| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
9 Oct 2006 : Column 468W—continued
Zimbabwe
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for International Development on effective ways of getting food and other humanitarian aid to Zimbabwe. [89964]
Mr. McCartney:
Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development officials discuss Zimbabwe policy frequently. On 13 September, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development held a meeting with officials from both Departments to consider UK humanitarian assistance to Zimbabwe. The UK remains one of the largest donors of humanitarian aid to Zimbabwe, amounting to over £120 million since
2001. Our assistance does not go through the Zimbabwean government; instead we channel it through UN agencies and civil society organisations, who ensure that it reaches those that need it most.
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with Zimbabwean (a) people, (b) civil organisations and (c) non-governmental organisations to enable her to make an assessment of the impact of (i) inflation, (ii) unemployment and (iii) the forced movement of citizens from informal settlements. [89965]
Mr. McCartney:
Officials in London and our Embassy in Harare are in constant contact with Zimbabwean civil society. Zimbabwe's ruinous economic policies have led to an official rate of inflation above 1200 per cent. and rising, unemployment at over 80 per cent., and forced evictions continuing. Peaceful demonstrations are increasing, but Mugabe remains indifferent to his people's suffering, choosing instead to: stifle opposition; silence independent media; ignore international calls for reform; and deny any responsibility for the grave situation the country faces. On 19 September, I summoned the Zimbabwean
Ambassador to express strong concern on behalf of the Government at the violent suppression of peaceful demonstrations on 13 September by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions.
We will continue to pressure the Government of Zimbabwe to restore respect for democratic values, human rights and the rule of law.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of refugees who have fled from Zimbabwe to neighbouring states in each of the last six months. [92136]
Mr. McCartney: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the then Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs (Ian Pearson) on 28 February, Official Report, column 636W.
While it is impossible to estimate with accuracy the numbers who continue to flee from Zimbabwe, it is clear the numbers are significant. We are concerned about the damaging effects this has on the region. We continue to raise this with Zimbabwe's neighbours, encouraging them to assess the impact of the Zimbabwean exodus, and urge them to look at solutions to end the crisis.
Written Answers to Questions
Monday 9 October 2006
Home Department
Accession State Workers
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library the original report by officials that estimated the number of workers from the accession states who would exercise their right to come to the UK; and which division within his Department produced that report. [89488]
Mr. Byrne: There was no report or estimate on this matter produced by officials from the Department prior to the enlargement of the European Union on 1 May 2004.
Christian Dustmann et al from the University College London produced a report entitled "The Impact of EU Enlargement on Migrations Flows", which was commissioned by the Home Office and published in June 2003. It contained estimates of the numbers of people expected to migrate to the UK from the new member states in the years following enlargement of the European Union on 1 May 2004. These are independent estimates and not Home Office figures.
The report itself is available from the Department's Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/rdsolr2503.pdf
Agency Staff
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what average hourly rate his Department paid to employment agencies for agency staff in each year since 1999, broken down by agency. [89459]
Mr. Byrne: A full and comprehensive answer to this question can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Alcohol-related Offences
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the most recent estimate is of the number of alcohol-related disorders and crimes committed in a year. [91980]
Mr. Coaker: From the information collected centrally, it is not possible to identify those offences which are alcohol-related. Such offences are not specifically defined by statute and details of the individual circumstances of offences do not feature in the recorded crime data series.
The British Crime Survey (BCS) provides information on the number of violent incidents where the offender was thought to be under the influence of alcohol. According to the latest BCS (2005-06) there were 1,029,000 violent incidents in England and Wales where the offender was thought to be under the influence of alcohol.
The BCS also provides information on people's perceptions of types of antisocial behaviour in their area. Based on the 2005-06 BCS, just under one in four people perceived that people being drunk or rowdy in public places was a fairly or very big problem (24 percent.).
This information was published by the Home Office in the Crime in England and Wales 2005-06 publication. This information is available in the Library, and via Home Office website:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/crimeew0506.html
Antisocial Behaviour
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many anti-social behaviour orders for under 16-year olds have been (a) applied for by local authorities and (b) subsequently granted in each year since their introduction, broken down by local authority area; [89334]
(2) how many anti-social behaviour orders have been (a) applied for by local authorities and (b) subsequently granted in each year since their introduction, broken down by local authority area; [89332]
Mr. McNulty: I will place a copy of the available information in the House Libraries.
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many antisocial behaviour orders for under 16-year-olds have been (a) applied for by registered social landlords and (b) subsequently granted in each year since their introduction, broken down by local authority area; [89335]
(2) how many antisocial behaviour orders have been (a) applied for by registered social landlords and (b) subsequently granted in each year since their introduction, broken down by local authority area. [89333]
Mr. McNulty: The available information is given in the following tables.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |