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CABINET OFFICE

Smoking

Mr. Grayling: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what policy his Department has adopted on smoking in the workplace. [100948]

Mr. Alexander: The Cabinet Office has a no smoking policy throughout the Department. Smoking is permitted in designated areas only.

Departmental Staff (Industrial Action)

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many working days were lost owing to industrial action by staff in (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies in 2002. [101511]

Mr. Alexander: None.

Resilience Strategy

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent developments there have been in developing a UK resilience strategy; and if he will make a statement. [101643]

Mr. Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary made on civil contingencies on Monday March 3, Official Report, column 7WS. This statement set out improvements in contingency planning that have taken place and announces the next steps in improving our resilience.

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Award Schemes

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list the award schemes in (a) 2001 and (b) 2002 promoted by the Department; what their scope was; when the relevant participating organisations are scheduled to be sent results; and whether other parties will be given notification of the results at the same time. [102058]

Mr. Alexander: The Cabinet Office promoted the following award schemes in both 2001 and 2002:

Charter Mark

Charter Mark promotes excellent customer service within the public sector. Applicants are required to demonstrate that they have met a demanding standard.

All 2001 applicants have been notified of the outcome as have most 2002 applicants. Some organisations have been allowed additional time because of changes to the scheme that necessitate a suspension of the assessment process in 2003. The final judging panel for Charter Mark 2002 meets on 19 March 2003.

Organisations are advised of the outcome of their application by letter, within two weeks of the judging panel meeting. hon. Members are then advised of any winners in their constituency.

Central Government Beacon Scheme

The Central Government Beacon Scheme helped share good practice across central government organisations. Beacons hosted study visits and other events. 2002 was the final year of this scheme.

All winners were notified immediately after a final judging panel. The results were published in a directory.

Public Servant of the Year Awards

The Public Servant of the Year Awards, organised by the Chartered Institute for Public Finance and Accountancy, recognise and celebrate individual's contributions to public service, promoting the exchange of ideas and good practice.

Winners for both 2001 and 2002 were announced at a public awards ceremony.

TNT Modernising Government Partnership Awards

The TNT Modernising Government Partnership Awards, organised by TNT UK Ltd, celebrated and encouraged successful partnership working across public services. 2002 was the final year of this scheme.

Winners for both 2001 and 2002 were announced at a public awards ceremony.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Global Fund

Dr. Tonge: Asked the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with the Global Fund directors on the funding available for the third round of grants in October 2003; and if she will make a statement. [100632]

Clare Short: My Department is in regular contact with the Global Fund.

The primary role of the fund is to provide drugs and commodities for the prevention and treatment of AIDS, TB and Malaria. The UK is firmly committed to fighting these three diseases. We have pledged $200m over 5 years to the Fund, $80m of which has been disbursed. In addition we have committed over £1.5 billion since 1997 to support the development of health systems in poorer countries. Strengthening such systems is vital if

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the drugs and commodities made available through the fund are to be safely and sustainably supplied to the poor.

Wherever possible the Global Fund should be providing support behind strategies that help deliver sustainable improvements in healthcare. The fund has strong founding principles in this regard but performance to date in this regard has been disappointing.

Our future support for the fund will depend on its effectiveness. It is one of several possible instruments designed to improve basic health care in poor countries.

Afghanistan

Joan Ruddock: Asked the Secretary of State for International Development which major construction projects are under way in Afghanistan with the support of the international community; and when they will be completed. [100986]

Clare Short [holding answer 5 March 2003]: There are hundreds of infrastructure projects that are currently underway in Afghanistan. Full details are held on the Afghanistan Transitional Administration's website: www. afghanistangov.org.

In the construction sector the main Kabul-Mazar—Herat-Kandahar refurbishment is due to start this summer and is expected to take between four and six years to complete. Provincial road-repair projects are also underway. Kabul and Balkh airport runways are being refurbished.

A German-funded nationwide rehabilitation of energy infrastructure has been completed. Other energy infrastructure projects are underway.

The World Bank's Emergency Infrastructure project is providing water and sanitation infrastructure to Kabul, Herat, Kandahar, Mazar-I-Sharif and other secondary cities. A nationwide well construction scheme for rural communities is underway.

Bridge, school and hospital rehabilitation and construction are all under way both in the provinces and Kabul, as is the construction of a nationwide network of Women's centres in 15 provinces. The construction of health clinics in provincial areas has begun.

Iraq

John Barrett: (1) Asked the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the impact which military attacks on electricity stations would have on the humanitarian situation in Iraq; [100884]

(2) what assessment she has made of the impact which military attacks on (a) roads, (b) railways, (c) bridges and (d) sea ports would have on the delivery of humanitarian relief to Iraq. [100883]

Clare Short: The people of Iraq are already in a fragile humanitarian situation. After years of misrule they are highly dependent on aid under the UN Oil For Food programme, which relies on an efficient distribution network and transport infrastructure. Many are also reliant on electrically pumped water and sanitation

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systems, especially those in urban areas. In the event of military action, the greater the damage and the longer the disruption to such infrastructure, the greater will be the humanitarian consequences. My Department has been holding close discussions with the Ministry of Defence and US Government about planning to minimise the humanitarian impact of any military action in Iraq. Following any such action, a key priority would then be to repair any critical infrastructure which has been damaged as quickly as possible.

Burundi

John Barrett: Asked the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken to avoid food shortages in Burundi. [100972]

Clare Short: Early warning systems set up by the Food and Agricultural Organisation and operated in collaboration with the Government of Burundi, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF have predicted low output from the September to October 2002 agricultural season. The effect of this low availability of food will be compounded by epidemic disease and by further disruption caused by continued conflict in some areas. Access to the worst-affected areas is limited by insecurity. WFP are planning to distribute food relief. DFID stands ready to support relief agencies that are willing and able to assist those in greatest need.

John Barrett: Asked the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the levels of malaria in Burundi. [100971]

Clare Short: Burundi ranks near the bottom of the international league tables in terms of life expectancy. This is due in large measure to the burden of disease, inadequate nutrition, and poor services. Malaria is one of the major causes of death.

In January the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) quoted the Burundi Department of Epidemiology and Statistics as reporting an increased number of malaria cases for the period October to November 2002 in five provinces. The data are consistent with the occurrence of an epidemic.

Recently after efforts by NGOs the Government of Burundi has agreed to recommend a new drug for treatment as resistance had developed against existing drugs. The new drug is not, however, currently available in sufficient quantities. DFID remains ready to support relief agencies that are able to intervene on behalf of those most affected.

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