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Angola
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation in Angola. [109340]
Mr. Hain: Although Angolan government forces appear to be in the ascendency Savimbi undoubtedly retains the capacity to wage a prolonged guerrilla war. We do not believe military action will bring a satisfactory resolution to the conflict. Only a political solution will bring a lasting peace. But Savimbi's word cannot be trusted. We urge UNITA to replace Savimbi as leader. With a different leadership UNITA can be part of a negotiated settlement and be as much part of the solution as it has been part of the problem.
We strongly support UN sanctions against UNITA and the work of the UN Angola Sanctions Committee. We are encouraging UN member states to ensure tighter implementation of all sanctions. We are also keen to make humanitarian assistance available to all Angolans.
We are concerned at allegations that oil revenues may be being diverted for corrupt purposes. I raised this with President dos Santos when I met him in New York on 24 January. It is in Angola's long term interest to spend her oil revenue on building up her skills base, rehabilitation and infrastructure.
Mr. Willis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff were seconded from the private sector to his Department in (a) May 1997 to April 1998, (b) May 1998 to April 1999 and (c) May 1999 to the latest date for which figures are available, stating in each case the companies from which staff have been seconded. [109289]
Mr. Hain
[holding answer 9 February 2000]: My department has an active Interchange Programme with the private sector. The Modernising Government White Paper has committed us to increasing this activity.
Details of staff seconded from the Private Sector to the FCO including British Trade International are as follows:
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(a) May 1997 to April 1998
Number of secondees: 23
Organisations: AMEC; Bank of England (2); BP Amoco (2); China British Trade Group; Civil Aviation Authority; European Investment Bank; HSBC; Halcrow, Independent Consultants (2); Keele University (2); Rolls-Royce; Levit Bernstein Associates, Midland Bank, National Westminster Bank; PriceWaterhouseCoopers; Quantel; Standard Chartered Bank (2).
(b) May 1998 to April 1999
Number of secondees: 20
Organisations: BBC; BNFL, Bank of England; BP Amoco (2); Brown and Root; China British Trade Group; Civil Aviation Authority; Coopers and Lybrand; European Investment Bank; Gifford and Partners; Greater London Enterprise; Hyder; Independent Consultant; MTL Instruments Group; Mouchel; Moscow Narodny Bank; PricewaterhouseCoopers; Standard Chartered Bank; Taylor Woodrow;
(c) May 1999 to date
Number of secondees: 26
Organisations: AEA; Argo Interactive; BNFL (2); BP Amoco (2); Baker Hughes International; Barrow International; Barclys; CBI (2); China British Trade Group; Civil Aviation Authority; Electric Switch; European Investment Bank; Independent Consultants (4); Linklaters & Alliance, MTL Instruments Group; Ove Arup; PriceWaterhouseCoopers; Rolls-Royce; Standard Chartered Bank; Wirea Sussex.
Jobseekers
Mr. Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to review the procedures undertaken when a jobseeker fails to attend the fortnightly review of their jobsearch at their local jobcentre; and if he will make a statement. [107857]
Ms Jowell: Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its Chief Executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Leigh Lewis to Mr. Alasdair Morgan, dated February 2000:
As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to reply direct to your question about what plans he has to review the procedures undertaken when a jobseeker fails to attend the fortnightly review of their job search at their local Jobcentre. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
Jobseekers are required to attend their local Jobcentre each fortnight in order to show that they are continuing to satisfy the conditions for receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance. If a jobseeker fails to attend an interview they have five days to show what is termed "good cause" for not attending. If they fail to show good cause within the five day limit their claim is terminated. If a jobseeker fails to attend their interview but subsequently attends within five days, they are asked to provide their reasons for the failure to attend in writing. Their reasons are then sent to an Employment Services Decision Maker who, after obtaining any further information they may require, makes a decision as to whether the jobseeker had good cause for their failure to attend the interview.
These procedures were amended slightly in October 1999 to give staff in our Jobcentres the facility to treat some circumstances as straightforward and not to have to refer the case to a Decision Maker. This new procedure will be evaluated later in the year, but there are no other plans in place to review the overall procedures.
I hope this is helpful.
Departmental Expenditure Limit
Ms Buck:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if there are proposals to amend the Departmental Expenditure Limit and gross running costs limit for 1999-2000. [110299]
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Mr. Wills:
Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimates for Class I, Vote 1 (Department for Education and Employment: programmes and central services and Vote 3 (the Employment Service), the Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) for 1999-2000 (excluding Welfare to Work) will be increased by £268,380,000 from £15,792,190,000 to £16,060,570,000.
This overall increase is made up of DEL increases on Votes 1 and 5 (Sure Start) of £330,887,000 and £1,000 respectively, decreases to DEL on Votes 3 and 4 (Office of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools in England) of £21,758,000 and £5,000,000 respectively and a decrease of £35,750,000 in non-Voted expenditure. As a result, the Voted element of the Departmental Expenditure Limit (excluding Welfare to Work) will be increased by £304,130,000 from £14,547,638,000 to £14,851,768,000 and the non-Voted element will be reduced by £35,750,000 from £1,244,552,000 to £1,208,802,000.
The changes in Vote 1 are the result of the take up of £282,114,000 of the end-year flexibility entitlement announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 27 July 1999, Official Report, column 393W; a net switch from non-Voted credit approvals of £15,750,000; transfers of £5,000,000 from Class I, Vote 4 (OFSTED) towards teaching materials for Thinking Skills, Early Years Learning and Education Action Zones, of £1,000,000 to Class IV, Vote 1 (Home Office) as a contribution to the Youth Inclusion Programme, of £653,000 from the Northern Ireland Departments for changes in the funding of Oxbridge colleges, of £2,000,000 to Class XI, Vote 1 (Department for Culture, Media and Sport) for the Dance and Drama Interim Funding Scheme, of £442,000 to Class XII, Vote 1 (Department of Social Security--central Government administered social security benefits and other payments) in respect of severe hardship payments to those young people who would normally be receiving Bridging Allowance, of £95,000 to Class VI, Vote 1 (Ministry of Defence--operational and support costs, logistic services and systems procurement and research) in respect of MOD Modern Apprentices, of £180,000 to the Scottish Executive in connection with educational qualifications, of £32,000 from Class XVII, Vote 1 (Property Advisers to the Civil Estate) in respect of Qualifications and Curriculum Authority premises, of £60,000 to Class II, Vote 2 (Department of Health administration, miscellaneous health and personal social services, England) as a contribution to the staffing costs of the Teenage Pregnancy Implementation Unit, of £200,000 to the National Assembly for Wales for fees charged by external bodies, of £12,260,000 from Class I, Vote 3 (the Employment Service) for Employment Zones, external reprographic services, and ONE marketing and policy; of £945,000 to Class 1, Vote 3 for salary costs of surplus staff and travel costs incurred by a member of the ES; and the draw down of £20,000,000 from the Department's non-Voted Departmental Unallocated provision (DUP).
The Employment Service provision has decreased by the net transfer of £11,315,000 to Class 1, Vote 1 (Department for Education and Employment: programmes and central services) to cover work on Employment Zones now undertaken by DfEE and the marketing of ONE, and the net transfer of £10,443,000 to Class XII, Vote 3
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(Department of Social Security: administration) for costs associated with ONE JSA related activities and to cover work on Employment Zones now undertaken by DSS.
The Departmental running costs limit (excluding Welfare to Work) will be decreased by £10,294,000 from £1,060,748,000 to £1,050,454,000 as a result of the transfer of £9,062,000 to the DSS, of £60,000 to the Department of Health, the net movement of £1,497,000 out of running costs into programme provision and an increase of £325,000 on the EU PHARE twinning project offset by matching receipts. The Supplementary estimates also include a net transfer of £740,000 of running costs from Vote 1 to Vote 3 which does not affect the running costs limit.
The Department's Welfare to Work provision is being increased by £1,454,000 from £1,388,373,000 to £1,389,827,000. The increase is made up of changes on Votes 1 and 3 of £276,000 and £1,178,000 respectively. The change on Vote 1 is as the result of the take up of £241,000 of end-year flexibility, and a transfer of £35,000 of running costs from Vote 3. The change on Vote 3 is as a result of the take up of £1,000,000 end-year flexibility for New Deal Partners; the transfer of £213,000 from Class XII, Vote 3 (Department of Social Security: administration) for New Deal for Lone Parents and New Deal for 50 plus; and the transfer of £35,000 to Vote 1 for New Deal for Disabled People pilots.
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