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31 Mar 2004 : Column 1437W—continued
Departmental Buildings
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) renovation and (b) maintenance projects on buildings (i) owned and (ii) rented by his Department were undertaken in each of the last five years; and what the associated costs were of each. [163943]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: The following projects have been carried out on DFID buildings over the period in question:
1 Palace Street, London (leased):
- (a) Refurbishment project over the period 2000–01 to 2001–02, total cost £27 million
- (b) Maintenance and repair works to exterior of building, in accordance with requirements of lease, 2003–04, cost £1.2 million
- (c) Refurbishment/replacement of lifts, 2003–04, cost £350,000.
20 Victoria Street, London (leased):
- (a) Refurbishment of building over the period 2001–02, total cost £1.2 million
Abercrombie House, East Kilbride (freehold):
- (a) Refurbishment project over the period 2002–03 to date (due for completion late 2004), total cost £16 million.
Departmental Officials
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which former officials of the Department have asked for permission to join (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Deloitte & Touche, (c) Ernst and Young and (d) KPMG. [156908]
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Mr. Gareth Thomas: All Civil Servants are subject to the Business Appointment Rules which set out the circumstances in which they must seek permission to accept outside appointments within two years of leaving the Service. A copy of the Rules is available in the Libraries of the House.
Information about appointments taken up by the most senior staff are published in the annual reports of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments. The next annual report will be published shortly. There have been no such requests for permission from former DFID staff to join any of the listed organisations.
EU Development Assistance
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) if he will make a statement on the commitment of EU development assistance to (a) the Chernobyl Shelter, (b) energy in Russia, (c) nuclear safety, (d) central Asia and (e) Azerbaijan in 2002; [163860]
- (2) if he will make a statement on the EU development assistance expenditure on institution building in (a) Russia, (b) Mongolia, (c) Armenia and (d) Ukraine in 2002; [163864]
(3) what his Department's involvement was in the development assistance project in (a) Ukraine, (b) Russia and (c) Georgia in 2002; and what assessment he has made of each project. [163878]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: EU development assistance in these areas is provided through the Tacis programme. The Department is involved in projects implemented under Tacis contributing the UK's share of the European Commission budget allocated to Tacis and by participating in the Management Committee established to define strategy and oversee the programme. Implementation of specific projects (including procurement, which is governed by EC procurement rules) is the responsibility of the Commission.
When considering Commission funding proposals, DFID took a wide range of factors into consideration, including likely impact, cost-effectiveness and value for money. Many of the 2002 projects are in the early stages of implementation. An assessment of the projects will only be possible once they have been completed. The EC, through its results-orientated management system and strengthened evaluation systems, is best placed to carry out such an assessment.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) if he will make a statement on (a) his Department's involvement in and (b) the effectiveness of the 2002 EU Development Assistance project entitled Support to the Regional Offices of the International Criminal Court for ex-Yugoslavia in (i) Bosnia and Herzegovina, (ii) Croatia (iii) Kosovo and (iv) Serbia; [163936]
- (2) what results were achieved by the EU project for Kosovo on legal aid in civil matters in 2002; [164010]
(3) if he will make a statement on (a) the nature of the micro-projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina that were financed by EU Development Assistance in 2002, (b) the effectiveness of the projects and (c) his Department's involvement in the projects; [164019]
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(4) if he will make a statement on (a) his Department's involvement in and (b) the effectiveness of the 2002 EU development assistance projects entitled (i) Aptitude to supervise and implement the rights of children in Bosnia and Herzegovina and (ii) Stability Pact and the Roma—use your vote with wisdom, in (A) Bosnia and Herzegovina, (B) Croatia, (C) the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, (D) the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, (E) Romania and (F) Bulgaria; [164024]
(5) what the total expenditure of EU Development Assistance on the Judicial Reform project in Albania was in 2002; what his Department's involvement in the project was; and what assessment he has made of its value for money; [164001]
(6) what assessment he has made of the value for money of the EU's rehabilitation and equipping of judicial buildings project in 2002; [164011]
(7) what his Department's involvement in the EU's 2002 project to support the judiciary in Serbia was; [164012]
(8) if he will provide a breakdown by programme of the expenditure of EU Development Assistance on the Police and Organised Crime project in Albania in 2002; which of his Department's officials were involved in it; and if he will assess the results of the project; [164002]
(9) what assessment he has made of the results of the 2002 EU development assistance project towards a mutually tolerant society with all the ethnic groups in Kosovo; [164013]
(10) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the 2002 EU Development Assistance Project to prevent torture in (a) the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, (b) Serbia, (c) Bulgaria, (d) Hungary, (e) Poland and (f) Russia; [164018]
(11) what assessment he has made of the results achieved by the 2002 EU development assistance project to improve indigenous multiculturalism through education in (a) Croatia, (b) Serbia, (c) Bosnia and Herzegovina, (d) Kosovo, (e) Bulgaria, (f) Poland, (g) Ukraine, (h) Russia, (i) Georgia and (j) Armenia; [164014]
(12) if he will list the results of the EU project on the administration of justice in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2002; and what his Department's role in achieving them was; [164005]
(13) what the stated purpose of the 2002 EU modernisation of justice project in Croatia was; what his Department's involvement in the project was; and what assessment he has made of its value for money; [164007]
(14) what assessment he has made of the 2002 EU development assistance project to improve the rights of Roma in the Western Balkans; [164015]
(15) what assessment he has made of the results achieved by the 2002 EU development assistance project to reinforce the participation of minorities in local government in Bosnia and Herzegovina; [164016]
(16) how his Department contributed in 2002 to the EU's fight against crime project in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; and what assessment he has made of its value for money; [164008]
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(17) how his Department contributed in 2002 to the EU's promotion of inter-ethnic relations project in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; and what assessment he has made of its value for money; [164009]
(18) what assessment he has made of the results achieved by the 2002 EU Development Assistance Project to promote inter-ethnic relations in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia/Serbia; [164017]
(19) if he will make a statement on (a) his Department's and (b) other countries' involvement in the EU Development Assistance project in 2002 on Policing in Bosnia and Herzegovina; [164004]
(20) if he will make a statement on (a) his Department's involvement in and (b) the effectiveness of the EU Development Assistance projects in 2002 to rehabilitate victims of torture in (i) Kosovo, (ii) Bosnia and Herzegovina and (iii) Albania; [164030]
(21) if he will make a statement on (a) his Department's involvement in and (b) the effectiveness of the 2002 EU development assistance projects entitled (i) Support to the Electoral Observation Mission of the OSCE/ODIHR in the Western Balkans, (ii) Implementation instruments for the national strategies for Roma minorities in the Western Balkans, (iii) Support to the Accession Process in the Council of Europe and in the regional development of the democratic institutions in the Western Balkans and (iv) Respect of the Post-accession engagements in the Council of Europe and Developing and Monitoring Democratic Institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. [164025]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: For those projects implemented under the Community Assistance for Reconstruction, Development and Stabilisation (CARDS) programme, the Department is involved through contributing the UK's share of the European Commission budget allocated to CARDS and by participating in the Management Committee established to define country strategies and oversee the programme. In addition proposals for CARDS projects in Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Albania and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) are approved by the Governing Board of the European Agency for Reconstruction, on which the Department is also represented. For those projects implemented under the European Initiative for Human Rights and Democracy, a similar oversight role is played by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Implementation of specific projects (including procurement, which is governed by EC procurement rules) is the responsibility of the Commission.
When considering Commission funding proposals, the Department took a wide range of factors into consideration, including likely impact, cost-effectiveness and value for money. Many of the 2002 projects are in the early stages of implementation. An assessment of the projects, and production of final spending figures, will only be possible once they have been completed. The EC, through its results-orientated management system and strengthened evaluation systems, is best placed to carry out such an assessment.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on EU development assistance to rural development in Mongolia in 2002. [164003]
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Mr. Gareth Thomas: EU development assistance to Mongolia is mainly channelled through the Technical Assistance to Commonwealth of Independent States (TACIS) programme. Since 1994, Mongolia has been allocated EUR 50 million for various programme activities, one of which is rural development. In 2000–01 an Integrated Crop and Livestock Production project began. This project is still being implemented with a budget of EUR 2,899,520 for 2002–05.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the stated objectives of the EU project entitled Police and Organised Crime in Croatia in 2002 was; what his Department's involvement in the project was; and what assessment he has made of its value for money. [164006]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: This project is implemented under the EU Community Assistance for Reconstruction, Development and Stabilisation (CARDS) programme and the Department is involved through contributing the UK's share of the European Commission budget allocated to CARDS and by participating in the Management Committee established to define country strategies and oversee the programme.
In addition the project is being implemented under a Twinning arrangement, and the Home Office has successfully bid for Phase 1 of the project in 2003 under the CARDS 2002 programme and the project is due to begin this year. The general objective of the project is to strengthen the capacity of the Croatian Ministry of the Interior for the fight against organised crime and terrorism. The project purpose (of Phase 1, and Phase 2 under CARDS 2003) is to set up a complete Criminal Intelligence System, with all the necessary arrangements, equipment, facilities, and procedures used for the receipt, storage, interagency exchange or dissemination, and analysis of criminal intelligence information.
When considering Commission funding proposals, the Department takes a wide range of factors into consideration, including likely impact, cost-effectiveness and value for money. This particular project is still at an early stage of development and so it is not yet possible to assess its value for money. The EC, through its results-orientated management system and strengthened evaluation systems, is best placed to carry out such an assessment.
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