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CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Opinion Research
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to his answer of 25 May 2000, Official Report, column 581W, on opinion research, what steps have been taken to ensure that his Department makes such results publicly available as required by paragraph 19 of the Cabinet Office May 1999 Guidelines on Research into Public Attitudes and Opinions. [124903]
Mr. Alan Howarth: Officials in the Department and its agencies and staff in our NDPBs are aware of their obligations under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, to which paragraph 19 of the Cabinet Office Guidelines refers, and I expect them to ensure that the Code of Practice is followed. A senior official in my Department wrote to all chief executives of DCMS NDPBs on 10 December 1999, drawing their attention to the publication of the Freedom of Information Bill and reminding them of the need to comply, until a Freedom of Information Act is brought into force, with the Code of Practice.
National Lottery
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the (a) health and (b) education projects that have been funded from the National Lottery in each of the last two years; and how much each has received. [123634]
Kate Hoey: Lottery funding for health and education projects is primarily distributed through the New Opportunities Fund, although some awards made by other
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distributors, such as Sport England, the Arts Council and the National Lottery Charities Board, will certainly have educational or health benefits.
Over the past two years, the New Opportunities Fund has made nearly 1,000 separate awards distributing £75 million to its educational and health programmes. These awards have included nearly £65 million to 980 out of school hours child care and learning schemes, and £10 million to create six Healthy Living Centres. The Fund is about to begin distributing to NHS Trusts over £90 million worth of equipment for detecting and treating cancer.
I have asked the Chief Executive of the Fund to write to the hon. Member with full details of all of the health and education awards. Copies of this letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Health Projects
Ms McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if the level of funding granted by her Department for reproductive health projects in (1) 2000-01 will be set at 85 per cent. for the entire duration of such projects; [124901]
- (2) 2001-02 will be set at 70 per cent. for the entire duration of such projects. [124902]
Clare Short: The levels of funding granted by my Department, under the Civil Society Challenge Fund for new reproductive health projects funded in the following fiscal years, are:
- funded in 2000-01--up to 85 per cent. funding available
funded in 2001-02--up to 70 per cent. funding available
funded in 2002-03--up to 50 per cent. funding available.
Central Reserve (Humanitarian Emergencies)
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many times her Department has accessed the Treasury's central reserve to fund humanitarian emergencies this year; and if she will make a statement. [124998]
Clare Short: My Department has not accessed the Treasury's central reserve during the 2000-01 financial year. During 1999-2000, DFID accessed the central reserve on two occasions to help fund humanitarian emergencies in Kosovo and East Timor.
Kosovo
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of the United Kingdom's assistance to Kosovo is paid from her Department's conflict and emergency fund; and how much is met from Her Majesty's Treasury's central reserve. [125001]
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Clare Short: I refer the hon. Member to page 86 (Box 6d) of the Department for International Development's Departmental Report 2000, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.
Sumatra
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the humanitarian effects of the recent earthquake in Sumatra. [125019]
Clare Short: The worst affected areas are Bengkulu and Lampung Provinces and the island of Enggano. Over 100 people are confirmed as dead and a further 700 people have been injured. These figures are likely to rise. There has been extensive damage to housing and public buildings, including Bengkulu city hospital. Communication with the Bengkulu area is extremely difficult as the telephone system is down and access has been restricted due to damage to the airport, major roads and bridges. However, initial reports indicate that the damage was not as devastating as might have been expected, given the size of the earthquake.
The Indonesian authorities have rapidly mobilised civil and military assets to respond to the disaster and are supported by the local Red Cross Society. A six-person United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination team has been deployed to the region to assist with the relief effort.
My Department has contributed £250,000 for the purchase and distribution of relief items, such as shelter, blankets and the provision of clean water and first aid. This support is being channelled through the Red Cross and will target 140,000 of the worst affected people. We will continue to monitor the situation and stand ready to respond further to assessed needs.
India
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the humanitarian impact of the drought affecting the Indian states of Rajasthan and Gujarat. [125018]
Clare Short: A team from my Department has recently returned from India where they made a humanitarian assessment of the impact of the drought and the likely needs of the population. The team found Rajasthan and Gujarat to be among the three states in India worst affected by the drought. The principal humanitarian impacts of the drought include a significant reduction in household income; an increase in temporary migration; death of livestock; weakening of remaining herds; and health problems associated with scarcity of water and reduced food intake.
The Government of India have launched a large-scale drought relief effort which appears to be reaching a significant proportion of the affected population. United Nations agencies and non-governmental organisations are also active in providing humanitarian assistance to those suffering as a result of the drought.
We have committed nearly £3 million for relief projects in response to the drought regionally, including Pakistan and Afghanistan which are also badly affected. £500,000
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of this support is being channelled through Oxfam for their relief programme in Rajasthan and Gujarat. We are considering what further assistance to provide.
Southern Africa
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made with the implementation of the EU's initiative on prevention of trafficking of light weapons in southern Africa launched in 1998. [125020]
Clare Short: Progress has been made in a number of areas. Key organisations such as the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Co-operation Organisation (SARPCCO) have made significant efforts to take forward components of the agreed agenda in order to better address small arms questions, and are playing a growing role in bringing together a regional approach. The regional action programme has itself been an important mechanism around which the actions of donors can be co-ordinated with the needs and priorities of partner countries.
We have continued to provide support through non-governmental organisations such as Saferworld and the South African Institute for Security Studies (ISS) to take the regional action programme forward. In addition, we are also supporting a number of relevant police and customs service development projects which increase security and thereby decrease the need for, and availability of, small arms.
We are committed to continuing support for the regional action programme and to working closely with other UK Departments to ensure that this important initiative remains a priority activity for the EU.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Questionnaires
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many questionnaires have been compiled by his Department since 1 May 1997 for public distribution; and what has been the response rate for each. [123611]
Mr. Hain: I refer the hon. Gentleman to previous answers given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Europe about the questionnaire attached to the "Your Britain, Your Europe" leaflet on 10 April 2000, Official Report, column 77W; on 2 May 2000, Official Report, column 67W; and on 15 May 2000, Official Report, column 28W. In addition, at two FCO Open Days in October 1999 we distributed just under 720 questionnaires to canvass reactions from visitors. We received 227 replies.
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