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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 10 June 2002
WALES
Craig Goch Reservoir
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what representations he has received regarding the proposed expansion of the Craig Goch reservoir in the Elan valley; and if he will make a statement; [58056]
- (2) what discussions he has had with members of the National Assembly for Wales and the Welsh Assembly Government, regarding proposals for the expansion of the Craig Goch reservoir in the Elan valley; [58055]
(3) what representations he has (a) made to and (b) received from the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs regarding the proposed expansion of the Craig Goch reservoir in the Elan valley. [58059]
Mr. Paul Murphy: None. I understand no proposal has been put forward by Severn Trent, or any other water company, to the Environment Agency, or the National Assembly for Wales, in relation to the enlargement of Craig Goch reservoir.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of ordinary written questions for his Department were answered within a week of tabling in each month since June 2001; and what proportion of questions for named day received a substantive answer on that day in each month since June 2001. [58985]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The information requested is as follows.
| Written questions answered within five days of the tabled date | Named day questions answered on that date
| Month | Percentage | Month | Percentage
| June 2001 | 100 | — | —
| July 2001 | 100 | — | —
| October 2001 | 63 | October | 100
| November 2001 | 64 | November | 100
| December 2001 | 86 | December | 89
| January 2002 | 50 | January | 30
| February 2002 | 29 | February | 33
| March 2002 | 66 | March | 64
| April 2002 | 55 | April | 93
| | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Departmental Sponsors
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the duties are of hon. Members appointed as sponsors to his Department; and what assistance is given by officials in his Department to them in carrying out these duties. [59985]
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Mr. Paul Murphy: My Department has no sponsors.
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which hon. Members have been appointed as sponsors to his Department since 7 June 2001; and when each of them were appointed. [59972]
Age Discrimination
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if his Department has a policy of not considering applications for employment by persons over a particular age. [59585]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The Wales Office has no formal policy of not considering applications for employment by persons over a particular age.
Since all the permanent civil servants in my Department are secondees, mainly from the National Assembly for Wales, account is taken of Assembly's retirement policy during the recruitment process; that is, staff are not employed beyond the age of 65.
Refurbishment Projects
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the refurbishment projects that (a) are in progress and (b) will start within the next six months; and what action is being taken to ensure that these will procure certified timber. [59769]
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
WTO Agreement
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to discuss with EU colleagues research on the proposal to introduce a development box in the WTO agreement on agriculture. [59892]
Clare Short: The UK Government are due to discuss the research with EU colleagues over the coming months.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on her Department's policy on the proposal to introduce a development box in the WTO agreement on agriculture. [59893]
Clare Short: The UK is committed to measures aimed at helping poor countries to develop their economies and take a more active part in international trade. To this end, we are considering the special and differential treatment and development box proposals made by certain, so called "like-minded" developing countries in the WTO's Agriculture Committee. These proposals contain some interesting elements, including developing countries reducing tariffs more slowly, extension of the safeguard mechanism and maintaining the flexibilities for developing countries agreed in the Uruguay Round. We will actively consider these ideas in the context of the agriculture negotiations.
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Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what research her Department has carried out on the proposal for introducing a development box in the WTO agreement on agriculture; and if she will make a statement. [59891]
Clare Short: A number of proposals have been made by developing countries in the WTO's Agriculture Special Session, to include Special and Differential Treatment or Development Box measures in the next agriculture agreement. My Department has commissioned independent analysis of these proposals. This is publicly available on the DFID website.
Mrs. Lawrence: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to discuss with EU colleagues the findings of the research paper by Oxford Policy Management, commissioned by her Department, on the proposal for introducing a development box in the WTO agreement on agriculture. [60556]
Clare Short: The UK Government are due to discuss the research with EU colleagues over the coming months.
Mrs. Lawrence: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what research her Department has carried out on the proposal for introducing a development box in the WTO agreement on agriculture. [60557]
Clare Short: A number of proposals have been made by developing countries in the WTO's Agriculture Special Session, to include Special and Differential Treatment or Development Box measures in the next agriculture agreement. My Department has commissioned independent analysis of these proposals. This is publicly available on the DFID website.
Burundi
Ms Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid her Department plans to make available to Burundi in the next five years. [60249]
Clare Short: My Department does not have a development programme in Burundi. We have hitherto concentrated on meeting urgent humanitarian need and on support for the peace process, including political efforts, support to the mediation efforts and the Special Protection Force, and some grass-roots peace-building efforts. We also have a programme on HIV/AIDS in Burundi.
We will devote more attention to the needs of Burundi in coming months, with the appointment of an official in the region to cover Burundi for DFID, based either in Bujumbura or, in the first instance, in Kigali. We are also working to ensure that the EC and IFIs re-engage effectively with Burundi to provide much needed assistance.
Age Discrimination
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if (a) her Department and (b) its agencies have a policy of not considering applications for employment by persons over a particular age. [59458]
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Clare Short: My Department currently maintains a normal retiring age of 60 and it has not hitherto been the practice to recruit staff above the age at which existing staff are required to retire unless there were exceptional management reasons. However, this policy is currently under review in respect of those staff for whom DFID has delegated authority to determine the normal retiring age (that is, staff below the senior civil service).
Zimbabwe
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what measures have been taken to ensure that international aid is given to known MDC supporters as well as Zanu-PF supporters. [60408]
Clare Short: We are doing all we can to try to prevent humanitarian relief being misused for political purposes in Zimbabwe. Programmes are operating in a number of areas badly affected by food shortages that could be described as both MDC and Zanu-PF dominated. Beneficiaries are selected on the basis of their vulnerability not their political views. All programmes are delivered by non-government organisations. Selection is undertaken at the grass roots level either by NGOs alone, or in local disaster committees including ward councillors and traditional headmen together with the NGOs. All claims that vulnerable people have been excluded from receiving assistance are investigated, whether they are from Zanu-PF or MDC supporters.
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimates she has made of the number of children who have been moved from primary schools in Zimbabwe. [60171]
Clare Short: Zimbabwe has a good record in primary school access. Between 1979 and 1996 there was a more than 100 per cent. increase in the numbers of primary schools, and a 102 per cent. expansion in enrolment figures, with 2.49 million children in school. We are concerned that food shortages and economic pressures may be eroding these gains.
DFID has targeted school children in its supplementary feeding programmes. Since September 2001 we have provided one meal a day to over 200,000 primary school children. Monitoring shows that in the areas where our programmes are active, this has helped to increase enrolment.
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funds the Government have made available to the Zimbabwe Government to implement the land reform programme that complies with the principles established by the September 2001 Commonwealth Abuja Agreement and the 1998 international donors' conference on land reform. [60188]
Clare Short: The Government of Zimbabwe do not have a land reform programme that complies with either its undertakings given in the Abuja Agreement, or the principles agreed at the 1998 International Conference.
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which organisations that assist evicted farm workers' families in Zimbabwe have (a) sought and (b) received assistance from (i) her Department and (ii) through international aid supported by Her Majesty's Government. [60170]
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Clare Short: I will write to the hon. Member.
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimates she has made of the extent to which the reported famine in Zimbabwe results (a) from natural causes and (b) from disruption of agriculture. [60172]
Clare Short: It is clear that drought has played a large part in the failure of the maize harvest this year. However, the Government of Zimbabwe's policy failures in mishandling food markets; agricultural prices; the exchange rate; and the chaotic land reform programme have also been much to blame, and continue to make matters worse. While it is not possible to attribute between causes with any accuracy, the UNDP estimate that maize production may have been 30 to 60 per cent. affected by land reform alone. The expected drop of at least 60 per cent. in wheat planting this season is almost entirely attributable to disruption of commercial farming activities and state control of prices and markets.
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