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14 Sept 2004 : Column 1516W—continued
CDC/Actis Capital
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether CDC investments qualify as bilateral aid. [189061]
Hilary Benn:
I confirm that CDC investments still qualify as bilateral aid and full details of these investments are set out in Table 7 of Statistics on International Development, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
14 Sept 2004 : Column 1517W
Departmental Buildings (Lost and Stolen Property)
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the items that his Department has reported to the police as lost or stolen from his Department's buildings or property in the United Kingdom and overseas since 1997. [188319]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: The number of items reported lost or stolen to the police in the UK and overseas is as set out. Information for 1997 is not readily available and could not be obtained without incurring a disproportionate cost.
| Item | Quantity | |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Laptop | 1 |
| 1998 | Computers | 10 |
| 1998 | Laptop | 1 |
| 2000 | Vehicle | 1 |
| 2001 | Telephones | 3 |
| 2001 | Colour printer | 1 |
| 2001 | Laser printers | 2 |
| 2001 | Scanners | 2 |
| 2001 | Fax machine | 1 |
| 2001 | Laptop | 1 |
| 2001 | Vehicle | 1 |
| 2002 | Video camera | 1 |
| 2002 | Vehicle | 1 |
| 2002 | Vehicle | 1 |
| 2002 | Laptop | 1 |
| 2002 | Laptops | 2 |
| 2002 | Vehicle | 1 |
| 2002 | Laptop | 1 |
| 2002 | Laptop | 1 |
| 2002 | Digital camera | 1 |
| 2002 | Laptop and projector | 1 |
| 2002 | Building materials | — |
| 2002 | Laptop and projector | 1 |
| 2003 | Laptop | 1 |
| 2003 | Laptops | 3 |
| 2003 | Laptop | 1 |
| 2003 | Laptop | 1 |
| 2004 | Laptop | 1 |
| 2004 | Laptop | 1 |
| 2004 | Digital camera | 1 |
Departmental Costs
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on replacing light bulbs in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement on energy efficiency in his Department's buildings in the UK and overseas. [188330]
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Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID spent £4,311 in its London offices on replacement light bulbs during 2003–04. No information is available for our East Kilbride offices, as it is currently being refurbished and the lighting system is therefore being replaced. Information on expenditure on light bulbs in our overseas offices is not centrally available and could not be obtained without incurring a disproportionate cost.
DFID is committed to implementing the standards set out in the Government's Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate. The recent refurbishments of our UK offices have given us the opportunity to improve the energy efficiency of our buildings, for instance with installation of Building Management Systems which allow us to monitor and manage energy usage to a much greater extent than in the past.
The design for the refurbishment of our East Kilbride office has received an "excellent" rating under the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM); for instance, DFID has installed energy efficient heating systems, and also lighting systems which are movement sensitive and take account of natural lighting levels. Through our green awareness programme DFID is encouraging overseas offices to consider the implementation of similar energy efficiency measures wherever appropriate.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much money his Department has spent on (a) opinion polling and (b) focus groups in each year since 1997. [188332]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: In 1998, DFID commissioned Opinion Leader Research (OLR) to undertake baseline focus group research among the UK public. In 2003, DFID commissioned OLR to undertake further focus group research to explore ways of increasing understanding and support for international development in the UK. DFID also commissions two annual opinion polls on public attitudes to development. One poll, undertaken by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), monitors the opinion of the UK adult population, and the second, undertaken by Market and Opinion Research International (MORI), monitors the opinion of schoolchildren. In 1999, we also undertook a readership survey of "Developments" magazine, in order to test its impact and reach. The results of the focus group research and the opinion polls are used to inform, and monitor the impact of, our work on development awareness and education.
The annual cost of focus group research and opinion polls is detailed in the following table:
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Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the equivalent monetary cost of theft from his Department was in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) United Kingdom locations and (b) overseas offices. [188333]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: The cost to DFID, in pounds, of items reported stolen is as set out. Information for 1997 is not readily available and could not be obtained without incurring a disproportionate cost.
| United Kingdom | Overseas | |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 3,111 | 16,357 |
| 1999 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | 111 | 24,319 |
| 2001 | 203 | 6,472 |
| 2002 | 10,595 | 29,797 |
| 2003 | 10 | 2,674 |
| 2004 | 0 | 2,192 |
Departmental Mobile Phones
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many mobile phones owned by his Department have been reported lost or stolen since 1997. [188331]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: Within the Department for International Development, 28 mobile phones have been reported lost or stolen since 1997.
Departmental Satellite and Cable Subscriptions
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost was of satellite and cable subscriptions in his Department's buildings in the UK and overseas in each year since 1997; and if he will list the premium channels to which his Department subscribes. [188328]
Mr. Gareth Thomas:
DFID subscribes to the Parliamentary TV System to allow access to the Parliamentary Annunciator System, the Division Bell and Commons and Lords TV channels in the UK. Other services and channels are included in the package: these are selected by the Information Committee of the Houses of Parliament. The annual costs of the subscription since 1997 are given in the table.
14 Sept 2004 : Column 1520W
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| 1997 | (11)— |
| 1998 | 19,770 |
| 1999 | 19,770 |
| 2000 | (12)20,500 |
| 2001 | (12)20,500 |
| 2002 | 20,500 |
| 2003 | 23,059 |
(11) No figures are available.
(12) Estimated figure.
DFID has no other cable and satellite subscriptions in the UK and there is no central provision of cable and satellite services to overseas offices. Information about any local purchases overseas could not be obtained without incurring a disproportionate cost.
Infant Mortality Rate
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of global infant mortality he estimates results from unsafe water and sanitation; and how this is taken into account in the design of the programmes funded by his Department in pursuit of the Millennium Development Goal to reduce the under-five mortality rate. [188053]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: UN data on infant mortality are not routinely disaggregated by cause of death. It is estimated, however, that diarrhoea causes more than 1.5 million child deaths each year, constituting about 15 per cent. of under-five deaths. Childhood diarrhoea is closely associated with insufficient water, inadequate sanitation, contaminated water and poor hygiene practices.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are strongly inter-dependent and DFID programme interventions include strict controls over appraisal and design to reflect this. DFID's Water Action Plan, published in March 2004, sets out DFID's priorities for the integrated provision of safe water, sanitation and hygiene promotion at national, regional and international levels. Significant progress to reduce childhood deaths from diarrhoea requires increased coverage of both preventative interventions and curative, such as the provision of effective health care (including oral re-hydration therapy and drug treatments).
14 Sept 2004 : Column 1521W
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