 May (i) 1997, (ii) 1998 and (iii) 1999. [84205]
Clare Short:
Detailed information on the numbers of permanent civil servants employed in Departmental Press Offices during the financial years 1997-98 and 1998-99 was provided in a memorandum dated 16 June 1998 to the Select Committee on Public Administration and published in its report on "The Government Information and Communication Service (HC 770)" in July 1998. A copy is in the Library of the House. On 1 May 1999, my Department had three civil servants working full-time on media relations and two other civil servants whose wider duties included contact with the media.
Special Advisers in this Department had ad hoc contact with the media but none are specifically employed in media relations.
Mr. Rammell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on the development of healthy living centres. [83417]
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Mr. Chris Smith
[holding answer 17 May 1999]: The New Opportunities Fund launched the healthy living centre initiative on 29 January 1999. £300 million of Lottery money is available under this initiative to establish a core network of healthy living centres across the UK. By the end of 2002, the New Opportunities Fund aims to have awarded grants to projects that will ensure that healthy living centres are accessible to 20 per cent. of the population of the UK.
The application process is underway and the Fund aims to announce the first successful applicants in the Autumn of this year.
Mr. Spring:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on the nature of the sports report that he will be submitting to the heads of Government at the Helsinki Summit. [84231]
Mr. Banks:
Any report on sport to the Helsinki Summit will be submitted by the European Commission and will contain the conclusions of considerable debate, which is currently under way, by all member states on a number of important sporting issues. The next informal meeting of EU Sports Ministers in Paderborn on 1-2 June will establish a clearer agenda for the content of the Helsinki Conclusions and I will be playing a full role in this process.
Mr. Spring:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had about the provision of boxing in schools with the Secretary of State for Education and Employment. [84230]
Mr. Banks:
I meet with my colleagues in DfEE on a regular basis when we discuss a wide range of issues of mutual interest. Our latest discussions centred on sport in general in schools and the national curriculum. However, we have not discussed boxing but remain firmly committed to the encouragement of boxing as a sport.
18. Mr. Bob Russell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response he has had from the St. Helena island council to the publication of his White Paper on overseas territories. [83517]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
The St Helena Legislative Council on 24 March 1999 unanimously passed a Motion:
19. Dr. Iddon:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the steps being taken to promote the middle east peace process. [83518]
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36. Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Israeli general election. [83535]
37. Mr. Caplin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the middle east peace process following the outcome of the Israeli general election. [83536]
Mr. Burden:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress of the middle east peace process. [83531]
Mr. Robin Cook:
I refer my hon. Friends to the answer I gave earlier in the House today to my hon. Friend the Member for Milton Keynes, South-West (Dr. Starkey), Official Report, column 856.
20. Mr. John Cryer:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his policy towards the future status of East Timor. [83519]
Mr. Robin Cook:
We welcome the consultation that has been launched to establish the wishes of the people of East Timor on whether they want autonomy of independence. Only the fortnight before his death Derek Fatchett visited East Timor and gave an undertaking that Britain would be one of the six nations leading implementation of the UN process. We will ensure that we complete the valuable work that Derek Fatchett began.
39. Mr. Goggins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking to promote peace in East Timor. [83538]
Mr. Robin Cook:
We continue to support the efforts under UN auspices to secure a future for East Timor which will fully respect the interests and legitimate aspirations of the East Timorese people.
Dr. Tonge:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to other Governments on establishing a permanent international presence in East Timor to monitor human rights abuses. [82466]
Mr. Robin Cook
[holding answer 28 April 1999]: We have on a number of occasions, along with EU partners, called for the urgent establishment of a permanent UN presence in East Timor to help prevent further violence in the territory. We welcome the agreement signed by Indonesia and Portugal in New York on 5 May whereby a United Nations presence will supervise the consultation of the East Timorese on the question of autonomy. We are working with others on arrangements for the deployment of an international police presence in East Timor to oversee implementation of the 5 May agreement.
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Mr. Harvey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the Australian Government's recent report on the deaths of the British and other newsmen in East Timor in 1975. [83959]
Mr. Robin Cook:
We welcomed the Australian Government's decision to refer new information about the deaths of the British journalists in East Timor in 1975 to Mr. Sherman. Mr. Sherman's second report contains no major new revelations or conclusions.
"That this House conveys its sincere thanks and appreciation to the Secretary of State from the Legislative Council for the commitment to restore full British citizenship to the people of St Helena, and looks forward to full consultation on the other issues contained in the White Paper, particularly those relating to St Helena's future."
31. Ms Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Israeli general election. [83530]
38. Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Israeli general election. [83537]
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