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27 Jun 2005 : Column 1287W—continued
Vietnam
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the social and political situation in Vietnam. [6989]
Ian Pearson: Vietnam is a one-party state in which the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) decides all major policy issues. The country's current leadership was confirmed by the last major 9th Communist Party V Party Congress in 2001. Vietnam is expected to continue its successful doi moi (renovation) economic reform programme at the next CPV Party Congress in 2006. No significant changes to Vietnam's political system are expected. Vietnam's next major challenge is to join the World Trade Organisation, possibly late this year, which should further consolidate and spur its economic reforms.
We remain concerned about the human rights situation in Vietnam and have an increasingly open dialogue with the Vietnam Government on such issues. We are also working with Vietnam and its neighbours on their efforts to tackle terrorism, illegal immigration and organised crime in the region.
Other major challenges facing Vietnam include regional economic disparity, stubbornly high poverty in remote ethnic-minority regions and the influx of unregistered internal migrants to major cities. The Department for International Development's (DFID)
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support to Vietnam is one of the fastest growing UK aid programmes in the world, assisting Vietnam's social and economic development including the transition to a market-based economy.
Zimbabwe
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is proposing to encourage the international community to take action to address the political situation in Zimbabwe. [6405]
Ian Pearson: We condemn the Zimbabwe authorities' forcible destruction of housing and small businesses, which has rendered hundreds of thousands of people homeless and without livelihoods.
We are working actively to end the violence and help the victims. Britain has protested strongly to the Zimbabwean authorities; is providing humanitarian assistance to those in greatest need; and is encouraging all members of the international community to follow suit.
With our strong support, the EU has condemned Mugabe's actions and has agreed to ban from Europe and freeze the assets of another 25 of his henchmen. We are in regular contact with the US, Canada, Australia and others, who have joined us in speaking out. We are encouraging other African Governments to engage. And we are in close touch with the UN Secretary-General, who is despatching his own special envoy to Zimbabwe, Anna Tibaijuka, to report on the situation there.
We will continue to work with the international community for a return to democratic governance and the rule of law in Zimbabwe.
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TREASURY
2011 Census
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is in relation to recognising Kashmiris as an ethnic group in the 2011 census. [7039]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Paul Goodman, dated 27 June 2005:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question asking what the policy is in relation to recognising Kashmiris as an ethnic group in the 2011 census. (7039)
The ethnicity question will be reviewed as part of the general preparations made by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for the 2011 census when the questions and classifications for all topics will be reviewed before the selection of the final question set. ONS are planning a substantial programme of question testing and consultation with users of census data for the next few years and it is not possible to confirm what questions are to be included in the 2011 census until this is complete.
ONS began a programme of consultation on topics to be included in its 2011 census with a paper issued on the ONS website on 16 May 2005, The 2011 census: initial view on content for England and Wales, which invites responses by 5 August 2005. During the planning for the consultation process we recognised this issue as one of serious importance. The criteria for including questions in the 2011 census are set out in the consultation paper, which can be found at:
The consultation paper is the starting point for discussion with users about their data requirements for the 2011 census and is being supplemented by roadshows around the country during June and July. Following analysis of the written responses and comments made at the roadshows, a report will be published summarising the responses and setting out ONS' latest position.
Birth and Death Records (Digitisation)
Dr. Pugh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the digitisation of the UK's birth and death records will be carried out abroad. [6609]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Registrar General, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Dr. John Pugh, dated 27 June 2005:
As Registrar General for England and Wales, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how much of the digitisation of the UK's birth and death records will be carried out abroad. (6609)
There are three processes involved in the proposed digitisation of the UK's birth and death records.
The first process is to create digital images of the record from the existing microfilm or paper records. All image digitisation, whether microfilm or paper based will be done in the UK. No original registration records or paper quarterly copies will leave the UK.
The second process is to data capture key elements of the information on the image to create searchable index fields for each record. This second process will take place in India.
The third process involves the review of any individual records which are difficult to decipher and have failed the data capture process. At this stage all the records will be subjected to overall quality assurance, validation and acceptance testing. All of these processes will be carried out in a Centre of Excellence established at the General Register Office in Southport, Merseyside.
Computer Crime
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases of computer (a) hacking, (b) fraud and (c) theft his Department recorded in each year since 2001–02; and for each year, on how many occasions computer systems have been illegally accessed by computer hackers (i) within and (ii) outside his Department. [7180]
John Healey: The Department has recorded the following incidents.
| Incident | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | 2004–05 | 2005–06 (to date) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (a) Hacking | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| (b) Fraud | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| (c) Theft | 2 | 24 | 10 | 4 | 1 |
| (i) Illegal access from within | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| (ii) Illegal access from outside | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Consultants
Mrs. Dean: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to issue guidance on effective commissioning for those in the public and voluntary sectors who are commissioning work from external consultants. [7033]
John Healey: The Office of Government Commerce offers best practice advice to the public sector through its web-based product, the Successful Delivery Toolkit (www.ogc.gok.uk/sdtoolkit/). This guidance is aimed at public sector organisations and complies with Government policy and regulations for procurement but is not specifically tailored to the voluntary sector. The guidance encompasses:
where it may be appropriate to use consultants, for example, in construction or specification writing;
examples of specific guides that are relevant to the procurement and supply of consultancy services:
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