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Population Control Policies

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with the Government of India regarding population control policies. [58803]

Mr. Thomas: DFID's India country office, had discussions with Government of India (GoI) on population stabilisation issues in February 2006 in the context of the multi-donor review mission of the Reproductive and Child Health Programme, phase-2 (RCH-2). RCH-2, launched in April 2005, is the GoI's key programme to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG)s for reducing maternal and child mortality. Population stabilisation is one objective of the overall programme through promoting the principal of choice: allowing couples to choose family size and spacing.

The multi-donor mission was satisfied that the frontline workers in the health Department do not have any 'targets' for controlling population. The current programme, based on the GoI's National Population Policy 2000, is free of targets. It is based on voluntary choices to address the unmet need for contraception with a focus on improving the quality of services. Many states in India are piloting innovative approaches of partnership with the private sector in order to expand the scope and reach of contraceptive services. Some of the state Governments, such as Madhya Pradesh have reversed their earlier decision to debar individuals with more than two children from standing for elections to local governing bodies. Legislation has now been passed by the Madhya Pradesh Government permitting individuals to take office in local governing bodies irrespective of their family size.

Further information on India's National Population Policy is available on the website: http://mohfw.nic.in

South Asian Earthquake

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on his Department's work in relief and reconstruction following the South Asian earthquake. [56976]

Mr. Thomas: The Government are working hard to help Pakistan recover from the earthquake. DFID has pledged a total of £58 million to meet relief needs, of which £53.3 million has been programmed to specific relief actions, and a further £70 million towards reconstruction. The European Commission has pledged €93.6 million (around £63.7 million) to relief and
 
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reconstruction. The UK's share of this is around £11 million. We are the second largest donor to the relief effort.

DFID provided more than £2.4 million worth of urgently needed relief items, including 9,000 winterised tents, 32,000 tarpaulins, 19,700 collapsible 10-litre jerry cans, 36,000 blankets and 38,000 pieces of plastic sheeting. DFID has sent a total of 15 relief flights, including Ministry of Defence airlifts of priority relief items such as water and rations, and has funded 78 relief flights on behalf of the Disasters Emergency Committee to ensure that money raised by the public is spent on relief items and not transportation.

As part of the overall £58 million pledge, DFID has allocated over £19 million in support of the UN's relief effort. This includes £1 million to the World Food Programme (WFP) for helicopters, logistics support, vehicles, and coordination and £1.7 million to United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) for helicopters. DFID further supported UN activities through a £2 million pledge in support of the NATO airlift, transporting relief items from UN warehouses in Europe and the Middle East to Pakistan, and further DFID support to helicopter provision including three Chinook helicopters provided through the Ministry of Defence from 26 October until 28 November. DFID support to helicopter provision did not reduce at this point, but instead, at the request of WFP, DFID contracted four helicopters for four months, starting from 24 November 2005 as part of a £5.5 million package of support to UNHAS.

DFID also provided funding for an 86 strong team drawn from 59 Independent Commando Squadron Royal Engineers, deployed under NATO command, to undertake emergency shelter building operations in remote high-altitude areas in the Bagh region. The Royal Engineers unit are highly specialist troops who are trained to operate in winter and mountainous conditions.

DFID is one of the largest bilateral donors for reconstruction, and is a trusted partner of the Government of Pakistan. We committed £70 million for reconstruction at the Donors' Conference last November. DFID Pakistan will undertake programming for this during March, leading to preparation of a Programme Memorandum for Ministers approval during April. DFID funds are likely to be routed through the Government of Pakistan for general reconstruction purposes as well as some more specific technical assistance funds for capacity building and disaster risk reduction.

We are providing technical support to the Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authorities (ERRA) to draw up a master plan for implementation and monitoring of the overall reconstruction programme. DFID support to the Government of Pakistan also includes developing a single, comprehensive monitoring and evaluation framework, providing the Pakistani authorities and donors with a common framework, ensuring no duplication of effort.

The first £5 million tranche of DFID's support for reconstruction is available immediately. We have consulted with international programme partners in Pakistan and the Governments of Azad, Jammu and
 
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Kashmir (AJK) and the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) about how the £5 million can best be deployed for immediate reconstruction purposes. In light of theseconsultations, we will be making the following allocations:

Up to £4 million for reconstructing critical bridges in the affected area;

Up to £800,000 to the United Nations educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for training teachers and administrators, in order to underpin support for rehabilitation of the education sector;

Up to £200,000 for TB prevention services and mental health support services in the earthquake affected areas.

Martin Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has for continued assistance for the people of the areas of Pakistan and Kashmir affected by the South Asian earthquake. [58451]

Mr. Thomas: DFID is playing, and will continue to play, a substantial role in helping Pakistan recover from the devastating earthquake of 8 October 2005. Our £58 million contribution for the relief effort is the second largest by any bilateral donor, after the United States.

At the donors' conference in Islamabad on 19 November last year, I pledged DFID support of some£70 million for reconstruction and rehabilitation, making the total UK contribution for relief and reconstruction some £128 million. We are providing support over the next three years, in close consultation with the Government of Pakistan and key donor partners. The UK support will, along with contributions from the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the UN and others, help make a very real difference in rehabilitating the earthquake affected areas and restoring livelihoods. We will be flexible and keep our assistance under review, in light of progress with reconstruction in the next three years.

CABINET OFFICE

Hannington Radio Station

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster for what reason the Cabinet Office retains a transmission mast at Hannington Radio Station, Hampshire; to what purpose each of the out-buildings on this site is put; and if he will make a statement. [57861]

Mr. Jim Murphy: The freehold of Hannington Radio station was transferred to the Cabinet Office in 2001 as part of a Machinery of Government transfer. The Cabinet Office currently uses the site as a storage facility for office furniture and equipment. The other out buildings on the site are used by a small number of public and private sector companies and organisations who are engaged in broadcasting and associated activities.

Mobile Phones

Peter Viggers: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what guidance is given to Ministers about the use of mobile telephones for transacting Government business. [59577]

 
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Mr. Jim Murphy: Government Ministers are given guidance on their responsibility for maintaining the security of government business which includes the appropriate use of mobile telephones. It would not be appropriate to discuss the detail of security guidance.

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