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Suicide
Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have committed suicide in each year since 1997, broken down by method used. [68637]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2006:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people have committed suicide in each year since 1997, broken down by method used. (68637)
The most recent year for which figures are available is 2004. The attached table shows the number of deaths with a verdict of suicide or undetermined intent, by method of injury in England and Wales for the years 1997 to 2004.
| Number of deaths from suicide( 1) and injury of undetermined intent( 2) by method of injury( 3) , England and Wales, 1997 to 2004( 4) | ||||||||
| Method of injury | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
| (1 )The cause of death for suicide was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E950-E959 for 1997 to 2000 and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84 for the years 2001 to 2004. (2) The cause of death for undetermined intent was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E980-E989 excluding E988.8 for the years 1997 to 2000 and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes Y10-Y34 excluding Y33.9 pending verdicts for the years 2001 to 2004. (3) The methods of injury were defined using the ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes in the following list and were taken from an article published in Health Statistics Quarterly 20*: Hanging, strangulation and suffocation, ICD-9 E953, E983 ICD-10 X70, Y20 Drug-related poisoning, ICD-9 E950.0-E950.5, E980.0-E980.5, ICD-10 X60-X64, Y10-Y14 “Other” poisoning, ICD-9 E950.6-E950.9, E951-E952, E980.6-E980.9, E981-E982, ICD-10 X65-X69, Y15-Y19 Drowning ICD-9 E954, E984 ICD-10 X71, Y21 Jumping from a high place ICD-9 E957, E987 ICD-10 X80, Y30 Firearms and explosives ICD-9 E955, E985 ICD-10 X72-X75, Y22-Y25 Contact with sharp objects ICD-9 E956, E986 ICD-10 X78, Y28 (4) Figures are for deaths occurring in each calendar year. (5) Includes motor vehicle exhaust gas. * Brock A, Griffiths C (2003) Trends in suicide by method in England and Wales, 1979 to 2001. Health Statistics Quarterly 20, 7-18. |
Vehicle Excise Duty
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of vehicle excise duty collected was spent on (a) the maintenance of roads and (b) public transport in each of the last five years. [67187]
John Healey: The Government do not hypothecate revenue from vehicle excise duty into transport expenditure.
Details of Government expenditure on roads and public transport is available on the Department for Transport website http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_transstats/documents/page/dft_transstats041489.pdf
White Papers
Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many White Papers were published by his Department in 2005; and if he will make a statement. [68248]
John Healey: A list of Command Papers published by the Treasury is to be found on the websiteof the Office of Public Sector Information (www.opsi.gov.uk). Information relating specifically to White Papers and to Green Papers—terms which are not formally defined—is not available.
Prime Minister
Journalists' Air Travel
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Prime Minister (1) pursuant to the answer of 4 May 2006 to question 67852, how charges to journalists are calculated for their air travel when accompanying him on overseas trips; [69570]
(2) pursuant to the answer of 4 May 2006 to question 67853, if he will list the names of the journalists who have accompanied him on each foreign visit since 2001; and which news organisations have been invited to accompany him on such visits. [69571]
The Prime Minister: I have nothing further to addto the answer I gave the hon. Member on Wednesday3 May 2006, Official Report, column 1675W.
International Development
Centre for the Development of Enterprise
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the establishment of the Centre for the Development of Enterprise. [68633]
Hilary Benn: The Centre for Development Enterprise (CDE) was established over 25 years ago under the terms of the Partnership Agreement between the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries and the European Community and its member states. The CDE's mission is to foster socio-economic development by providing advisory and non-financial services to companies and businesses in ACP countries.
The CDE employs 57 staff. It is primarily funded from the European Development Fund (EDF) which has provided €108 million for 2000-06. The United Kingdom contributes 12.67 per cent. of that amount. Additional funding comes from donors including Sweden, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, Italy and Spain.
Developing Countries (Corruption)
Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to tackle corruption in developing countries. [68670]
Hilary Benn: DFID is committed to tackling corruption. It is a problem in most countries, and is a result of failures in governance and accountability. The best check against corruption is to strengthen governance, supported by regular monitoring. We need to focus on building policies and institutions that prevent and deter corruption before it undermines development. DFID programmes include support for a range of governance reforms which are aimed primarily at improving accountability, transparency and the improved financial management of public resources. DFID is also promoting work internationally to develop better indicators that will help track progress over time.
A key part of DFID's work with developing country governments is to support the improvement of strategic planning and public financial management. For example, DFID supports public-financial management reform in Zambia, Rwanda, Malawi, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Lesotho and the Gambia. Procurement reform is particularly important and DFID works closely with other bilateral donors and multilateral institutions (especially the World Bank) to improve countries' procurement capacity. Many DFID programmes are also supporting reform of public service pay, conditions and performance management, in order to reduce the incentives for public officials to act corruptly.
DFID also provides support to a wide range of institutions in developing countries, working to tackle corruption and improve the effectiveness of aid and domestic resources to maximise service delivery and benefits to poor people DFID has provided technical and financial support to dedicated anti-corruption commissions, for example in Sierra Leone, Malawi, Uganda and Zambia. In addition work is under way to help improve citizens' capacity to hold governments to account for the way funds are used, by strengthening institutions such as parliaments, parliamentary committees and supreme audit institutions.
Corruption is not just a developing country problem. Developed countries carry an equal responsibility. The UK Government are strongly committed to combating overseas corruption and have taken a number of steps including action to reform the UK domestic legal framework and providing support to developing countries to strengthen their own systems. DFID, working with other government departments, has launched the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative to improve the transparency of oil and mineral revenues. The UK also played an important role in negotiations to develop the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), the first global agreement on the action that needs to be taken to combat corruption. The UK formally ratified the convention on 9 February this year and became only the second G8 country to have done so.
Family Planning
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with the US Administration about (a) condom use, (b) maternal health, (c) access to safe abortion and (d) its Mexico City policy on family planning assistance in developing countries. [68243]
Mr. Thomas: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for International Development has not had recent discussions with the US Administration on these issues. The UK does have a different view from the US in a number of areas, including on promoting condom use, and on access to safe abortion. But we do, as we always have, continue to work with the US as closely and constructively as we can to promote country-led, evidence based and effective approaches to sustainable development.
The UK and the US are the largest bilateral donors involved in the supply of condoms and have a shared view on a range of key issues. We are working closely
together, for example with the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition to help develop long-term sustainable responses to reproductive health commodity needs.
DFID and the US have regular discussions on maternal health, and we both support for example, the recently launched Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, as well as joint research on improving ways to measure maternal health.
The US is fully aware of our views on the Mexico City policy; that we do not agree with it.
Malaria
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being made by his Department (a) to treat and (b) to reduce the incidence of malaria in developing countries. [68229]
Mr. Thomas: UK support to malaria control is provided through global partnerships, multilateral agencies, and bilateral country programmes. Most of these channels support both treatment of malaria and reduction of incidence including through more widespread use of insecticide treated mosquito nets (ITNs). DFID also supports public-private partnerships for the research and development of new tools and technologies (PDPs).
The UK is a key donor to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria (GFATM), and has pledged £359 million to the fund through to 2008. Approximately 27 per cent. of GFATM funds go to malaria treatment and prevention?including both treatment (through provision of anti-malarial drugs) and prevention. DFID has provided £48.5 million from 1998-2005 to the global Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership, who work at global level, including by running the malaria medicines and supplies service which works to support countries to access supplies of effective malaria drugs and ITNs. DFID also provides core funding to the World Health Organisation (£12.5 million in 2004-05), and funds the World Bank and European Commission who also provide support to malaria treatment and prevention.
At country level DFID supports malaria control through bilateral programmes. Our priorities for malaria control focuses on giving support to countries to develop strong and sustainable health systems that are able to scale up the coverage of treatment including artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) and ITNs. In Kenya?DFID has committed £47.4 million to social marketing of ITNs. The aim is to increase the use of nets among pregnant women and children under five. DFID has also committed £8.5 million to develop a sustainable market for ITNs in Mozambique, through community-based and public health centres and retail shops.
DFID has pledged £10 million over five years (2005-10) to the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), which aims to discover, develop and deliver new affordable anti-malarial drugs. This is a joint commitment with the Wellcome Trust, who will match our support. DFID will also give £6.5 million over the next three years to the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi), which includes funding for work on developing a more effective artimisinin combination drug for treatment of malaria.
Palestinian Territories
Mr. Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on increased funding to the Palestinian territories through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. [68893]
Hilary Benn: DFID provided £15 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in April 2006. This will help UNRWA continue to provide health, education, job creation and other essential programmes for Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Gaza, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. We provided a similar level of assistance through UNRWA in 2005.
Since 2004, DFID has provided a total of£47.2 million for UNRWA's work to support the basic needs of Palestinian refugees.
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