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Civil Servants
Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the average percentage increase in salaries of non-industrial civil servants, excluding members of the senior civil service, in his Department for 1999-2000; and to what extent the pay awards were staged. [121646]
Mr. Hain: The headline pay settlement for Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff was 2.5 per cent. on the paybill and, together with the additional funds from staff turnover, staff in post received performance-related increases averaging 3.95 per cent. The increases were not staged.
Diamond Trade
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts concerning the Diamond High Council in Antwerp. [122705]
Mr. Hain: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed the issue of conflict diamonds with his Belgian counterpart in January. Officials are also in contact with the Belgian Government and the Diamond High Council on this issue. We welcome the participation of the Diamond High Council in the recent Kimberley Technical Forum on conflict diamonds which aimed to identify measures to curb the trade in conflict diamonds. The Foreign Secretary will be pressing strongly for support for such action, including the possibility of a global certification scheme for rough diamonds, at a meeting of G8 Foreign Ministers in July.
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent UN report on the diamond trade in Sierra Leone. [122704]
Mr. Hain: We are not aware of any recent UN report on the diamond trade in Sierra Leone. We are however deeply concerned about the contribution of the illicit diamond trade to the conflict in Sierra Leone. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary will be pressing strongly for G8 support for action on diamonds, including the possibility of a global certification scheme for rough diamonds, at a meeting of G8 Foreign Ministers in July.
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with De Beers diamond company; and if De Beers have indicated the changes to their internal structures which they have made to ensure compliance with United Nations Security Council resolution 1173. [122703]
Mr. Hain: I met with De Beers in January this year and emphasised the need for the diamond industry to respond with specific measures to concerns over the trade in illicit diamonds which fuel conflict. We welcome De Beers' commitment to operate in strict compliance with United Nations Security Council resolution 1173 (1998), including through a guarantee that they will not trade in diamonds which come from any area in Africa controlled by forces rebelling against the legitimate and internationally recognised Government of the relevant country.
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Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress he has made in persuading the United Nations Security Council to amend resolution 1173 to require all diamonds to carry a certificate of origin. [122706]
Mr. Hain: United Nations Security Council resolution 1173 (1998) deals specifically with Angola and is therefore not an appropriate means through which to pursue action to control the wider international trade in illicit diamonds. The Foreign Secretary will be pressing strongly for G8 support for action on diamonds, including the possibility of a global certification scheme for rough diamonds, at a meeting of G8 Foreign Ministers in July.
Sudan
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the UN Special Rapporteur's report on Sudan concerning the role of oil in the conflict. [122338]
Mr. Hain: We remain concerned about reports of human rights abuses associated with oil exploration in the Sudan. We regularly raise them and other human rights issues with the Government of Sudan including through the EU/Sudan dialogue. The EU made clear its concerns about human rights in the resolution it sponsored at this year's UN Commission on Human Rights.
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received concerning airstrips and roads built by oil companies being used by the Government of Sudan for the purpose of bombing raids. [122341]
Mr. Hain: We are aware of reports suggesting that airstrips in the oil areas of Sudan may also have been used for military purposes.
We have made clear to the Government of Sudan our concern about aerial bombing raids and have called on them to abstain from any attacks on civilian targets.
Human Rights
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will encourage the IMF to develop a detailed audit trail for the sale of oil reserves by countries that abuse human rights; and if he will make a statement. [115721]
Mr. Andrew Smith: I have been asked to reply.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the UK's Governor of the IMF and is responsible for the management of UK interests at the Fund. The IMF is an International Financial Institution set up to promote a sound world financial system and broad-based economic growth through assistance to countries experiencing unsustainable external imbalances and related economic difficulties. The IMF's remit, as set out in the Articles of Agreement, emphasises that only economic conditions shall be relevant to its decisions.
The IMF's Executive Board has, in the last month, agreed to the adoption of a strengthened framework of measures to safeguard the use of Fund resources and to deter misreporting and misuse of Fund resources. A key part of this will be a requirement that all countries making use of Fund resources will be required to publish annual
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central bank financial statements that are independently audited in accordance with internationally accepted standards.
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Civil Servants
Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what was the average percentage increase in salaries of non-industrial civil servants, excluding members of the senior Civil Service, in his Department for 1999-2000; and to what extent the pay awards were staged. [121654]
Mr. Chris Smith: In my Department the headline pay settlement was 3.7 per cent. of the paybill. The average performance-related increase in salaries for staff below the Senior Civil Service was also 3.7 per cent. because there were no additional funds available from staff turnover. Other benefits increased the value of the settlement to 4 per cent.
In the Royal Parks Agency the headline pay settlement was 3.16 per cent. and, together with the additional funds from staff turnover, the average performance related increase in salary and allowances was 3.74 per cent.
The increases were not staged.
National Lottery
Mr. Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what data he has collated on National Lottery ticket sales by (a) constituency and (b) social class. [122269]
Kate Hoey: A table showing National Lottery ticket sales by constituency for the first five years of the Lottery's operation has been placed in the Libraries of the House. (This table is reproduced in House of Commons Library Research Paper 00/24.)
The National Lottery Commission supports a social research programme on participation in the National Lottery. Report No. 1 of this programme, published in May 1999, contains data on participation by social class. Copies of this report have also been placed in the Libraries of the House.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Child Benefit
Ms Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the (a) forecast cost of introducing the Income Support supplement to Child Benefit and (b) projected number of claimant families on a year by year basis. [122611]
Angela Eagle: There is no Income Support supplement to Child Benefit. However, the above inflation increases to Child Benefit from April 1999 and April 2000 were reflected in Income Support to ensure that the families on the lowest incomes benefit from the increases. The information contained in the table shows the estimated cost and number of claimant families.
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| Estimated cost (£ million) | Number of claimant families | |
|---|---|---|
| 1999-2000 | 80 | 1,230 |
| 2000-01 | 140 | 1,215 |
| 2001-02 | 160 | 1,200 |
Notes:
1. Figures based on Budget 2000 forecast.
2. Expenditure figures rounded to nearest million.
3. Caseload figures rounded to nearest 5,000.
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Ms Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the (a) total and (b) forecast level of expenditure since 1997 on increasing Child Benefit; and in respect of how many children payments were made. [122599]
Angela Eagle: The information is in the table.
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| Total expenditure (£000) | Amount of total expenditure attributable to increase since 1997 (£000) | Total number of children (Thousand) | Total number of children in respect of whom payment made (Thousand) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-98 | 7,088 | 138 | 12,729 | 12,729 |
| 1998-99 | 7,295 | 352 | 12,716 | 12,716 |
| 1999-2000 | 8,216 | 1,371 | 12,689 | 12,689 |
| 2000-01 | 8,531 | 1,724 | 12,763 | 12,763 |
| 2001-02 | 8,804 | 2,017 | 12,754 | 12,754 |
Notes:
1. Increased expenditure includes both Retail Prices Index and discretionary uprating.
2. Figures based on Budget 2000 forecast.
3. Caseload figures are consistent with the Departmental Report 2000.
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