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Gibraltar
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has obtained an undertaking from the Government of Spain to abide by the results of referendums held in Gibraltar on its future status. [51450]
Peter Hain: The Government of Spain are fully aware of the public statements made by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and other Ministers that in the event of the people of Gibraltar rejecting any joint proposals put forward by Britain and Spain, Her Majesty's Government will continue to stand by the people of Gibraltar politically, legally and morally. This is not a matter for negotiation with Spain.
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals are being discussed with his Spanish counterpart in relation to the future status of Gibraltar. [51451]
Peter Hain: I refer my hon. Friend to the Foreign Secretary's statement in answer to my right hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Gorton (Mr. Kaufman) on 5 February 2002, Official Report, column 735.
Civil Service (Recruitment)
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what percentage of policy entrants were educated at (a) public school, (b) Oxford university and (c) Cambridge university in each year since 1997; [50566]
- (2) what percentage of the diplomatic service both operational and policy were educated at (a) public school, (b) Oxford university and (c) Cambridge university in each year since 1997; [50569]
(3) what percentage of operational entrants were educated at (a) public school, (b) Oxford university and (c) Cambridge university in each year since 1997. [50568]
Mr. Bradshaw: The information is as follows:
| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Policy entrants | ||||
| Percentage from Oxbridge | 48 | 65 | 44 | 57 |
| Percentage from independent schools | 64 | 61 | 60 | 64 |
| Operational entrants | ||||
| Percentage from Oxbridge | 6 | 7 | 4 | 4 |
| Percentage from independent schools | 24 | 37 | 33 | 37 |
The recruitment section records Oxford and Cambridge jointly and records school information as independent (which includes public schools) or comprehensive. These figures are published in the departmental report.
General Affairs Council
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason no devolved administration Minister attended the 4121 European Union Council of Ministers (General) meeting on 15 April; which suggestions and matters of concern from the Scottish Executive were raised in their absence by the UK Government delegation; and what information
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and evidence was provided by his Department to enable effective post-council scrutiny by the European Committee of the Scottish Parliament. [51729]
Peter Hain: Decisions on Ministerial attendance at Council meetings are taken on a case-by-case basis by the lead UK Minister. The Foreign Secretary attended this meeting, representing all parts of the UK.
It is the responsibility of the European Committee of the Scottish Parliament to scrutinise the Scottish Executive's involvement in preparations for and follow-up to EU Council meetings. These arrangements are a matter for the Committee and the Scottish Executive. This Department provides information to Scottish Executive officials as part of that process.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff left the service of his Department and its agencies in the year ended 31 March 2001; how many left before attaining the formal retirement age of 60 years; and in respect of how many his Department and its agencies assumed responsibilities for making payments until retirement age. [37551]
Mr. Bradshaw: 314 staff left the department between 1 April 2000 and 31 March 2001. 56 people left before their formal retirement age. This Department is still making annual compensation payments to 49 of those until they reach formal retirement age.
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Sunset Clauses
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which Bills introduced by her Department in the last five years have contained sunset clauses; and what plans she has for the future use of such clauses. [49626]
Clare Short: In the last five years the Department for International Development has introduced the Commonwealth Development Corporation Bill (in 1998) and the International Development Bill (in 2001). Neither contained sunset clauses. The Department has no current plans for future legislation.
Overseas Projects
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the value for money achieved by the Resource Centre for the Social Dimensions of Business Practice core contract. [49166]
Clare Short: Our contract with the International Business Leaders Forum to support the Resource Centre was awarded in 1999 following a competitive tendering process. The contract will end shortly. It has contributed
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to understanding of the role of business in poverty elimination and has also established a valuable business and poverty database.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what recent assessment she has made of the value for money achieved by the Mine Action Programme 2000 in the former Yugoslavia; [49188]
- (2) what recent assessment she has made of the value for money achieved by the Mine Action Programme in Yugoslavia. [49196]
Clare Short: All DFID's programmes in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia are subject to regular in-country monitoring by DFID's humanitarian mines adviser. We are satisfied that these programmes represent good value for money.
The Mine Action Programme for FRY Kosovo has been the subject of an independent evaluation for the UN by the PRAXIS Group Ltd., an international management consulting firm. The summary of the report concluded the mine action programme in Kosovo was a resounding success. The UK Government were also praised for responding quickly and effectively to the mines threat in Kosovo. The UK-funded part of the Kosovo programme was completed using a combination of NGO and commercial demining organisations which were selected on the basis of competency and value for money considerations. In the case of commercial organisations these were selected on a system of competitive tendering.
In Bosnia the UK contribution to demining is made through an international trust fund. The UN oversees the fund and the UK's ambassador sits on the fund's advisory board. Contracts for demining are let on the basis of competitive bidding open to both commercial organisations and NGOs.
In Croatia and Macedonia DFID made contributions to the UN system for mine clearance, awareness and support for capacity building. Contracts awarded by the UN are subject to their internal systems for competitive bidding and value for money considerations.
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Catering Services
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to her answer of 6 March 2002, Official Report, column 341W, on catering services, for what reason there were increases from 1999 to 2000 of £44,767.18 and £6,935.57 in the costs of in-house canteen services and catering services, respectively. [50512]
Clare Short: The increase of £44,767.18 was largely due to the refurbishment and redecoration of the staff restaurant in our London offices at the start of 2000, involving the purchase of new catering equipment (freezers, cold counter and dishwasher), carpets and furniture. In addition, subsidies paid to catering contractors increased by £6,800 per annum in our East Kilbride office and by £7,300 per annum in London. The increase of £6,935.57 in catering services was a result of greater usage of hospitality services (i.e. teas, coffees, buffets etc.) on offer at both locations, principally as a result of the contractors advertising the facility more widely, coupled with a sharp increase in the number of meetings being held in both locations.
Arms Proliferation
Mr. Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to her written answer of 26 March 2002, Official Report, column 885W, if she will list the projects which constitute her Department's programme that seeks to reduce the uncontrolled proliferation of small arms and light weapons; and in which countries each of these projects operates. [50595]
Clare Short: The United Kingdom is committed to combating small arms availability and misuse. In partnership with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence, my Department has established a comprehensive UK Small Arms and Light Weapons Reduction Programme. Over the next three years we will allocate a minimum of £19.5 million to UN agencies, regional organisations, Governments and non-governmental organisations seeking to develop and implement local, national, regional and international measures to combat small arms problems. The table lists the programmes which the Small Arms and Light Weapons Reduction Programme has supported.
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