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25 Feb 2005 : Column 857W—continued
Uganda
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of corruption in Uganda; what assistance is being given to Uganda to eliminate corruption; and if he will make a statement. [216126]
Mr. Mullin: Corruption continues to be a problem in Uganda. In September, the UK, along with other donor partners, raised the issue directly with President Museveni. We called on the Ugandan Government to tackle corruption more effectively, particularly with regard to its failure to act on high-profile corruption cases and the resulting detrimental impact corruption had on development and investment.
Fighting corruption is a priority for the UK development assistance programme in Uganda. Our work aims to enhance the institutional capacity of key anti-corruption agencies, and to develop a more efficient and co-ordinated approach to fighting corruption in Uganda.
West Papua
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 21 December 2004, Official Report, column 1626W, on West Papua, what format he expects a review of the Act of Free Choice for Papua to take; whether there is a timetable for the review; and if he will make a statement. [216368]
Mr. Alexander: The report of the special representative who oversaw the implementation of the UN backed 1969 Act of Free Choice resulting in West Papua becoming a province of Indonesia was accepted by a majority vote of the UN in November 1969. Any review of it is a matter between the UN and the Indonesian Government.
The British Government, together with other members of the international community, have continued to stress to the Indonesian Government at the highest level the need to fully implement the 2001 special autonomy law for Papua. This law allows for the
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establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Committee to look at the incorporation of Papua into Indonesia in the 1960s.
CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS
EU Committees
Angus Robertson: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the committee on the service in the member states of judicial and extrajudicial documents and co-operation between the courts of the member states in the taking of evidence in civil or commercial matters met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement. [217814]
Mr. Lammy: There are two separate committees, one relating to the regulation on the service in the member states of judicial and extrajudicial documents and the other relating to the regulation on co-operation between the courts of the member states in the taking of evidence in civil and commercial matters. There have been no meetings of either committee during the Italian, Irish or Dutch presidencies. However there were two ad hoc meetings convened by the European Commission in Brussels on 17 July 2003 and 14 April 2004 to discuss the regulation on service at which the UK was represented by officials from the Department for Constitutional Affairs and the Scottish Executive.
European Constitution
Mr. Drew: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many questions were drafted and considered before the final text of the question for the referendum on approval of the EU Constitution was agreed; and if he will publish the shortlist of questions. [217184]
Mr. Lammy: The wording of the question was decided following collective agreement at ministerial level with relevant Departments.
We currently have no plans to publish material relating to the formulation and internal development of the Government's policy on the terms of the question.
High Court Judges
John Mann: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the average age of current High Court judges is. [218038]
Mr. Lammy: As at 21 February 2005 there are currently 107 High Court judges in post, whose average age is 58 years and 8 months.
Training Budget
John Mann: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the total education and training budget of the Department is for 2005–06. [218036]
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Mr. Lammy: The Departmental allocation for provision of staff education and training for 2005–6 is not yet available. I shall write to my hon. Friend the Member for Bassetlaw once the details of my Department's budget for staff training and education are available.
John Mann: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the training budget for (a) lay magistrates and (b) High Court judges is in 2005. [218037]
Mr. Lammy:
Judicial training is the responsibility of the Judicial Studies Board (JSB), an independent body chaired by Lord Justice Keene. Training for magistrates
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is paid for and delivered at local level in 42 administrative areas. The budget for magistrates training is not ring-fenced and currently cannot be isolated from the overall grant allocation made by the Department for Constitutional Affairs to the Magistrates Courts Service. The JSB provides a core continuing professional education curriculum, the aim of which is to strengthen and deepen the skills and knowledge of existing judicial office-holders. High Court judges are invited to relevant continuation seminars. In addition, the JSB provides a programme of regular after-court seminars for the senior judiciary. There is no ring-fenced budget for High Court judges' training and the resources devoted to it can only be identified at disproportionate cost.
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EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Cleaning Costs
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the costs of cleaning the Department and its predecessors were in each year since 1997. [213833]
Derek Twigg: The total cost of cleaning the Department for Education and Skills Headquarter buildings both internally and externally are as follows:
| Financial year | Total cost (£) |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 543,580 |
| 1998–99 | 505,290 |
| 1999–2000 | 648,960 |
| 2000–01 | 624,290 |
| 2001–02 | 729,730 |
| 2002–03 | 793,370 |
| 2003–04 | 830,740 |
Disabled Access
Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether all buildings in her Department within the Greater London area are fully accessible to disabled people; and if she will make a statement. [218201]
Mr. Stephen Twigg:
I can confirm that both of the Department's buildings within the Greater London area are fully accessible to people with disabilities. Facilities for people with disabilities are considered to be an integral part of the Department's day-to-day operations and are a key consideration in all accommodation change programme/projects.
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Doctorates
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many doctorates were awarded in each subject in each of the last three years, broken down by gender. [217111]
Dr. Howells: The latest available information is given in the table. A new method of coding subject was introduced on the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) record in 2002–03, hence figures for 2002–03 onwards are not directly comparable to earlier years.
Note:
Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.
Source:
Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
Note:
Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.
Source:
Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
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