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World Bank/IMF Programmes

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development by when the World bank and IMF will report on their analysis of the poverty and social impact of substantial macro-adjustments or structural reforms supported by their programmes in poor countries. [69440]

Clare Short: The International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) of the Board of Governors of the IMF Communiqué of April 20, 2002 noted the importance of using poverty and social impact analysis and will be reviewing the progress that the World bank and IMF have made on this issue at its next meeting. This will be at the annual meetings of the World bank and IMF in autumn 2002.

To date, progress on integrating PSIA in developing countries' poverty reduction strategies has been reported in "Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers—Progress in Implementation", a bi-annual report prepared by the World bank and IMF. The next such report will be for the annual meetings of the IMF and World bank, scheduled for 28–29 September 2002.

Self-employed Women's Association

Mr. Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funds have been allocated to the Self-employed Women's Association in India for work (a) in the state of Gujarat and (b) in the rest of India. [69232]

Clare Short: DFID has allocated to the Self-employed Women's Association (SEWA) about £15,000 for work in Gujarat on alternative resources for rainwater harvesting, and £17,000 to support the work of the National Labour Commission in helping women and child workers. SEWA has also been allocated £26,000 to support activities in Gujarat to help respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Sierra Leone

Mr. Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action has been taken (a) through bilateral assistance and (b) through co-operation with international agencies working in the region to ensure that armed combatants fleeing Liberia do not destabilise Sierra Leone. [69230]

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Clare Short: Effective procedures are already in place to disarm combatants fleeing Liberia, and hand them over to the responsible authorities.

Common Agricultural Policy

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the impact of the European Commission's proposal for CAP reform on farmers in developing countries; and if she will make a statement. [69473]

Clare Short: The UK Government welcome the publication of the European Commission's proposals for CAP reform. The UK Government recognise the need for CAP reform in order to ensure that developing countries' agriculture sectors are given the right incentives to grow and thus support poverty reduction. My Department is currently analysing these proposals, to determine their impact on developing countries. This analysis will then feed into the UK's response to the proposals.

Fair Trade

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what she estimates the World Summit on Sustainable Development will do to promote fair trade between developed and developing countries. [69477]

Clare Short: The Government will be pushing for an outcome which is consistent with the Doha Development Agenda. This resulted in the following achievements:

Agreement on TRIPS and public health, recognising the need for a flexible interpretation of TRIPS to enable developing countries to protect public health.


Action on some 50 measures from the developing countries' implementation agenda from the Uruguay Round.


On agriculture, commitment to real progress on market access and action on export subsidies.


Continuing negotiations on services, which offer real prospects for developing countries to make substantial benefits through liberalisation and economic growth.


Commitment to tackle tariff peaks, high tariffs and tariff escalation as well as non-tariff barriers on non-agricultural products.


A commitment to a work programme on trade, debt and finance.


Systematic attention throughout the text to the issue of capacity-building.


A comprehensive set of commitments on the particular needs of the least-developed countries, including a commitment to the objective of duty and quota free market access plus a commitment to make their accession process faster.


A review of Special and Differential Treatment—across all WTO business areas—to strengthen these provisions and make them more precise, operational and effective.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Departmental Expenditure Limit

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much and what proportion of the departmental expenditure limit for 2002–03 had been spent by 31 May; what the figures were for 2001–02; and if he will make a statement. [61010]

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Mr. Nicholas Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. Boateng), on 17 June 2002, Official Report, column 130W.

Buildings Insurance

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost of buildings insurance to his Department was (a) before and (b) after 11 September 2001. [66924]

Mr. McCartney: Departments are required to comply with the Government's policy on insurance, which is set out in Government Accounting, Chapter 30, para 30.2.5, which notes that government do not need to purchase insurance to protect the viability of its business, and should consider insurance only where the value of claims met would exceed the cost of insurance premiums. Commercial insurance of a building is acceptable in cases where (a) insurance is a condition of a lease (b) the lessor will not accept a Government indemnity (c) incurring the total cost of the accommodation in question, including the cost of the insurance, is more cost-effective than other accommodation options [Government Accounting, para 30.2.11a].

The only circumstance where the Department incurs insurance costs is where this is a condition of a lease, with payment being made as part of the service charge paid to the landlord. Information on these charges is not held centrally.

Comprehensive Spending Review

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff have contributed to his Department's input to the Spending Review. [68695]

Mr. Nicholas Brown: The Spending Review involves a comprehensive assessment of the Department's performance, priorities and resource requirements and a range of staff make a contribution.

Child Benefit

Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many families failed to respond to the child benefit verification form sent to parents in the summer of 2001; and of these how many have lost benefit. [67530]

Malcolm Wicks: Each summer an exercise is carried out to verify the education plans of those children approaching the end of compulsory education. A form is issued asking the parents of these children to confirm the child's continuance in education, and to report a change of circumstances, applying, where appropriate, for continuing payment of benefit. There is no requirement to return the form as benefit entitlement will automatically cease from September. This procedure ensures those parents whose child is continuing in full-time education continue to receive child benefit uninterrupted.

In June 2001, 411,000 forms were issued, of which 197,000 were returned applying for continuing benefit. 60,000 were returned notifying that the child had commenced employment or training. In the remaining cases child benefit would cease from September.

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Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information the Government have collated about the use of child benefit in families where there are young people aged between 16 and 19 years. [67529]

Malcolm Wicks: The Department for Work and Pensions has not collected information about how families with children aged 16 to 19 years use their child benefit.

Mr. Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take measures to allow the payment of child benefit to continue beyond 12 weeks when parents choose to have a child educated in a country outside the European Economic Area without the written approval of the school which the child previously attended; and if he will make a statement. [70098]

Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 15 July 2002]: There are no plans to change the provisions on child benefit for children being educated abroad outside the European Economic Area (AWAY). Generally child benefit is not payable for children who are absent from Great Britain (GB), and the current rules provide for most exceptions. The written approval of the school the child normally attends ensures there is a continuing link with GB throughout the temporary absence. Although entitlement for children being educated in non AWAY countries ceases after they have been absent for 12 weeks, if they return for home visits and then go abroad temporarily again, a new 12 week easement begins.

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