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LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Accountancy Services

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the total cost to her Department was for accountancy services in 2002. [101856]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department entered into a nine year PFI contract with Liberata UK Ltd. (formerly CSL Group Ltd.) in January 1998. This contract covers a wide range of services including providing accounting systems, making payments, receipting and accounts production. The cost of accountancy services provided to the Department by Liberata under the contract, and from other external firms of accountants or their

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management consultancy arms where the assignment was connected with financial matters, in 2002–03 (to February 2003) was £5.7 million.

Court Rooms (Chorley)

Mr. Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the wage rates were for court rooms in Chorley in each of the last three years. [100838]

Yvette Cooper: The costs of running Chorley Magistrates Courts are as follows:

£

	Employee costs (Salaries)	Other costs of running the court— eg accommodation, security, office equipment
2000–01	445,667	159,588
2001–02	481,072	176,180
2002–03(12)	426,000	177,155

⁽¹²⁾ Projected

Courts Administration Councils

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what consultation the Lord Chancellor's Department has conducted regarding the appointment of individuals to courts administration councils. [102654]

Yvette Cooper: The Government conducted a consultation exercise following publication of Sir Robin Auld's Review of the Criminal Courts. This informed the White Paper "Justice for All" published in July 2002 in which the Government said it wanted the unified courts administration to be developed by those closest to the business. As a result, the Central Council of Magistrates' Courts' Committees and the Association of Justices' Chief Executives both sit on the steering group overseeing the development of the new organisation.

Local consultation is a key part of the overall consultation process. A series of one-day discussion groups across the country is being run by my Department. Court users, the local magistracy, the judiciary and court staff are represented on these groups. They are considering, amongst other things, include how the size and membership of court administration councils might vary across the country according to local circumstances, and how these members should be appointed. The results from these groups will be fed into the development of the court administration councils and will also be reported to Parliament during the parliamentary passage of the Courts Bill.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Advertising Expenditure (Scotland)

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much the Department

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spent on advertising in Scotland in each year since 1999 on (a) television, (b) newspapers, (c) radio, (d) magazines, (e) billboards and (e) sporting events. [102391]

Clare Short: It is not possible for DFID to show the "Scottish" proportion of our advertising spend in UK national newspapers/magazines, to the level of detail requested, because these national newspapers/magazines do not publish separate editions for Scotland.

However, details of available DFID expenditure for advertising in newspapers/magazines which are specifically Scottish, for the calendar years 2000 to 2002 inclusive, are as follows:

Calendar year	Advertising spend in Scottish Newspapers (£ )
2000	16,816.95
2001	37,614.24
2002	18,430.02

DFID has not incurred expenditure on television, radio, billboard or sporting event advertising.

Antiretroviral Drugs

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of giving antiretroviral drugs to key workers in developing countries; and if she will make a statement. [103109]

Clare Short: The fight against the epidemic has to incorporate effective public health responses that engage in education, prevention, treatment, care, support, impact mitigation and related development concurrently. For any of these programmes to be successfully implemented, broad multi-sectoral approaches are crucial.

We are supporting national governments, within the context of their national HIV/AIDS plans, to consider the priorities and practicalities of implementing and scaling-up treatment for HIV/AIDS. The choices facing poor countries, particularly around equity of access to treatment are difficult. In our view an open debate in countries, involving all sectors of society, will be critical in determining those priorities and responses. It is for each country to determine their own priorities within national HIV/AIDS plans.

To assist countries in this process, we are funding research to support the introduction of anti-retroviral therapy in resource poor settings. This research will provide vital knowledge and evidence to better inform key policy decisions about access to treatment. We are carefully monitoring and sharing lessons on important issues including pro-poor impact, scaling-up, costs and systems to support HIV treatment.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the levels of food shortages in the Democratic Republic of Congo, broken down by

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region; and what food aid her Department has provided to the Democratic Republic of Congo, broken down by region. [102745]

Clare Short: No specific assessment of the levels of food shortages broken down by region has been made. The economic devastation resulting from the conflict has led to high malnutrition rates among internally displaced persons, refugees, children and the elderly. It is estimated that some 1.4 million people require urgent food aid.

My department is providing substantial help to efforts directed at reducing the suffering of civilians with urgent humanitarian needs in the DRC. This includes nutritional support to communities where high levels of malnutrition are being experienced. We have committed over £9 million in humanitarian support so far this financial year.

DFID are also providing support to the World Food Programme through its core funding to an agreed work plan.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the number of internally displaced people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, broken down by region; and what support she gives internally displaced people in the country, broken down by region. [102746]

Clare Short : According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), over 500,000 people have been displaced in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the beginning of 2002, due mainly to intensified violence in the north-eastern Ituri and eastern South Kivu regions Despite the ceasefire and withdrawal of foreign troops, over 2.5 million of about 50 million Congolese are now displaced. Main causes have been fighting between rebel groups, attacks on civilians and resource plundering. Current UN OCHA statistics as at August 2002 show the following breakdown of internally displaced people (IDPs): Equateur: 85,000 IDPs; Orientale: 250,000 IDPs; North Kivu: 760,000 IDPs; South Kivu: 435,000 IDPs; Katanga: 415,000 IDPs; Maniema: 160,000 IDPs; Eastern Kasai & Western Kasai: 130,000 IDPs; Kinshasa: 40,000 IDPs. This does not take into account the more recent displacements since then including those as a result of the recent fighting in Ituri and in Bunia.

My department's humanitarian support is channelled through the UN agencies, Red Cross and international NGOs. It is not possible to provide a breakdown of assistance by region as we deliberately support agencies with national reach and perspective.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo as a result of the fighting. [102810]

Clare Short: UN and other relief agency reporting shows that there are very serious humanitarian consequences to the fighting in DRC. DFID is providing substantial help to efforts directed at reducing the suffering of civilians with urgent humanitarian needs

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in the DRC. Assistance provided this financial year has been provided through the UN agencies and the ICRC in response to their emergency appeals and through international NGOs in the following areas: health, nutrition, refugees. We have committed over £9 million in humanitarian support so far this financial year.

We stand ready to provide further humanitarian assistance to those in need.

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