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Operation Care
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 24 November 1999, Official Report, column 119W, concerning multiple allegations covered by the Operation Care investigation, if he is in a position to provide the information requested. [106104]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
In the time available, research has been completed in respect of one scene of investigation as part of the prosecution process. The results are shown in the table which include allegations of sexual and/or physical abuse. Although the table is produced as an illustration, it should not be regarded as representative of the entire database. In most of the other
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scenes of investigation, the incidence of multiple allegations is significantly lower. I am advised that it is not the intention to produce further separate tabulations as this would divert resources from the continuing inquiries.
| Complainants with multiple allegations | Percentage of total complainants |
|---|---|
| Allegations against 1 person | 27.67 |
| Allegations against 2 persons | 27.67 |
| Allegations against 3 persons | 20.53 |
| Allegations against 4 persons | 12.5 |
| Allegations against 5 persons | 8.03 |
| Allegations against 6 persons | 1.7 |
| Allegations against 7 persons | 0.89 |
| Allegations against 8 persons | 0.89 |
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals have been (a) charged and (b) arrested in connection with Operation Care; and how many individuals have claimed to have been abused and over what period of time. [106103]
Mr. Charles Clarke: A total of (a) 41 individuals have been charged and (b) 72 arrested in connection with Operation Care. I am advised that the information on the number of complainants is not readily retrievable from the database.
Charity Commission
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to extend the Charity Commission's role in advising charities on issues relating to corporate governance; and if he will make a statement. [105918]
Mr. Boateng: I have no plans to extend the Charity Commission's advisory role. The Commission has a statutory role to give trustees
If there is misconduct or mismanagement by trustees, the Commission can intervene directly in the running of the charity. It has statutory powers to remove those responsible for misconduct and to protect the charity's assets from misuse.
Trustees who run their charity in accordance with its constitution and the law have full discretion over the charity's policies and activities, and are accountable for their decisions. The Commission may give advice and information, but it is statutorily debarred from acting in the administration of a charity.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the annual number of convicted offenders who would receive a shorter custodial sentence than at present if the Criminal Justice (Mode of Trial) Bill [Lords] became law. [106091]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
It is estimated that about 4,300 convicted offenders would receive shorter custodial sentences because their cases would be dealt with in the magistrates' courts, as would be more appropriate.
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Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what budget is available from her Department to monitor and measure the bilateral debt relief initiative. [105680]
Mr. Foulkes:
I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 19 January 2000, Official Report, column 479W. No attempt is made to disaggregate the resources which the Department for International Development (DFID) spends on monitoring and assessment of its bilateral programme.
Mr. Streeter:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when she expects each of the heavily indebted poor countries to qualify for bilateral debt relief; and what assessment has been made of the amount of extra money each country will have to spend on poverty eradication in the financial years (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01 and (c) 2001-02. [105744]
Mr. Foulkes:
Decisions have not yet been taken on the amount and timing of each country's debt relief under the enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. The policy announced by the Government on 21 December is to provide complete relief on the remaining debt owed to the UK, after HIPC debt relief has been granted. The specific amount of extra relief that each country will receive in any one year cannot be known until decisions have been taken on their HIPC debt relief. The Government are working with the World bank and the IMF to ensure that countries come forward for HIPC relief as soon as possible; our target is that three quarters of countries receive relief before the end of 2000.
Mr. Streeter:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development in which of the countries qualifying for bilateral debt relief her Department has a representative. [105827]
Mr. Foulkes:
Countries that could be eligible for bilateral debt relief, if their governments are committed to poverty reduction, are Angola, Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Guyana, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Vietnam, Yemen and Zambia. The UK Government have representatives accredited to all these countries. DFID has offices in Kenya and Tanzania and is due to open one shortly in Uganda.
Mr. Streeter:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent representations she has made to HM Treasury regarding debt relief; and if she will place a copy of the documents in the Library. [105828]
Mr. Foulkes:
My right hon. Friend has made no representations to the Treasury on debt relief. She and my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer share the strong conviction that the purpose of debt relief is to allow countries to invest in poverty reduction programmes and achieve the international development targets. They work closely on the Government's debt relief policy, and this partnership enabled us to deliver our ambitious debt relief objectives last year. In particular, they jointly and
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successfully pressed for the substantial improvement in the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative agreed at the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and IMF in September 1999. The revised HIPC framework not only provides faster, wider and deeper debt relief, it also increases the impact which this relief has on poverty, through the development and implementation of national poverty reduction strategies. A number of joint DFID and HM Treasury papers on debt, produced for the HIPC Review, have already been placed in the Library.
Mr. Streeter:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department takes in co-operation with other national Governments to measure the outcome of debt relief measures. [105830]
Mr. Foulkes:
We have consistently stressed that debt relief should only be given to countries who would use it to benefit the poor. We therefore welcome the decision at the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and IMF in September 1999 to tie the debt relief provided under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative to the development of national poverty reduction strategies. In this way, HIPC debt relief provides an opportunity to renew and refocus all development efforts, including resources, on making the greatest possible impact on poverty.
To allow these strategies to be developed, and for their implementation to be monitored, it is essential that greater international efforts are made to improve the availability of good quality information in HIPC countries. In November 1999, the Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century was launched. Its aims are to provide statistical assistance to HIPC countries in producing and monitoring their poverty reduction strategies and to develop sustainable statistical capacity in the longer term, to inform and support pro-poor policy making and programme design. Our Department is devoting additional resources to achieve these aims, both bilaterally and multilaterally, working particularly with the World Bank, the UN and the IMF.
Our Department is also looking at what assistance we can provide to civil society to enable them to participate effectively in the discussions on poverty reduction strategies, and monitor their impact, for example to better understand government budgets.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which countries she has visited in the past six months. [105690]
Mr. Foulkes:
My right hon. Friend has visited the following six countries or cities in the last six months:
"information and advice on any matter affecting the charity".
It gives such advice in response to trustees' requests and on its own initiative.
| Countries | Dates |
|---|---|
| Bolivia--Bilateral country visit | 28 August to 3 September |
| Washington--Annual Meetings of IMF/World bank | 25 September to 28 September |
| New York--Speech on UN Reform | 26 October |
| Brussels--Development Council | 10 to 11 November |
| Brussels--General Affairs Council | 15 November |
| Seattle--(WTO) | 28 to 30 November |
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