House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 10 Apr 2002 (pt 48)

Underspend

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the (a) capital and (b) revenue underspend in her Department is expected to be in the financial year 2001–02. [47808]

Hilary Benn: Estimated outturn figures for 2001–02 will be published in the Budget report on 17 April.

Mobile Phones

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list, for 1997–98 and for each subsequent financial year, the amount spent (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) abroad by (i) her Department, (ii) its agencies and (iii) its non-departmental public bodies on (1) providing mobile telephone equipment, including handsets and other associated equipment, (2) telephone calls made using such equipment and (3) telephone calls made using privately owned mobile telephones but subsequently reclaimed by (x) Ministers and (y) staff. [34409]

Hilary Benn: This information is not held centrally and could be made available only at a disproportionate cost.

Property Protection

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what new measures her Department took in 2001–02 to protect its property from theft or damage. [47326]

Hilary Benn: As part of the refurbishment of our new London Headquarters, a number of additional security measures were introduced. Additional external CCTV cameras were installed, and a purpose-built security control room constructed. Improved external doors, grills and locks were also fitted, and security pillars were installed to monitor and control access into the building. A new system for asset control has also been introduced, whereby valuable assets can be tagged, and their movement monitored.

Similar measures will be implemented during future refurbishment of our other two UK buildings. In the meantime our East Kilbride office is currently being fitted with secure storage for up to 30 bicycles.

Relocation

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to relocate executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies under the remit of her Department to Scotland. [47953]

Hilary Benn: The Department for International Development has no executive agencies. Two of the three non-departmental public bodies under my remit are based in the South East. The third, the Overseas Service Pensions Scheme Advisory Board, is administered from our offices in Scotland although their meetings take place in the South East. There are no plans to change these arrangements.

Television

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the number of subscriptions to (a) digital terrestrial, (b) digital satellite and (c) digital

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cable television held by her Department for services in any departmental building from which Ministers work, stating for each subscription its (i) cost and (ii) purpose. [48533]

Hilary Benn: The Department's 1 Palace Street, London office currently subscribes to the Annunciator Link to the Houses of Parliament, which transmits both digital terrestrial and satellite channels. The cost of this is £937 plus VAT per month. The link is used by my Private and Press Offices to keep in touch with events in both Houses of Parliament and to pick up broadcasts from the various news channels.

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the (a) number and (b) total cost of television licences paid for by her Department. [48332]

Hilary Benn: We currently hold three television licenses at a total cost of £327. In addition, we also pay a monthly rental fee of £937 plus VAT for the Annunciator Link to the Houses of Parliament. This is used for the transmission of terrestrial and satellite channels to points to our 1 Palace Street, London office.

Pensions

Mr. Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the average value in pounds sterling of pensions received by British nationals under the CAPF in the last year for which figures are available. [48020]

Hilary Benn: I am advised by the Crown Agents, who are responsible for the management of the Central African Pension Fund (CAPF), that the average CAPF pension is £451.17 a year. It is not possible to provide a figure for British nationals alone.

Electronic Invoices

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the initiation by her Department of the electronic receipt of invoices. [47782]

Hilary Benn: A report on progress against this particular Public Service Agreement (PSA) target, and against all other PSA targets set by my Department between April 1999 and March 2002, will appear in DFID's 2002 Departmental Report to be published later this month.

Internet Access

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if access to the internet for all overseas staff of the Department and its agencies will be provided in 2002. [47776]

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Audit Needs Assessment

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the result was of the consideration by the Department's Management Board of an audit needs assessment in March 2001. [47780]

Budgeting Forecasting

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the result of the testing of the pilot systems for improved budgeting forecasting and suspense management is. [47779]

Implementation Group (Tokyo)

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development who will represent the UK Government at the first meeting of the Implementation Group (Tokyo) due to meet in Kabul on 19 April; and if she will make a statement. [47702]

Hilary Benn: Senior officials from DFID will represent the UK at the Implementation Group meeting in Kabul, which is scheduled to take place from 10 to 11 April.

This will be the first meeting of the Implementation Group since the Ministerial Conference that was held in Tokyo in January 2002. Around 150 participants are expected to attend, approximately a third of whom will be representing Afghan line ministries. Issues for discussion are likely to include the National Development Framework; an analysis of donor pledges and commitments; a progress report on the Immediate and Transitional Assistance Programme (ITAP) for Afghanistan in 2002; and modalities of the World Bank Afghan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF).

Afghanistan

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will support the call from Afghanistan's Minister for Women's Affairs for 25 per cent. female representation on the Loya Jirga being organised under the auspices of the UN. [47700]

Hilary Benn: We welcome the announcement by the Special Commission for the convening of the Emergency Loya Jirga on 31 March on the procedures and criteria for the selection of delegates for the Emergency Loya Jirga. This includes a quota of 165 seats for women: approximately 11 per cent. of the total Emergency Loya Jirga delegation. This is the highest proportion of women included in any Loya Jirga in Afghan history, and as such is an important first step in ensuring that the views of women will be represented. We will continue to urge the

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Special Commission for the Emergency Loya Jirga to actively encourage more Afghan women to participate in the political process.

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to her answer of 5 February 2002, Official Report, column 916W, on her Department's office in Kabul, what jobs are filled by Afghan (a) women and (b) men at the office. [47656]

Hilary Benn: 25 Afghan staff are employed in the DFID office in Kabul: 24 of whom are male, and one female. National staff are predominantly employed as programme officers, programme assistants, security guards, drivers and housekeepers. The female Afghan member of staff is employed as a housekeeper.

All DFID positions for national staff in Afghanistan are advertised publicly with a notice encouraging women to apply.

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she has received a report from UNIFEM on the meeting held in Kabul with the Association of Afghan Women on 7 and 8 March; and if she will make a statement. [47699]

Hilary Benn: The UNIFEM report of the meeting held in Kabul with the Association of Afghan Women in March has not yet been published. We have requested a copy of the final report when it is issued.

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