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Departmental Telephone Directory

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the most recent internal telephone directory for the Department was published; how often it is updated; and if she will place a copy in the Library. [102026]

Dr. Howells: The internal telephone directory in DCMS was last updated on 6 March 2003. The directory will be updated whenever there are changes that need to be recorded and is usually updated daily. A copy of the directory from 6 March 2003 has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Film Industry

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on Government support for the UK film industry since 1997. [101641]

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Dr. Howells: Following the film policy review in 1998, my Department established the Film Council in April 2000 as the Government's strategic lead body. The creation of the Film Council brought together, for the first time, responsibility for the film industry, film culture and education.

The Film Council uses grant-in-aid and money from the national lottery to support film-making and development, training, education and film culture. Film production is also supported by tax relief for British qualifying films under section 48 of the Finance (No 2) Act, which was introduced in 1997.

My Department also sponsors the National Film and Television School, which is a leading international centre for professional training in the film and television industries.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Administrative Costs

Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the administrative costs were of the (a) Social Science Research Fund, (b) Financial Deepening Challenge Fund, (c) Development Awareness Fund, (d) Education Research Programme, (e) Asia Regional Poverty Fund, (f) Tourism Challenge Fund, (g) Civil Society Challenge Fund, (h) Renewable Natural Resources Knowledge Strategy Fund, (i) Engineering Knowledge and Research Programme, (j) Business Linkage Challenge Fund and (k) Enterprise Development Innovation Fund in the last financial year. [101477]

Clare Short: DFID's expenditure on administration costs in 2002–03 is projected to be £101.8 million or 4 per cent. of the departmental budget. All the interventions listed are administered by DFID effectively and cost-effectively.

Conservation Group

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when she intends to hold the next meeting of the Inter-Departmental Consultative Group on Conservation. [101323]

Mr. Morley: I have been asked to reply.

There is no formally constituted group with this title but officials of all the relevant Government Departments are in very regular contact on a wide range of conservation issues.

Departmental Telephone Directory

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when the most recent internal telephone directory for the Department was published; how often it is updated; and if she will place a copy in the Library. [102028]

Clare Short: DFID does not produce a published copy of its internal phone directory. The information is now held electronically on our internal systems.

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For general information on contact points within DFID you will find details of our Public Enquiry Point (which is the initial contact point for information on the work of the Department), plus an organisational diagram and list of DFID offices outside the UK on the "Contact Us" link on the homepage of DFID's website (www.dfid.gov.uk).

Iraq

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will allocate financial resources to limit the effect on Iraqi civilians of the use by Iraq of (a) chemical and (b) biological weapons in the event of war. [101913]

Clare Short: The risk that Iraqi forces may deploy chemical or biological weapons is a very grave one. Advice from the Department of Health and Ministry of Defence is that, given the unpredictable range of weapons that Saddam might use, only sophisticated protective suits and training would provide adequate protection to the threat. It is not possible for my Department to provide this training and protection to large numbers of Iraqi people.

In terms of response to any use of chemical or biological weapons, only highly skilled and well-equipped parts of the military or specialised agencies, who have been trained for such environments and on the use of protective suits, would have the capacity to operate. My Department is in continuing discussions with the Ministry of Defence about the provision of humanitarian response under a range of eventualities. DFID has a contingency reserve on which we are ready to draw for any emergency situation in Iraq.

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to maintain food security in Iraq during any military action taken by the UK and allies. [101919]

Clare Short: 60 per cent. of the Iraqi people are totally dependent on the UN Oil For Food Programme for essential supplies, including food. We are working to try to minimise the impact of any military action on this programme and, in the event of disruption to it, to helping re-establishing it as quickly as possible. We are also drawing up contingency plans to support the provision of relief by those best placed to do so, to cover any period during which the programme would not be able to function. We have so far committed £10 million to support contingency planning by UN agencies and NGOs, which includes some prepositioning of supplies. There might be a phase when only military forces are fully able to operate in Iraq and thus would have primary responsibility for the initial delivery of humanitarian relief. My Department has been advising the Ministry of Defence on these issues for some time.

Sudan

Mr. Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid the UK has given to Sudan in the last 12 months. [101588]

Clare Short: The UK has pledged £14 million of aid and development assistance to Sudan in the last 12 months.

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PRIME MINISTER

Iraq

Mr. Allen: To ask the Prime Minister what steps the Government has taken to implement UN Resolution 57/232 to provide for human rights monitors in Iraq. [101405]

The Prime Minister: The UK helped to draft and sponsored this resolution, which condemns the appalling human rights situation in Iraq. Together with international partners, the UK takes every opportunity to raise the human rights situation in Iraq. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's report on Iraq's human rights violations, published on 2 December 2002, exposes the sheer brutality of the Iraqi regime.

The Iraqi Government has refused to allow human rights monitors to be stationed in Iraq. For the 10 years prior to February 2002 it would not even allow the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights access to Iraq.

Mr. Allen: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with President Bush on the means by which it is intended to ascertain whether, in the event of war with Iraq, all weapons of mass destruction on Iraqi soil at the start of the conflict have been destroyed or captured intact; and if he will make a statement. [102528]

The Prime Minister: The primary objective of UNSCR 1441 is the disarmament of Iraq. No decision has been taken to launch military action against Iraq.

I regularly discuss all aspects of Iraq policy with other Governments, including the US Government. These discussions have included the issue of the continuation of the disarmament of Iraq.

Laptop Computers

Dr. Cable: To ask the Prime Minister how many laptop computers were used by (a) Ministers and special advisers and (b) officials in his office in each year since 1995; how many were (i) lost and (ii) stolen; what their cost was; and if he will make a statement. [98703]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office on 11 March 2003.

Saudi Arabia

Mr. Allen: To ask the Prime Minister what recent representations he has made to the Saudi Government on behalf of the British citizens imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for alleged terrorist offences; whether he has sought the support of the United States Government on this matter; and what response he has received from the Saudi Government. [101406]

The Prime Minister: I have raised the cases of the British men detained in Saudi Arabia at the highest levels with the Saudi authorities. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and other ministerial colleagues have also raised these cases. The men's welfare is our paramount concern. We continue to work hard to resolve the cases and are in close contact with the Saudi authorities and the men's lawyers.

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