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International Development Foundation
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding her Department has provided to the International Development Foundation in the past five years; and how many times her Department has worked with the International Development Foundation in this period. [30401]
Clare Short: There are no records of DFID having either worked with or provided any support to the London- based International Development Foundation.
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Child Slavery
Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had on providing funding for refugees for those fleeing from child slavery; and if she will make a statement. [31460]
Clare Short: Children may be at risk from many forms of forced labour. Protection and rehabilitation in their former or new communities needs to be adapted to their particular circumstances, whether they are former bonded labourers, child soldiers or victims of trafficking.
Many programmes supported by my Department to end exploitative child labour and improve livelihood opportunities and access to education, health, justice and protection provide assistance to such children. We also support specifically targeted programmes such as UNICEF's work on the rehabilitation of child soldiers and other children affected by conflict.
Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations she has received about child slavery (a) in general and (b) in Gabon, Togo and Benin; and if she will make a statement. [31459]
Clare Short: Concern has been expressed about child trafficking and slavery in a number of regions, including Gabon, Togo and Benin and other parts of West Africa. The Government are strongly committed to the elimination of child slavery and all forms of abusive or exploitative child labour. We are supporting the efforts of governments, working with our European partners and international bodies such as UNICEF and the International Labour Organisation, and voluntary agencies such as Anti-Slavery International, to end these practices, both in domestic and export industries.
Children (Sexual Exploitation)
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid is being given to combat sexual exploitation of children overseas; and if she will make a statement. [31146]
Clare Short: Combating sexual exploitation of children is part of a wider set of issues related to the vulnerability of poor people to the interests of the sex industry and national and international traffickers. It is an international problem requiring co-ordinated action. DFID's goal is to eliminate the poverty and social injustice that may lead to such abuses. Much of our focus is on reducing the risks of young people being recruited into the industry. With other Government Departments, we are supporting the efforts of Governments and international agencies to strengthen social protection policies and justice systems in line with the international treaty framework covering these issues.
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Examples of Government assistance include:
- funding the ILO's International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour;
training the police in Sri Lanka and the Philippines to identify, prevent and counsel victims of sexual abuse;
Supporting the Asia-Europe (ASEM) Resource Centre website which promotes agency co-operation, sharing of information and good practice;
funding NGOs working with tour operators on developing a code of practice for the travel industry to eliminate child sex tourism.
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Contracts (KPMG)
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contracts her Department has with KPMG; and what the value is of each one. [31321]
Clare Short: My Department currently has 18 contracts with KPMG. The table lists contracts and values.
| File number | Project title | Current contract value (£) |
|---|---|---|
| 20013326 | Jamaica Performance Improvement Programme: Modernisation Vision and Strategy Paper for reform of Jamaican public service | 59,185 |
| 20013102 | Andhra Pradesh support for the Governance Support Programme | 801,962 |
| 20012861 | Assistance to E-Governance Sub Group for Stability Pact South Eastern Europe Initiative | 92,075 |
| 20012520 | Support for National Anti-Corruption Strategy | 343,008 |
| 20012262 | Results Orientated Management Implementation Support | 165,468 |
| 20012312 | Jamaica Performance Improvement Programme: Managing Consultancy to Provide a Programme of Support for the Ministry of Education and Cult | 363,240 |
| 20012209 | Improving Public Service through Provision of One Stop Shops | 194,900 |
| 20012131 | Business and Employment Centres (BEC): Independent Project Audit | 6,000 |
| 20001628 | Guyana Water Sector Programme: Phase 1—Lead Consultants | 556,451 |
| 20001561 | Vulnerable Children in Ekaterinburg and Sverdlovsk Oblast: External Audit of Accounts by Third Party | 12,000 |
| 20001028 | Contract Management Constabulary Reform and Modernisation Project | 2,661,940 |
| 20000640 | Performance Review of Ministry of Finance | 696,084 |
| 20000139 | Support to the Bulgarian Export Insurance Agency | 609,473 |
| 19998996 | Ministry for the Environment Natural Resources and Fish (SEMARNAP) Institutional Strengthening, Monitoring and Evaluation Project: Programme for Regional Sustainable Development (Proders) | 617,350 |
| 19997355 | Support for Improving Corporate Services and Management in the Rwanda Revenue Authority | 2,461,845 |
| 19984694 | Private Sector Infrastructure Development Project | 5,032,976 |
| MAL/72/01 | BLM (Banja La M'Tsogola) Integrated Sexual Reproductive Health | 1,704 |
| DCP/PERW/WI | Personal Wages and Employment Review | 38,868 |
EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Individual Learning Accounts
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much each registered provider under the ILA scheme was owed by her Department when the scheme was (a) closed and (b) suspended. [28855]
John Healey [holding answer 21 January 2002]: The amount of payment owed to individual providers is held as commercial in confidence. The ILA programme was closed on 23 November, not suspended. At the date of closure the total value of learning confirmed on the ILA Centre system was £14.8 million. Payment of £3.5 million for confirmed learning was made on 20 December to 1,383 learning providers, which is 91 per cent. of those who had confirmed learning up to 21 November. 136 provider claims with a total value of £11.3 million are held while complaints and concerns about the learning delivered are investigated.
We have as a matter of priority carried out work to finalise checks of providers' claims made between 21 and 23 November to enable further payments to be made. The total amount of these claims is £4.65 million, of which £2.23 million was paid to 1,241 learning providers last week. This represents 94 per cent. of those who had confirmed learning by 23 November. A further 84 provider claims with a total value of £2.42 million are held while complaints and concerns about the learning delivered are investigated.
Teacher Retention
Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what initiatives she is undertaking to improve teacher retention rates in schools. [30527]
Mr. Timms: Retaining good teachers within the profession is key to continuing to raise standards in schools. Our research has consistently shown that workload is a significant factor in influencing teachers to leave the profession. That is why we have asked the School Teachers' Review Body to consider the findings of the recent PricewaterhouseCoopers study that we commissioned into reducing teachers' workloads. The STRB will report to us by the end of April this year and we have already announced the piloting of 30 school work force pathfinders to test out innovative solutions to reducing work load and bureaucracy in schools. In addition, we made £33 million available in 2001–02 directly to schools in those parts of the country where problems are greatest to fund local recruitment and retention initiatives. We have recently announced a further £44 million for 2002–03. More than 3,500 teachers will also receive assistance to purchase homes in areas of high price or demand as part of the Government's £250 million starter homes initiative. We have also announced our proposal to accept the STRB's recently announced recommendations, including a further above inflation pay increase of 3.5 per cent. for all teachers and that good, experienced, teachers should in future be able to receive a £2,148 pay increase on crossing the threshold after five years instead of seven. My right hon. Friend the
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Secretary of State set out our longer term proposals for teachers and teaching in a pamphlet, "Professionalism and Trust", published in November 2001.
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