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Fixed Wireless Licences
Mr. Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she plans to take to dispose of fixed wireless broadband local loop licences unsold at the end of the recent auction round. [41907]
Mr. Alexander: An award process was opened on 15 October 2001 to give companies the opportunity to obtain the remaining fixed wireless licences in the 28GHz band when they consider that the time is right. Applications can be submitted at any time up until 14 October 2002.
Coalfields (Small Business Service)
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many small business service headquarters are situated in coalfield constituencies; [41820]
- (2) how many small business services have sub-offices in coalfield constituencies. [41819]
Nigel Griffiths: The SBS provides business support through contracts with Business Link Operators, five of which are situated in or have sub-offices in coalfield constituencies, as defined by 1991 ward boundaries:
- Coventry and Warwickshire
Derbyshire
South Yorkshire
Staffordshire
Chamber Business Services (Wigan).
- County Durham
Coventry and Warwickshire
Derbyshire
Gloucestershire
Greater Manchester
Kent
Leicestershire
North Yorkshire
Nottinghamshire
Chamber Business Enterprises (Salford)
South Yorkshire
Staffordshire
Tyne and Wear
Tyneside
West Yorkshire
Chamber Business Services (Wigan).
Miners' Compensation
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry further to her answer of 1 February 2002, Official Report, column 615W, on miners' compensation, what policy has been agreed for handling claims for loss of earnings from former mineworkers who are claiming for both respiratory disease and Vibration White Finger. [41969]
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Mr. Wilson: Where a former mineworker makes a claim for both respiratory disease and Vibration White Finger, VWF, and is entitled to loss of earnings or services, there may be overlap between the claims, which could result in double compensation. Discussions are currently taking place between the Department and the Claimants' Solicitors Group as to how to process these claims. The general damages element of these dual claims can be dealt with while discussions are in progress.
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Child Exploitation
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action she intends to take to prevent the future exploitation of children by aid workers in Africa. [40245]
Clare Short: UNHCR has undertaken to increase security in the camps, improve aid distribution, introduce a code of conduct and improve reporting procedures. A full investigation is underway by the UN Office of Investigation and Oversight Services. The UN Secretary General and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees have declared a policy of "zero tolerance" for this kind of abuse. We shall monitor closely UNHCR's implementation and development of the Framework for Action it has adopted to ensure that the exploitation of children exposed in their recent report is stopped. We shall encourage all implicated organisations urgently to review their policies and to ensure that they have appropriate procedures in place to prevent the recruitment of individuals who might exploit their positions of power and trust, and to detect and remove any individuals found doing so.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what guidelines her Department issues to aid organisations working with children regarding sexual exploitation. [40241]
Clare Short: We do not issue specific guidelines to partners on the conduct of their staff. It is the responsibility to each agency to set and monitor its own code of conduct. We shall encourage those implicated in the recent UNHCR/Save the Children-UK report urgently to review their policies and procedures for the detection and prevention of any exploitation by their staff of their positions of power and trust.
Angola
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much humanitarian aid the UK has sent to Angola in each of the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement on (a) the humanitarian situation in Angola and (b) international efforts to alleviate the situation. [42521]
Clare Short: The UK has spent 595,000 in 1992–93; 13,240,000 in 1993–94; 8,158,000 in 1994–95; 11,101,000 in 1995–96; 5,898,000 in 1996–97; 1,500,000 in 1997–98; 2,500,000 in 1998–99; 3,236,000 in 1999–2000; 2,240,000 in 2000–01. The final figure for the current financial year is not yet available, but is likely to be similar to last year. The humanitarian situation in Angola remains dire. The UN estimates that over
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4 million have been displaced from their homes due to the conflict there. Repeated international attempts to gain access to those most affected by the war were thwarted by the military actions of both sides. The recent death of the UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi provides an opportunity to find a lasting peace. The Government and UNITA must seize this chance to bring an end to the suffering of the Angolan people.
Cameroon
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action she is taking to achieve the target of universal primary education in Cameroon. [42766]
Clare Short: None. Our direct support to poverty reduction efforts in Cameroon is focused on the forestry sector and we have no plans to expand into other areas.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much money her Department has provided to the Government of Cameroon (a) bilaterally and (b) multilaterally in each of the last five years. [42763]
Clare Short: We do not currently provide any budgetary support to the Government of Cameroon. Our direct assistance to Cameroon has been in the form of project-related support working with both Government and non-Government partners, mainly in the forestry sector.
Bilateral expenditure in Cameroon over the last five years is as follows:
| Financial year | Total DFID programme(1) |
|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 2.2 |
| 1997–98 | 2.1 |
| 1998–99 | 1.9 |
| 1999–2000 | 2.4 |
| 2000–01 | 3.1 |
(1) These figures do not include non-DFID debt relief
The UK's imputed share of multilateral assistance 1 given to Cameroon during 1995–99 (the latest year for which figures are available) is as follows:
| Calendar year | EC | UN | World Bank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 4.4 | 1.7 | 0.6 |
| 1996 | 4.4 | 2.7 | 0.0 |
| 1997 | 2.4 | 1.8 | 0.6 |
| 1998 | 3.2 | 4.9 | 0.0 |
| 1999 | 5.7 | 5.3 | 0.0 |
(2) Based on DAC figures
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what actions her Department is taking to combat Government corruption in Cameroon. [42762]
Clare Short: We are actively engaged in the preparation of a Forest and Environment Sector Programme, which will include measures aimed at combating corruption in the forestry sector. We also currently fund an independent monitor of illegal logging. This support recognises the importance of the forestry sector for the Cameroonian economy and for poverty
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reduction, but that corruption in this sector is a major problem. More generally my Department has supported the inclusion of benchmarks on good governance, as part of the assessment of Cameroon's eligibility for debt relief under the heavily indebted poor countries initiative, and will encourage full implementation of the poverty reduction strategy.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action her Department is taking to bring good governance to Cameroon. [42761]
Clare Short: Our programme of support to Cameroon is focused on the forestry sector, which is acknowledged by Cameroon's interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper as being important for poverty reduction. We are actively engaged in the preparation of a Forest and Environment Sector Programme, which will include measures aimed at improving governance in the sector, and currently fund an Independent Monitor of illegal logging. We continue to play an active part in international community discussion of the Poverty Reduction Strategy process, which includes benchmarks on good governance.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the level of Government corruption in Cameroon. [42764]
Clare Short: We have done no independent assessment of the level of government corruption in Cameroon. However, it has long been recognised by the international community that steps need to be taken to reduce the high levels of corruption that have hampered Cameroon's development. The Poverty Reduction Growth Facility (PRGF) and the interim Poverty Reduction Strategy paper linked to the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, include commitments by the Government of Cameroon to tackle corruption and improve governance.
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