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Afghanistan
Mr Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on his Department's support programmes for alternative livelihoods in Afghanistan. [189941]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID's Alternative Livelihoods programme is an essential part of our overall strategy to reduce and eventually eliminate poverty in Afghanistan. It is also a key component of the fight against drugs. In 2003/04 DFID provided £6 million to our alternative livelihoods programme. We have budgeted for an additional £20 million over the next two years.
DFID is working with the Afghan Government to build the capacity of the key agricultural ministries (£2.1 million over three years) and have helped establish the Alternative Livelihoods working group, which acts as a forum for the Afghan Government, donors, UN Agencies and non-governmental organisations to co-ordinate activities and develop a strategic framework for the creation of sustainable alternative livelihoods.
DFID is funding pilot programmes in Badakshan (£1 million over two years) and Eastern Hazarajat (£3.7 million over four years) to develop agricultural and non-farm alternatives to poppy cultivation. These projects are being supported by a microfinance programme targeted at the rural poor (£3 million over two years) and a fund for practical research into alternative livelihoods (£3 million over three years).
DFID is also working with village development councils through the National Solidarity Programme (£13 million over three years) to help communities address their own development priorities. To date 5,947 village development councils have been elected, 3,258 projects have been approved and $29 million in block grants has been disbursed to fund community projects
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including the construction of roads, water supply systems, irrigation canals, hydro-power for electricity, public baths, schools and weaving facilities.
Forests (Africa)
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action he is taking to try to prevent the loss of forest cover in Africa. [190386]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID supports developing countries in Africa to make forest resources contribute more effectively to poverty reduction. DFID's work aims to improve the livelihoods of poor people and to maintain—and increase where possible—the national and global public goods provided by forests. DFID is helping to develop forest policy, implement reforms, and strengthen forest governance in Ghana, Cameroon, Malawi, Kenya and South Africa.
DFID supports the Africa Forest Law Enforcement and Governance process to help raise awareness of the problems of illegal logging and the commitment to tackle them. In addition DFID invests about £29 million a year in the Global Environment Facility, a significant share of which is spent on forest conservation.
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Aboriginal Artefacts
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the lenders on securing the return of two bark etchings and an Aboriginal ceremonial headdress on loan to the Museum Victoria in Melbourne, Australia; why such items have not been returned; and if she will make a statement. [189148]
Estelle Morris [pursuant to her reply, 16 September 2004, Official Report, c. 1699–1700W]: In my previous reply I stated that the current Emergency Declarations were due to expire on 18 September. This was incorrect. The Declarations in question expired on 14 September, and further Declarations were imposed on 15 September.
Computer Misuse
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many cases of computer misuse there were in (a) her Department and (b) Ofcom this year to date; how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action; and what measures are in place to (i) discourage and (ii) monitor computer misuse. [190262]
Mr. Caborn: (a) There have been no cases of computer misuse in the Department to date this year.
All staff in the Department must sign our Acceptable Use Policy before e-mail or internet access is provided. The policy has to be signed off on an annual basis thereafter.
All use of departmental IT systems is monitored and filtering systems are in place to prevent access to unacceptable material.
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(b) With respect to Ofcom, the matter raised is the responsibility of the Office of Communications (Ofcom) as independent regulator. Accordingly, my officials have asked the Chief Executive of Ofcom to respond directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the Chief Executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
TRANSPORT
Information and Communication Specialists
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many information and communication technology specialists are in full-time employment in the Department. [189596]
Charlotte Atkins: 401 information and communication technology specialists are in full-time employment in the Department for Transport.
Rural Bus Subsidy
Mr. Anthony D. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) the allocation of the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant to each local authority has been to date and (b) the percentage level each local authority has set for the revenue cost of an individual bus service to be met by the farebox before the subsidy is allocated to it. [190045]
Charlotte Atkins: The following table shows the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant allocations since its introduction in 1998. A table indicating the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant allocations awarded to authorities in each year since 1998–99 has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
It is for each authority to determine its own criteria for deciding whether particular services should be supported by the grant allocated to them, taking account of local needs and priorities and value for money. Information is not collected centrally on the criteria adopted by individual authorities. The percentage of cost met from the farebox is just one of the options available to authorities in this respect.
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Transport Schemes
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the cost to benefit ratios of all the transport schemes which he has approved in principle within the last three years, including those agreed for implementation by Transport for London. [188031]
Mr. McNulty:
The Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) is one input into a decision about whether or not a project should go ahead. It shows those impacts that have established monetary valuations. There are often other significant impacts to which a monetary value cannot easily be attached, but which are accounted for when assessing overall value for money (vfm). Environmental and regeneration impacts for example could be very large and could alter the assessment of vfm from that
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implied by looking at the BCR alone. In some cases, where the other impacts of the scheme are sufficiently negative, a high BCR may not mean a scheme offers good vfm. Conversely, in other cases, where the positive impacts are sufficiently large a low BCR may not mean that the scheme offers poor vfm.
In addition to the value for money assessment, there are other considerations that affect whether a project should go ahead, including:
Practicality
Deliverability
Public acceptability
Distributional and equity impacts
Affordability and finance sustainability
The achievement of central government, local and regional objectives
The amelioration of identified problems
The following table reports the latest estimates available of the BCR of the transport schemes, which the Department for Transport has approved in principle or provisionally approved within the last three years.
For local schemes the local authority does a value for money appraisal of the scheme using the New Approach to Appraisal (NATA)—launched in 1998—and submits that to the Department for independent scrutiny. The appraisal is assessed by the Department, and the BCRs listed are the Department's own best estimate, using the evidence presented in the promoter's appraisal and the information uncovered during the Department's own assessment process.
The schemes were appraised in different years and due to changes in the Government's appraisal methodology during this period, the BCRs reported have not all been calculated on the same basis, so they are not directly comparable between schemes.
The list does not include those schemes agreed for implementation by Transport for London, since the decision to approve such schemes is the responsibility of the Mayor. The exception has been the Thames Gateway Bridge, where the Department have offered to provide some Private Finance Initiative (PFI) credits, and borough streetlighting PFIs. These are included in the table.
Notes:
1. Markham Employment Growth Zone: BCR -3.54
The Markham Employment Growth Zone originated as a response to the Coalfield Task Force's Report "Making the Difference—A New Start for England's Coalfield Communities". It is principally a regeneration scheme for the former colliery and surrounding land. The method of calculating the BCR does not capture the wider economic benefits that the scheme will deliver.
2. Ilkeston-Awsworth Link Road: BCR 0.81
Ilkeston-Awsworth Link Road is justified largely on environmental grounds. The method of calculating the BCR does not capture the environmental benefits that the scheme will deliver.
3. Ryde Esplanade Transport Interchange: BCR 0.36
Ryde Esplanade Interchange is the main entry point to the Isle of Wight. It is primarily aimed at improving the quality of facilities, increasing security and encouraging tourism, which accounts for 24 per cent. of the island's economy. The method of calculating the BCR does not capture these wider benefits the scheme will deliver.
4. Merseytram: BCR 1.1
The scheme has significant benefits that are not included in the monetised BCR. These include significant regeneration and social inclusion benefits, as well as beneficial impacts on air quality and greenhouse gases.
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