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Accountancy Services
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the total cost to her Department was for accountancy services in each of the last four years. [34175]
Hilary Benn: Most of the accountancy work in DFID is carried out by our own in-house staff. We paid £100,815 for external accountancy advice in 2000–01 as part of the preparation for the CDC public-private partnership, and we have paid £17,102 to date in 2001–02 for external accountancy advice in relation to resource accounting and budgeting. These are the only costs for additional accountancy services which we can readily identify in the past four years.
Public Bodies (Chairmen)
Mr. Forth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the appointments made by her Department since 1 May 1997 of chairmen of (a) non-departmental public bodies, (b) commissions, (c) inquiries, (d) agencies and (e) task forces; and if she will list their (i) term of office, (ii) salary and (iii) known political affiliation (A) past and (B) present. [33885]
Hilary Benn: The following chairmen were appointed by my Department.
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Our remaining non-departmental public bodies have, or had, as their chairmen either Ministers or civil servants who fill the roles in an ex-officio capacity.
- (b) Commissions
- Commission on Intellectual Property Rights
- Professor John Barton. April 2001 to June 2002.
- A per diem of £500 (approximately £9,500 a year)
- No known political affiliations.
No chairmen have been appointed to inquiries, agencies or task forces.
Free Basic Education
Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to secure the abolition of education charges by 2005. [33517]
Hilary Benn: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Banbury (Tony Baldry) on 21 January 2002, Official Report, column 604W.
Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken to launch a global initiative to achieve free basic education for all; and if she will make a statement. [33518]
Hilary Benn: At the Education for All (EFA) High-Level Group meeting in Paris in October, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development made clear that the international response to the Dakar Framework for Action has been slow and has lacked effective co-ordination. She called for international action to be stepped so that we can accelerate current progress and ensure that we meet the target of quality primary education for all children by 2015. DFID's "Children out of school" paper sets out these proposals and urges much greater international energy and co-operation in taking them forward.
Achieving universal primary education (UPE) can happen only through reform and action at country level. A key indicator of commitment is the rapid abolition of user fees and other direct cost barriers to education. Other indicators are the development of sound national education policies, closely linked to the country's poverty reduction strategies; the resources allocated to education, and specifically to primary education; and evidence of efforts to promote gender equality.
Where countries are making these commitments, the international community must deliver the additional resources they require. We believe this is best achieved through analysis and action at the country level. The Dakar resource pledge should be incorporated into all
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country level negotiations on poverty reduction strategies. It will also require a change in the level of international financing to support and sustain UPE, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Development agencies and the multilateral development banks, including the World bank, must increase the resources committed to helping reforming Governments deliver UPE.
The Government are involved in three major international initiatives focusing on implementing the commitments made at Dakar. They are: the UNESCO and the EFA High-Level Group; the World bank (which is preparing a paper for its spring meeting); and the G8 (whose education task force will report to this year's summit in Canada).
Botswana
Mr. Hawkins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action her Department has taken in relation to the forced relocation of the Bushmen of the Kalahari of Botswana to New Xhade. [34766]
Hilary Benn: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Falmouth and Camborne (Ms Atherton) on 16 January 2002, Official Report, column 311W. Further to this, our high commissioner to Botswana met the Minister for Local Government on 22 January. He advised that the severance of essential supplies, such as water, cuts across previous assurances and will provoke criticism from the international community.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Afghanistan
Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the treatment of UK citizens who have been captured in Afghanistan and held by US forces, with special reference to (a) when consular officials will have access to them, (b) when the International Committee of the Red Cross will have access to them, (c) whether they will have legal representation, (d) whether they are prisoners of war under the Geneva conventions and who made the determination as to their status and (e) whether the UK citizens will be treated in accordance with the Geneva conventions. [28334]
Mr. Bradshaw: A team of British officials visited Guantanamo Bay between 17 and 20 January and saw three British detainees. We continue to investigate reports of a small number of individuals detained in Afghanistan
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who might be British. We are aware of two British nationals who are detained in Kandahar by the US authorities.
The International Committee of the Red Cross have established a presence at Guantanamo Bay and their officials have access to the detainees at any time. They also have access to detainees held by the US authorities in Afghanistan.
We have asked the US to clarify what access the detainees will have to legal representation.
Whether any individual is a prisoner of war depends on the facts of each individual case. It is for the US as the Detaining Power in the first instance to take a view. The US authorities have said that the detainees are being treated humanely and consistently with the principles of the Geneva conventions.
Israel
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he (a) last met and (b) intends to meet the Israeli Foreign Secretary. [31684]
Mr. Straw: I met the Israeli Foreign Secretary in Israel on 25 September 2001 and in Brussels on 10 December 2001. We are due to meet again on 13 February when I visit Israel.
TRANSPORT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND
THE REGIONS
Road Noise Reduction
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what targets the Government have set for resurfacing the strategic road network with noise-reducing surfaces; what funding has been earmarked for this work; and what percentage of this financial year's earmarked funding has been spent to date. [27024]
Mr. Spellar [holding answer 14 January 2002]: The Government's 10-year plan for transport tasked the Highways Agency with installing quieter surfaces on more than 60 per cent. of the motorway and trunk road network including all concrete stretches. Funding will be allocated over the period as part of the agency's roads renewals budget. This financial year, the agency plans to spend around £250 million. To date, they have spent nearly 74 per cent. (£184 million) and they expect to spend to budget.
Road Tax
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent discussions the Minister of Transport and his officials have had with their Austrian counterparts regarding Austrian road tax charges at point of entry. [27717]
Mr. Spellar: My Department takes a close interest in developments in lorry road-user charging throughout Europe, including the scheme operated by the Austrian Government and regular discussions are held with national Administrations, including Austria.
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