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9 Oct 2006 : Column 149W—continued
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1. Social protection and economic growth in poor countries.
2. How to work effectively with global funds and partnerships—overview how to note and detailed toolkit, Global and Country Partnerships for Human Development.
3. Infrastructure and pro-poor growth, Pro-Poor Growth team.
4. Managing the fiduciary risk associated with social cash transfer programmes.
5. How to provide technical cooperation.
6. Water Action Plan update.
7. Guidance on aid instruments.
8. Good practice in transforming or closing bilateral programmes, Donor Policy and Partnerships.
9. The importance of secondary, vocational and higher education to development, Education and Skills team.
Departmental Staff (Bicycles)
Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what tax efficient schemes for the purchase of bicycles his Department makes available to its employees; how many and what percentage of his Department’s staff purchased bicycles through such schemes in 2005-06; whether the schemes are available through a range of suppliers; and whether arrangements are made to enable staff with disabilities to purchase adapted bicycles from a specialist supplier. [90063]
Mr. Thomas: DFID is considering introducing a cycle to work scheme in the next 18 months as part of a package of flexible benefits we are planning under our HR Transformation project.
DFID staff can currently apply for a bicycle advance to cover the cost of a bike and any safety or security
equipment up to a total of £500. Seven staff applied for and received an advance in the last 12 months. The advance is repaid over a period of 12 months (or the period of appointment if shorter).
DFID’s intranet has information on Green Issues which includes a section called “On Your Bike”. The Department has a Bike Buddy Scheme through which experienced cyclists help new cyclists to learn the best routes and gain confidence. DFID also advertises local cycle routes in our offices and has increased the number of bicycle racks and lockers in our two UK locations.
Other measures which help promote cycling include DFID joining the London Cycling Campaign as an affiliate member. Through this membership, staff can obtain a discount for their own individual membership. The campaign’s website offers cyclists a wide variety of helpful information and advice, including an “All abilities cycling guide” for those with disabilities. There are also links to the websites of other cycling organisations.
Developing Countries
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the impact of policies of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank which have the effect of capping the amount of public spending in developing countries receiving aid from those institutions. [88617]
Hilary Benn: The policies of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank are designed to support country led development strategies, including their public spending plans. These include policies to support economic stability, promote the effective use of higher levels of aid and to build the capacity of public services.
Economic stability is important if poverty is to be reduced. It is a foundation for growth, for avoiding inflation that harms the poor and for ensuring countries can sustain long term investments in public services. All countries face constraints in deciding on appropriate levels of domestic deficits and borrowing. The IMF's dialogue and advice helps countries establish budget policies that achieve and maintain stability. This includes agreeing with countries on the budget limits that are central to their fiscal policies. These limits avoid unsustainable deficits that will force countries to cut back on their future spending. These policies support long-term spending plans that are central to strengthening public services.
The IMF and the World Bank are both committed to helping developing countries manage larger aid flows to support public service investments that reduce poverty. The IMF helps countries with advice on policies to manage the macroeconomic consequences of larger aid flows. It promotes long term predictable aid that can finance higher public spending without excessive borrowing and adjusts the fiscal targets in its programmes to support higher aid backed spending. The World Bank plays a leading role in supporting countries' own poverty reduction strategies. It is a major global provider of aid to finance these strategies. The Bank also plays a central role in helping countries
mobilise further aid to support their spending plans by coordinating overall donor support and ensuring aid is provided in an effective manner. The Bank is heavily involved in international efforts to strengthen key public services such as the Fast Track Initiative for education. All these policies provide direct support for public service investments. The IMF and the World Bank have made a further major contribution with the resources they have committed through the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative. This will help provide developing countries with the long-term predictable funding they need to help finance critical services like health and education.
Disabled Staff
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was paid to his Department from the Access to Work Scheme for adjustments for disabled staff in the last year for which figures are available; from what budget he plans to meet the costs of reasonable adjustments for disabled staff following withdrawal of Access to Work funding for central Government departments; and if he will make a statement. [89013]
Mr. Thomas: In 2005-06 DFID received funding of £780.36 from Access to Work towards the cost of providing specially adapted chairs for three staff.
All future costs of reasonable adjustments will be met from DFID's central administration budget. We intend to consider existing and future funding arrangements in the upcoming review of how we manage disability in DFID.
Disaster Risks
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's priorities are for disaster risk reduction measures in each region of the world. [89980]
Mr. Thomas: In March 2006 DFID launched a new Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) policy setting out its renewed commitment to tackling this issue. The overarching priorities of the policy are to:
strengthen the international system's and national and regional institutions’ capacities to deal with DRR;
integrate DRR more effectively into development policy and planning;
reduce the vulnerability of the poor to disaster risk.
DFID’s DRR work is focused on 14 of the most disaster prone countries from across three regions—Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean. These countries are: Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Vietnam, Bolivia, Guyana, Jamaica and Nicaragua.
DFID’s priority across all regions over the next 18 months is to integrate DRR more effectively into development programmes within DFID, and also in developing country governments and other development organisations within the international community. DFID staff in disaster-prone countries will be trained in the necessary skills and knowledge to do this. DFID is working in partnership with the
international community in pushing this work forward. For example, DFID is providing £4.3 million to the World Bank for a programme to incorporate DRR more effectively into poverty reduction strategies and approximately £15 million to NGOs undertaking community level DRR work in disaster-prone countries.
Regionally, DFID’s priorities are, within Africa, to reduce risk and vulnerability. We are working in five African countries to establish food safety net programmes for delivering regular grants of cash and food to the poorest. In Asia, DFID is working to ensure that additional money allocated to the region following the series of major natural disasters in 2004-06 is spent effectively. This has arisen from DFID’s commitment to allocate 10 per cent. of its funding in response to each natural disaster for DRR. As a result, DFID is providing £6.5 million for DRR work in the Asia tsunami-affected region, an additional £5.8 million following the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan and £500,000 following the 2006 earthquake in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. In Latin America and the Caribbean DFID has been working with its partners to reduce the damaging impacts of rapid onset emergencies such as hurricanes. Throughout the 2005 and 2006 hurricane seasons we have placed a dedicated Humanitarian/DRR adviser in the Caribbean to take forward this work with regional partners.
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking with the (a) World Bank and (b) UN to ensure that disaster risk reduction measures are included as a key issue in poverty reduction strategies. [89982]
Mr. Thomas: DFID is committed to reducing the risk of disasters in developing countries and in March 2006 published a new policy on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). A key aim of this policy is to work in partnership with the World Bank to ensure that DRR measures are incorporated into disaster-prone countries' national level planning processes, including Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSs). To this end DFID will provide £4.38 million over the next three years for a World Bank programme to integrate DRR more effectively into developing countries' planning processes.
DFID also recognises the important role that the UN plays in integrating DRR into wider development. We are therefore providing £3 million over the next three years to the UN's International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), the focal point in the UN system for the co-ordination of DRR. The ISDR has overall responsibility for supporting and implementing the Hyogo Framework (adopted at the World Conference on Disaster Reduction in January 2005), a key goal of which is to strengthen and integrate DRR mechanisms into disaster prone countries' development planning.
Environmental Management
Chris Huhne:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department (a) is committed to the achievement of environmental management to ISO 14001 standard and (b) has been
externally certified as in compliance with that standard; and if he will make a statement. [81187]
Mr. Thomas: DFID is strongly committed to the targets set out in the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate, and in accordance with these has established Environment Management Systems in both our UK offices in line with the standards set out in ISO 14001. We are not proposing to have the systems externally certified.
Indonesia
Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much financial assistance the Government has pledged to Indonesia following the tsunami on 17 July 2006; through which organisations this assistance will be channelled; over what timescale; and what non-financial assistance has been pledged. [88414]
Mr. Thomas: DFID has not provided any assistance in the wake of the tsunami in Central and West Java because the Government of Indonesia has stated that it does not require international assistance. The Indonesian Minister of People's Welfare has provided 750 million Indonesian Rupiah (£43 million) to the local government in Ciasmis, West Java and 250 million Indonesian Rupiah (£14.5 million) to the local government in Cilacap, Central Java for their emergency response.
DFID staff in Jakarta and London continue to monitor the situation and are ready to provide assistance if it is needed.
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what plans his Department has to assist the Indonesian government in helping Java recover from the recent tsunami, other than through financial aid; [88790]
(2) what funding his Department has (a) pledged, (b) committed and (c) spent to support areas of Indonesia affected by the recent tsunami. [88789]
Mr. Thomas: DFID has not provided any assistance in the wake of the tsunami in Central and West Java because the Government of Indonesia has stated that it does not require international assistance. The Indonesian Minister of People's Welfare has provided 750 million Indonesian Rupiah (£43 million) to the local government in Ciasmis, West Java and 250 million Indonesian Rupiah (£14.5 million) to the local government in Cilacap, Central Java for their emergency response.
DFID staff in Jakarta and London continue to monitor the situation and are ready to provide assistance if it is needed, including for longer term recovery.
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