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Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when she will answer the written question from the hon. Member for Chichester, tabled on 22 May, on the official travel of departmental and non-departmental special advisers. [72677]
Clare Short: According to the Order Paper, no such question was tabled to my Department on 22 May by the hon. Member for Chichester.
Temporary Staff
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many employees under contract from temping agencies worked in her Department; and how much was spent on temporary staff
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(a) in total and (b) as a percentage of the total staffing budget in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [72643]
Clare Short: The information on staff numbers is set out in the following table as at 1 April 2001 and 1 April 2002, which are the only two of the last five years for which figures are available. The table shows the information as a percentage of total DFID staff numbers in the UK.
| April 2001 | April 2002 | |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary agency staff employed | 29 | 58 |
| Temporary agency staff as a percentage of total staff number in UK | 2.2 | 3.6 |
No central data are held on the cost of agency staff. However as a proportion of the total staffing budget, this will be less than percentages for staff numbers shown in the table because the majority of such staff are contracted to fill temporary positions at junior level.
Departmental Bodies
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many jobs under the remit of her Department in (a) the core Department, (b) non- departmental public bodies, (c) executive agencies and (d) independent statutory bodies, organisations and bodies financially sponsored by her Department and other such organisations, are located in (i) Scotland, (ii) England, excluding Greater London, (iii) Greater London, (iv) Wales, (v) Northern Ireland and (vi) overseas, broken down by (A) whole-time equivalent jobs and (B) the percentage per individual Department, body or organisation. [72731]
Clare Short: The information in respect of DFID's civil service posts as at 1 April 2002 is contained in the table. Information in the other categories listed is not readily available.
| Number | Percentage of total | |
|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 527 | 33.5 |
| Greater London | 791 | 50.3 |
| Overseas | 255 | 16.2 |
G8 (Expenditure and Policies)
Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how the G8's commitment to focusing their development efforts on cultures that demonstrate a political and financial commitment to good governance and the rule of law, investing in their people and pursuing policies that spur economic growth and alleviate poverty will be reflected in (a) their development spending for 2003 and (b) their policies in 2003. [72304]
Clare Short: Each G8 member will decide for itself how to meet the commitments entered into at the Kananaskis Summit. These commitments reflect the Department for International Development's existing policies as set out in its Strategies for Achieving the International Development Targets published in 2000–01, copies of which are available in the House Library. The
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Department is currently reviewing how these should be applied to the outcome of the recent Comprehensive Spending Review. The resulting allocation and its underlying rationale will be set out in the 2003 departmental report. In setting our priorities we will take fully into account the extent to which developing country Governments pursue effective pro-poor policies. We encourage other donors to do likewise.
Developing Countries
Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to ensure that poorer people in developing countries benefit from water supply projects in which United Kingdom companies invest. [72055]
Clare Short: My Department is working in many different ways to ensure that all water companies who engage in water supply projects cater for all, especially the poor. Our policy for achieving the Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of people without access to safe water by 2015 is set out in the strategy paper "Addressing the Water crisis—Healthier and More Productive Lives for Poor People". The policy seems sustainability in water supply and sanitation service delivery with a proper pro-poor focus. We are working with developing country Governments to ensure priority for pro-poor water supply and sanitation services within the Poverty Reduction Strategy processes. We are also supporting a considerable body of research that is seeking specifically to develop mechanisms by which the private sector is able best to provide for the poor.
My Department has been at the forefront of developing new facilities to ensure that the engagement of the private sector in water supply and sanitation addresses the needs of the poor. These include the Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF), which is building capacity for effective regulation, and the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF), which seeks to harmonise developmental and commercial objectives.
Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how OECD guidelines for multinational enterprises, as they relate to developing countries are monitored. [72054]
Clare Short: Like all 36 signatories to the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises (MNEs), the UK has a national contact point (NCP), responsible for ensuring effective implementation of the guidelines, this includes contributing to the resolution of concerns about the behaviour of MNEs raised with it. The UK NCP is based on the Department of Trade and Industry working in liaison with other Government Departments. Signatories to the guidelines recognise that there are greater difficulties in implementing them in non-adhering countries (which includes almost all developing countries), not lest because they do not have NCPs. However, the Government's expectations of UK MNE behaviour are the same wherever they operate. In developing countries positive co-operation between the NCP, UK Government representation locally, business, unions, NGOs, and individuals is important for successful implementation and promotion. The UK Government are working hard to raise the profile of the guidelines in developing countries, for example through the recent G7/8 Action Plan for Africa initiative, through UK overseas
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posts, and through discussions with fellow signatories and interested parties at the regular NCP meetings in the OECD. We will continue these efforts as it is in developing countries where, arguably, the guidelines can make the most impact.
Consultations
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what public consultations have been commenced by her Department since 1 April; and what the (a) closing date and (b) website address of each were. [72062]
Clare Short: Since April 2002, my Department has conducted limited public consultations on the following documents:
- "Better Livelihoods for Poor People: The Role of Agriculture" (consultation closed 5 July 2002)
A DFID-wide research policy study, "Research For Poverty Reduction", (consultation closed 10 May 2002);
"Energy for the Poor" (consultation closes 31 July 2002)
"Making connections: Infrastructure for poverty reduction" (consultation closes 31 July 2002).
Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine
Mr. Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what level of funding her Department intends to provide for research by the Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine in Edinburgh (a) over the current financial year, (b) in the period up to 2005 and (c) after 2005. [72152]
Clare Short: The Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine at the University of Edinburgh is contracted by my Department to manage a programme of animal health research. The programme develops, and promotes the adoption of, cost-effective strategies for the sustainable control of livestock diseases affecting the livelihoods of poor people in parts of east and southern Africa and in Asia. The contract runs to March 2005. Funding available under the contract by financial year is:
- 2002–03: £3,373,000
2003–04: £2,771,000
2004–05: to be determined.
No decisions have been taken on funding for animal health research after March 2005.
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