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Sudan

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the Independent Expert mandated by the 23 April UN Commission on Human Rights decision on Sudan to be appointed. [177384]

Mr. Mullin: The UN Economic and Social Council has to endorse the decision of the Commission on Human Rights before an Independent Expert can be appointed. We have pressed for an early decision of the Council and consultations are under way. Once the decision is approved, the Chairman of the Commission on Human Rights will then be in a position to appoint an individual to the post.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Alcohol Licences

Miss Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many premises have a licence to serve alcohol all night, broken down by local authority. [178410]

Mr. Caborn: Alcohol licences are granted by licensing justices and, where available, statistics are broken down by petty sessions areas and not by local authority areas. Generally, no justices' licences permit the sale or consumption of alcohol all night. This is the effect of section 60 of the Licensing Act 1964 which details the permitted hours for the sale and supply of alcohol from licensed premises. There are however four exceptions. Firstly, all on-licensed premises are able to sell alcohol all night on each New Year's Eve unless the premises are subject to a restriction order. Secondly, the 1964 Act does not prohibit or restrict the sale or supply of alcohol to, or its consumption by, any person in any licensed premises where he is residing, or the supply for consumption by any private friends of such a person who are being entertained by that person at his own expense. Thirdly, the 1964 Act does not prohibit or restrict the supply of alcohol for consumption on the premises to persons employed there for the purposes of the business carried on by the holder of a justices' licence if the alcohol is supplied at the expense of their employer or the person carrying on or in charge of the business on the premises. Fourthly, under section 74 of the 1964 Act, justices of the peace on application from premises situated in the immediate neighbourhood of a public market or place where people follow a lawful trade or calling, may grant an order adding, either generally or for such days as may be specified in the order such hours as may be so specified, to the permitted hours in those premises. These are commonly called "general orders of exemption". There are no centrally held statistics on the numbers or dispersal of general orders of exemption. However, the number permitting the sale or supply of
 
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alcohol all night in connection with a public market (for example, Smithfields Meat Market in London) is believed to be very small.

WALES

A483

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has held with National Assembly for Wales Secretaries concerning improvements to the A483. [177368]

Mr. Hain : Responsibility for the A483 Trunk Road rests, in Wales, with the National Assembly, and in England with the Highways Agency. Officials from these two bodies meet regularly to discuss improvements.

A public consultation was held last year, on a Route Management Strategy for the A5/A483 Trunk Roads. Further consultation is planned towards the end of this year, on the Pant—Llanymynech by-pass, and it is hoped to award the contract for this work at around the same time.

Administration Budget

Mr. Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what progress has been made towards the 5 per cent. reduction in real terms in his Department's administration budget by 2008, announced by the Chancellor in the House on 17 March 2004, Official Report, column 331. [177423]

Mr. Hain: The real terms reduction of 5 per cent. or more will be a central feature of the public spending settlements for 2006–08 to be announced in detail later this year.

Departmental Staff

Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people have left employment in his Department because of (a) anxiety, (b) stress, (c) depression and (d) other mental health reasons in each year since 1997. [175673]

Mr. Hain: Since the establishment of the Wales Office on 1 July 1999 there have been no departures by staff from the Wales Office because of anxiety, stress, depression or mental health reasons.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

India

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will cease his Department's funding of the state's deregulatory Centre for Good Governance in Andhra Pradesh, India. [178607]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Centre for Good Governance (CGG) was set up in 2001 by the Government of Andhra Pradesh (AP) to assist it in developing and implementing its governance reform programme. The programme has many strands, and since its inception, the Centre for Good Governance has undertaken work on a wide range of issues. Highlights
 
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include a thorough assessment of public expenditure management systems, and an action plan for their improvement. The Centre has also studied Citizens' Charters and how they can be effectively used to improve services. Other work includes analysing corruption-prone processes, and assisting the Government to develop a broad anti-corruption strategy. CGG is currently completing a study on local bodies, and how their effectiveness can be improved. In addition to assisting the AP Government, the Centre is working with the Government of India, particularly in the areas of civil service reform and e-governance.

Recognising the importance of governance to tackling poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals, DFID has committed up to £5.9 million for the Government of Andhra Pradesh's governance reform programme; this lasts until March 2005. The assistance is provided in a flexible way so that it can respond to the state Government's evolving agenda. Regular discussions are held on the work programme of the Centre to ensure that it is line with the Government's priorities.

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will end the arrangement which places the Implementation Secretariat of the Andhra Pradesh state's Public Enterprises Department under the control of the Adam Smith Institute. [178608]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Implementation Secretariat is responsible for taking forward the Government of Andhra Pradesh's public enterprise reform programme. It has always been under the control of the state government, and is headed by an Andhra Pradesh government official. The Implementation Secretariat reviews the options for state enterprises, and recommends their closure, restructuring or sale; it then implements the state government's decision.

Adam Smith International (ASI) won a competitive tender to provide advisory and administrative support to the Government of Andhra Pradesh. In the first stage, as well as providing consultancy advice, ASI also engaged the local consulting firms and staff for the Implementation Secretariat. In 2003, the Implementation Secretariat itself took over these administrative responsibilities. DFID is discussing its programme, including assistance to public enterprise reform, with the new government, to ensure that it reflects their priorities and makes the most effective contribution to their efforts to tackle poverty.

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the viability of his Department's commitments entered into as a result of the Vision 2020 document produced by McKinsey & Co for Andhra Pradesh's Chief Minister Naidu. [178609]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: Vision 2020, published in 1999, set out the vision of the Government of Andhra Pradesh for development in the state. It committed the government to a number of goals, including the eradication of poverty and universal primary education, and included many ideas and approaches about how these goals could be achieved. It was not however, a strategy or plan that could be funded. The projects which DFID is supporting in Andhra Pradesh were each based on requests for assistance, and were designed and
 
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agreed only after detailed appraisals and discussions with government. They are regularly reviewed to assess progress and agree any changes.

DFID has a wide-ranging programme in Andhra Pradesh. It includes both support to the government in implementing cross-cutting reforms and support for programmes providing basic services such as primary schooling and treatment of Tuberculosis. DFID also has two large programmes—AP Rural Livelihoods (APRLP) and AP Urban Services for the Poor (APUSP)—which aim to make government more responsive to the needs of poor people, and to encourage the involvement of poor communities in decisions which affect their lives. APRLP works in five of the poorest rural areas, and has a central focus on agriculture, on which most poor people depend. APUSP works in 32 towns, and as well as improving government's services, it finances new infrastructure in slum areas, for example to address drinking water and sanitation needs. Both projects include components to help poor families to make a better living by developing new opportunities to earn income, for example through skills training.

The new state government of Andhra Pradesh is setting out its priorities for development and poverty reduction. Discussions have started on how DFID can most effectively support government's efforts to tackle poverty, and this dialogue will include reviewing existing projects to see whether any changes are required.

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