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Defence, Transport and Movement Agency (DTMA)
The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Mr. Adam Ingram): Key targets have been set for the Chief Executive of DTMA for Financial Year 2004–05. The targets are as follows:
To achieve at least a "SATISFACTORY" rating in the provision of planning and delivery of transport and movements support to emerging operations, an increase in the tempo of existing operations or other requirements.
To achieve at least a "SATISFACTORY" rating in the planning and delivery of transport and movements support to enduring operations.
To provide Roll-on Roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessel capability at the Readiness States required.
To meet customers' requirements as negotiated and agreed in Customer Supplier Agreements (CSAs) to deliver:
97 per cent. or more of Agency transactions and services, however provided, to be within agreed Time, Quantity, Quality and Cost (TQQC) criteria.
At least 92 per cent. of transactions against each service to be within agreed TQQC criteria.
To reduce the average unit cost of output by 2 per cent. in real terms.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Armenia and Azerbaijan
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Bill Rammell): Her Majesty's Government remain committed to the OSCE arms embargo against both Azerbaijan and Armenia, which we interpret as covering all goods and technology controlled under entries in Part III of Schedule 1 to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994 commonly known as the military list).
In April 2004, the Government approved an export licence application for de-mining equipment for the HALO Trust for de-mining operations in Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The decision was made in accordance with our practice occasionally to make an exemption to our interpretation of the embargo by approving exports of non-lethal military goods to humanitarian, media or peacekeeping organisations where it is clear that the embargo was not intended to prevent those exports and there is a strong humanitarian case for them.
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Jamaica
The Secretary of State for International Development (Hilary Benn): Debt repayments totalling £9.45 million owed by the Government of Jamaica on past loans from the UK have been cancelled by the Department for International Development (DFID). This sum comprises the following:
Relief under the Commonwealth Debt Initiative (CDI) for all repayments due in 2004–05, £3.53 million;
Relief of loan repayments due to the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) in 2004–05, £2.91 million;
Reimbursement of loan repayments made to the CDC during 2003–04, £3.01 million.
Part of the debt held by the Commonwealth Development Corporation was transferred to DFID in 1999, when the CDC was transformed into a public limited company. This debt is now managed within the CDI process.
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The Commonwealth Debt Initiative, launched in October 1997 by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, aims to provide additional relief in respect of Government to Government loans to low and middle-income countries in the Commonwealth that are committed to achieving the millennium development goals, promote transparent and accountable Government, and pursue economic policies that encourage sustainable development.
Approval of debt relief for Jamaica follows a detailed assessment by the Governments of Jamaica and the UK against these criteria. The assessment considered the effects of Jamaica's high level of debt and its impact on pro-poor expenditure, and the high levels of crime and violence. It also considered the steps taken by the Government of Jamaica to modernise the public sector, which is central to economic recovery and growth; to develop a comprehensive strategy to reduce crime and violence and promote security; and to develop a medium term socio-economic policy framework, which will provide a coherent framework for policy decisions which promote growth, security and the reduction of poverty.
CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS
Government Inquiries
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs (Mr. Christopher Leslie): My noble Friend the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor has today, with the agreement of the Public Administration Select Committee, published a consultation paper which sets out the Government's response to the "Issues and Questions" paper published by the Public Administration Select Committee on 24 February 2004 as part of its inquiry into "Government by Inquiry".
The consultation period will run until 29 July 2004.
The Government believe that there is a strong case for considering what steps could be taken to improve the arrangements for inquiries called by Ministers to ensure that the benefits of their recommendations can be obtained more quickly, and economically. On 25 May, my noble Friend the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor will give oral evidence to the Committee. As well as consideration by the Committee, the Government feel that matters discussed in the memorandum merit wider comment.
I have placed copies of the consultation paper in the Libraries of both Houses and it has been published on the Department for Constitutional Affairs website at: www.dca.gsi.gov.uk/consult/confr.htm
Hutton Inquiry
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs (Mr. David Lammy): My noble Friend Lord Filkin has today made a statement concerning the cost of the Hutton inquiry.
The estimated cost to the Government is £2.54 million, of which £1.68 million was incurred by the inquiry itself.
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TREASURY
International Monetary Fund/World Bank
The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr. Gordon Brown): I travelled to Washington last week for the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, and for a meeting of G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors. I chaired a meeting of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC), the main policy-making committee of the Board of Governors representing the 183 members of the IMF. I then attended the Development Committee of the IMF and the World Bank in his role as Chairman of the IMFC.
In addition, I addressed a G7 dinner with Middle East and North African Finance Ministers; attended a G7 outreach meeting on combating the financing of terrorism; and attended a conference on the private sector in developing countries with representatives from the private sector.
I also had bilateral discussions with Jim Wolfensohn (President of the World Bank), Anne Krueger (Acting Managing Director of the IMF), US Treasury Secretary John Snow, Nicholas Sarkozy (Finance Minister, France), Ali Babacan (Minister of State, Republic of Turkey), Ralph Goodale (Finance Minister, Canada), Hilde Johnson (Minister of Development, Norway), Rodrigo Rato (candidate for the post of Managing Director of the IMF) and attended a meeting of African Finance Ministers.
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Overcrowded Housing
The Minister for Housing and Planning (Keith Hill): I am publishing today a review by De Montfort University of the evidence and literature relating to the impact of overcrowded housing on health and education. Copies of the report will be made available in the Libraries of both Houses and on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website www.odpm.gov.uk and will also be available from the ODPM Publication Sales Centre.
I am also making available two in-house statistical papers describing overcrowding at national and regional level and at sub-regional level. These papers bring together the available data from household surveys: "The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Survey of English Housing", "The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Housing Condition Survey" and "The Department for Work and Pensions Family Resources Survey". Copies of these papers will also be placed in the Libraries of both Houses and on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website.
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