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PRIME MINISTER
Engagements
Sir Peter Tapsell: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Wednesday, 5 April. [117370]
The Prime Minister: This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House I will have further such meetings later today.
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Burmese Refugees
Mrs. Fyfe:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what provision her Department has made for assistance to members of Burmese ethnic minorities held in Thai refugee camps. [117288]
5 Apr 2000 : Column: 472W
Clare Short:
My Department provides assistance to Burmese refugees in Thailand through a grouping of NGOs called the Burma Border Consortium. This Consortium supports around 106,000 Burmese refugees from the Karen and Karenni ethnic minorities in Thailand. Over the last two years, DFID has provided the Burma Border Consortium with £537,500 for its work.
Mr. John M. Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what is her policy in relation to cancellation of third world debt on discrimination in favour of aid recipients which have exercised good stewardship of aid received. [117405]
Clare Short:
The purpose of giving debt relief is to benefit the poor. I welcome the international agreement that this should be the main criterion for debt relief. Under the enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, countries will produce poverty reduction strategies which set out policies and programmes to tackle poverty. The strategy will then provide a framework for all poverty reduction resources available to the country--Government revenue, debt relief savings and international development assistance.
I welcome the IMF and the World bank commitments to use the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) as a basis for their programmes of support. In countries committed to poverty reduction, our bilateral country strategies will take their lead from the PRSP, and I encourage other bilateral donors to do likewise.
Works of Art
Mr. Brake: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much has been spent on (a) the upkeep and (b) the purchase of works of art in the Lord Chancellor's Department for each financial year since 1992. [117480]
Mr. Lock: Current financial systems cannot provide a figure for expenditure on works of art without recourse to disproportionate time and expense. All major paintings in court buildings are either part of the Government Art Collection or are on loan from private museums or collections. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Arts, 4 April 2000, Official Report, columns 392-93W.
WALES
Press Officers
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many press officers are employed by the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales. [116323]
Mr. Paul Murphy:
The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales employs one press officer with an assistant. I am also advised on media matters by my Director of Information and Communications.
5 Apr 2000 : Column: 473W
Mr. Evans:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many special advisers are employed by the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales. [116332]
Mr. Paul Murphy:
The Wales Office employs two special advisers.
Minimum Income Guarantee
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners in (a) the Basildon parliamentary constituency, (b) Basildon and (c) Thurrock are in receipt of the minimum income guarantee. [117054]
Mr. Bayley: The administration of benefits is a matter for Peter Mathison the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency to answer. He will write to my hon. Friend.
| Area | Pensioners on Income Support |
|---|---|
| Basildon parliamentary constituency | 2.7 |
| Basildon local authority area | 4.4 |
| Thurrock local authority area | 2.8 |
Notes:
1. Sample size 5 per cent., therefore subject to sampling error.
2. Pensioners are defined as benefit units where either the claimant and/or their partner are aged 60 years or over, (including those in residential care and nursing homes).
3. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred and quoted in thousands.
4. Data taken in November 1999.
Source:
Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiry, November 1999.
Mortgage Arrears
Mr. Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will introduce legislation to ensure that a separated or divorced husband or wife is not liable for mortgage arrears on his or her former marital home which accrue after he or she has left that property. [117121]
Angela Eagle: This Department has no plans to introduce such legislation. This is a matter for those concerned to resolve.
Family Credit
Angela Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people in the parliamentary
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constituency of Basildon were in receipt of (a) Family Credit and (b) Child Care Allowance in each of the last five years. [117056]
Angela Eagle:
The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the tables.
| Number of Family Credit recipients | |
|---|---|
| August | |
| 1995 | 0.6 |
| 1996 | 0.9 |
| 1997 | 0.8 |
| 1998 | 0.9 |
| 1999 | 1.1 |
Notes:
1. Caseload figures are taken at a point in time for which the month is August.
2. Sample size is 5 per cent. As the numbers are based on a relatively small number of sample cases the estimates are subject to a high degree of sampling error, i.e. for an estimate of 1 thousand the true value will lie somewhere in the range 700 to 1,300.
3. Family Credit was replaced by Working Families Tax Credit in October 1999.
4. Cases are allocated to each parliamentary constituency by matching the postcode against the 1999 version 2 of the postcode directory, and as such represent constituency boundaries as at May 1997.
5. Numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred and expressed in thousands.
6. Due to the relatively small numbers, it is not possible to provide a reliable estimate of the number of cases with allowed help with child care costs by parliamentary constituency.
Source:
Family Credit 5 per cent. sample of awards
| Number of recipients | |
|---|---|
| August | |
| 1995 | 1.3 |
| 1996 | 1.8 |
| 1997 | 2.0 |
| 1998 | 2.4 |
| 1999 | 3.1 |
Notes:
1. Caseload figures are taken at a point in time for which the month is August.
2. Numbers are based on a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling error.
3. Family Credit was replaced by Working Families Tax Credit in October 1999.
4. Numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred and expressed in thousands.
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people in (a) Basildon and (b) Thurrock were in receipt of (i) Family Credit and (ii) child care allowance in each of the last five years. [117055]
Angela Eagle:
The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the tables.
5 Apr 2000 : Column: 475W
| Basildon LA | Thurrock LA | |
|---|---|---|
| August 1995 | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| August 1996 | 1.5 | 1.1 |
| August 1997 | 1.4 | 1.1 |
| August 1998 | 1.7 | 0.9 |
| August 1999 | 1.8 | 0.8 |
Notes:
1. Caseload figures are taken at a point in time for which the month is August.
2. Sample size is 5 per cent. As the numbers are based on a relatively small number of sample cases the estimates are subject to a high degree of sampling error ie for an estimate of 2,000 the true value will lie somewhere in the range 1,628 to 2,382.
3. Family Credit was replaced by Working Families Tax Credit in October 1999.
4. Local Authorities are assigned by matching the postcode against the 1999 version 1 of the postcode directory.
5. Numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred and expressed in thousands.
6. Due to the relatively small numbers, it is not possible to provide a reliable estimate of the number of cases with allowed help with child care costs by local authority or parliamentary constituency.
Source:
Family Credit 5 per cent. sample of awards.
| Number of recipients | |
|---|---|
| August 1995 | 1.3 |
| August 1996 | 1.8 |
| August 1997 | 2.0 |
| August 1998 | 2.4 |
| August 1999 | 3.1 |
Notes:
1. Caseload figures are taken at a point in time for which the month is August.
2. Numbers are based on a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling error.
3. Family Credit was replaced by Working Families Tax Credit in October 1999.
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