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National Insurance
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her estimate is of the cost in a full year of the Budget changes to employers' national insurance contributions to (a) her Department, (b) agencies of her Department and (c) charities in the overseas development sector. [53888]
Clare Short: I estimate that the Budget changes to employers' national insurance contributions will add approximately £400,000 per year to DFID staff costs from April 2003. DFID does not have any agencies as such, and we are not able to estimate the cost to charities in the overseas development sector.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the written questions asked of her between (a) 1 to 30 June 2001, (b) 1 to 31 July 2001, (c) 1 to 30 September 2001, (d) 1 to 31 October 2001, (e) 1 to 30 November 2001, (f) 1 to 31 December 2001, (g) 1 to 31 January 2002, (h) 1 to 28 February 2002, (i) 1 to 31 March 2002 and (j) 1 to 30 April 2002 that had not received a substantive answer by 30 April; and if
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she will state (i) the name of the hon. Member asking the question and (ii) the reasons the question had not received a substantive answer. [54094]
Clare Short: In the period indicated 1,482 questions were tabled to my Department, of which 99.12 per cent. were substantively answered by 30 April 2002. Twelve questions remain unanswered at present. These are due to the usual inter-Departmental consultations conducted in order to ensure as full an answer as possible is provided to MPs.
Sudan
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding her Department has allocated in 2002–03 for projects in the Sudan; and if she will list them. [53687]
Clare Short: We have an allocation at the start of this year of approximately £8 million for Sudan. Much of this will be spent on meeting humanitarian needs, the rest on activities in support of the peace process. Activities will largely be determined in-year according to need.
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 National Agency for the Development and Implementation of Reconstruction Programmes in Romania. [49194]
Clare Short: The National Agency for the Development and Implementation of the Reconstruction Programmes for the Mining Regions (NAD) was set up as an autonomous agency by the Government of Romania in February 1998. Its remit is to achieve the social and economic regeneration of communities in mining regions. It is still in the process of fully developing its capacity and skills, support for which is being given by my Department and the World bank. It is too early to assess the value for money being achieved by NAD.
African Farmers
Ms Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken to ensure that the interests of African farmers are being secured with regard to intellectual property rights. [53370]
Clare Short: A number of international agencies, supported by DFID, have assisted developing countries to introduce intellectual property rights regimes for improved crop varieties, which take account of their particular socio-economic circumstances, for example protecting farmers' rights to save seed from one crop to the next. We will continue to support such initiatives and to help ensure that any future developments in international agreements on intellectual property rights regimes, including in the WTO, continue to take account of the needs of developing countries.
Furthermore, the UK Government has established the UK Commission on Intellectual Property Rights (CIPR), to look at how international intellectual property agreements can best take account of the needs of poor people in developing countries (for further information see http://www.iprcommission.org or telephone +44(0) 2077637162). The Commission will look at many of the
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issues relating to the developmental impact of intellectual property rights, including the effect of intellectual property rights on poor farmers in developing countries. We expect the Commission to report its recommendations by summer 2002.
Cambodia
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of children's (a) participation in primary education and (b) access to health services in Cambodia. [53438]
Clare Short: Large numbers of Cambodian children are poor and do not have access to good primary education and health services. The quality of state education provision is low. Net enrolment rates are 78 per cent. at primary level (74 per cent. for girls) reducing to 6 per cent. at upper secondary level (5 per cent. for girls). The primary education sector is currently receiving substantial support from a consortium of donors led by the Asian Development bank, which includes some assistance from my Department.
State health provision is poor, though improving from a very low base and with notable successes in certain areas, including in combating malaria and HIV/AIDS. Infant and under-five mortality rates are 86 and 122 per 1,000 live births. Since 1992, my Department has committed £20 million to improve access by the poor to health services and for HIV/AIDS programmes. We plan to provide further substantial support in these areas.
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid is being directed to Cambodia by (a) the UK and (b) the EU. [53393]
Clare Short: In 2001–02 my Department provided £5.8 million and in 2002–03 we expect to spend about £7.5 million, mainly focused on rural development and health, including HIV/AIDS. We contributed £0.58 million to help organise and run the Cambodian commune elections in 2001. The latest figures available for European Union member state and European Commission development assistance for Cambodia relate to calendar year 2000, when member states (including the United Kingdom) provided £62.4 million and the European Community £18.5 million, of which the UK share was £3.5 million.
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
National Lottery
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how her Department defines the principle of additionality with regard the distribution of lottery funds; and if she will make a statement. [51760]
Mr. Caborn: Lottery money must not substitute for services already provided by Government and funded by the Exchequer, but it can add to them. There are many desirable projects within the fields of health, the environment and education as well as the arts, sport and heritage, which would not be funded within existing priorities. Lottery money is used both to fund projects which would not receive funding from the Exchequer and
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in some cases to support innovations which, if successful, may eventually become absorbed into mainstream funding.
National Insurance
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will estimate the cost in the next 12 months of the Budget changes to employers' national insurance contributions to (a) her Departments, (b) agencies of her Department and (c) local government, carrying out functions within the responsibility of her Department. [52069]
Dr. Howells: It is estimated that the changes to employers' national insurance contributions announced in the Budget will increase pay costs on average by 0.7 per cent. next year.
Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the cost to museums, galleries and arts organisations of the proposed increase in national insurance contributions. [52758]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 29 April 2002]: It is estimated that the changes to employers' national insurance contributions announced in the Budget will increase pay costs on average by 0.7 per cent. next year.
Recruitment
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many net additional staff her Department has recruited in each month since June 2001 at (a) executive officer level and (b) administrative level. [52420]
Dr. Howells: The number of net additional staff recruited by the Department are shown in the following table:
(2) Full time equivalent
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