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28 Nov 2006 : Column 541W—continued
Hilary Benn:
The total amount of bilateral expenditure channelled through multilateral agencies is
not readily available from central DFID systems. To collect this information would incur disproportionate costs.
Burma
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what role the United Nations Development Programme will play in the management of the Three Diseases Fund for Burma. [102493]
Mr. Thomas: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will not play a role in the management of the Three Diseases Fund for Burma.
The fund will be managed by an independent fund manager, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), overseen by a fund board which includes representatives from the donor consortium and independent international experts. The board will be responsible for setting fund policy, for selecting and approving grants, for providing guidance to the independent fund manager and overseeing its work, and for effective monitoring and evaluation.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many governments were approached to provide funding for the Three Diseases Fund for Burma. [102494]
Mr. Thomas: We have regularly raised the Three Diseases Fund bilaterally and in group meetings with those donors, who support development work in Burma, kept them abreast of progress and invited them to explore further the possibility of their involvement. Five governments and the European Commission (EC) have agreed to support the Three Diseases Fund and others are still considering their involvement. We will continue to keep donors informed on progress and invite their contributions.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the Three Diseases Fund for Burma will be available to assist people with HIV/AIDS in areas of Burma not under the control of the military government. [102495]
Mr. Thomas: The Three Diseases Fund is committed to supporting work on the three diseases on the basis of need, irrespective of ethnic origin, social status, gender, nationality, political opinions, race or religion. The fund will target those most at risk from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, particularly those with limited or no access to public health services.
We will maintain our dialogue with the Burmese authorities about improving access for the UN and international NGOs to areas not under the control of the military government. We will also seek to strengthen dialogues with community-based organisations, local non-governmental organisations and ceasefire groups about how they can contribute to the fund’s efforts to deliver services in these areas.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which organisations people in Burma with HIV/AIDS will be able to approach to receive assistance funded by the Three Diseases Fund for Burma. [102496]
Mr. Thomas: The Three Diseases Fund has been established to be consistent with the European Union Common Position on Burma. People in Burma with HIV/AIDS will be able to approach a broad range of implementing partners to receive services—including national and international non-governmental organisations, local level government health workers in public health clinics and private sector healthcare providers. The implementing partners must meet certain criteria as established by the fund board. These are likely to include demonstrated technical competence, capacity, speed of delivery, coherence with ongoing activities, or access to specific target beneficiaries or areas. All implementation will need to be consistent with the international humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality and impartiality.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how and by whom decisions on grants from the Three Diseases Fund for Burma are made. [102498]
Mr. Thomas: The fund board, which consists of donor representatives and independent international experts, will select and approve grants, targeting those most at risk from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, particularly those with limited or no access to public health services. Over time, it is expected that the independent fund manager will take a greater role in selecting and approving grants, on the basis of policy and criteria set by the fund board.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which organisations will be the (a) managing partners and (b) implementing partners for the operation of the Three Diseases Fund for Burma. [102499]
Mr. Thomas: A fund board has been established as the governing body of the Three Diseases Fund. It includes representatives from the donor consortium and independent international experts. The fund board will be responsible for setting policy and for overseeing a professional and independent fund manager who will report regularly to the board on all aspects of the fund operation. The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) has been contracted as the fund manager and will be responsible for the operation of the fund on a day-to-day basis.
The implementing partners will include specialised UN agencies, international non-governmental organisations, local non-governmental organisations and the private sector. The implementing partners must meet certain criteria as established by the fund board. These are likely to include demonstrated technical competence, capacity, speed of delivery, coherence with ongoing activities, or access to specific target beneficiaries or areas. All implementation must also meet the European Union common position and the international humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality and impartiality.
Civil Service Relocation
Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many jobs in his Department have been relocated (a) to Liverpool and (b) elsewhere as a result of the Lyons Review; and on how many occasions Liverpool has been considered for the relocation of staff under this programme. [103091]
Mr. Thomas: DFID has met its target under the Lyons Review which was the relocation of 85 posts outside London. All of these posts have been moved to our other UK office in East Kilbride.
At the time of the review, DFID was undertaking a refurbishment of the East Kilbride office, after which additional staff could be accommodated. This was therefore the most efficient and economic option for DFID, and relocation to a new third building in a city such as Liverpool was not considered to be a viable option, despite the undoubted attractions of many locations.
Pakistan
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on what projects the proposed £480 million in aid to Pakistan is planned to be spent; and what benchmarks his Department has in place to assess the funding’s effectiveness. [102598]
Mr. Thomas: We will set out our priorities for the increased aid allocation in a new Country Assistance Plan (CAP) for Pakistan. During the consultations for this we will seek a wide variety of views and ensure they are fed into our CAP planning. The Government of Pakistan have made progress in fighting poverty, but very real needs remain. One in 10 children die before their fifth birthday; around 8 million children do not go to school; approximately 50 per cent. of the adult population are illiterate, two thirds of whom are women; and some 38 million people were living below the official poverty line in 2005. It is likely that one of our priorities will be to increase our assistance to the education sector.
Effectiveness will be assessed in a number of ways. The CAP will set out the expected results from our development assistance to Pakistan. We are also agreeing a set of indicators with the Government of Pakistan, to track progress towards the commitments made in the Development Partnership Arrangement. Individual programmes will continue to have indicators of outcomes that will, as at present, be monitored at least annually.
Renewable Energy
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of the electricity used by his Department was generated from (a) renewable sources and (b) on-site microgeneration facilities in the last period for which figures are available. [104322]
Hilary Benn:
The proportion of energy used in our UK buildings generated from renewable sources for 2005-06 was 95 per cent. The remaining 5 per cent. relates to a building which we are about to vacate.
None of our energy is currently generated from on-site microgeneration, but we are currently carrying out feasibility studies into options such as combined heat and power (CHP) units, tri-generation systems, and biomass heating systems for both of our remaining buildings.
Secondments
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which staff in his Department are seconded from organisations with charitable status; and which have (a) costs and (b) salaries met (i) in part and (ii) in whole (A) from public funds and (B) by the charity from which they are seconded. [102414]
Mr. Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) currently has one secondee from Oxfam who has been posted to DFID's office in Lusaka, Zambia.
DFID are meeting all costs (including salary costs) for this seven month secondment which commenced in November 2006.
World Food Programme
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support he is giving to the World Food Programme’s food aid provision in the Horn of Africa. [103419]
Hilary Benn: DFID has contributed a total of £22.15 million during 2006 to the World Food Programme’s operations in the Horn of Africa. Direct contributions have been made to WFP this year of £15 million for Kenya, £6.5 million for Somalia, and £0.65 million for Ethiopia.
Indirect contributions to WFP and other food relief have also been made by DFID through our contributions to UN Humanitarian Response Funds in countries in the Horn, and through the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), to which we are the largest contributor.
Trade and Industry
Equal Pay
Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of employees who took their employers to an industrial tribunal under the Equal Pay Act 1970 in the last five years had their complaint upheld. [103748]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The percentage of employees who took their employers to an employment tribunal under the Equal Pay Act 1970 in the last five years and had their complaint upheld is as follows:
| Percentage of complaints upheld | |
Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many employers were taken to a tribunal under the Equal Pay Act 1970 in each of the last five years. [103749]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of employers taken to a tribunal under the Equal Pay Act 1970 in each of the last five years is as follows:
| Number of claims | |
Export Control
Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he make representations to include a review of sentencing for breaches of export control when it considers its 2007-08 work programme. [102887]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 23 November 2006]: In response to Question 51 of the Quadripartite Committee's 'First Joint Report of Session 2005-2006', the Government said that the Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office will engage with the Sentencing Guidelines Council to see how best it can influence the debate on appropriate sentencing guidelines for breaches of export control. The Department, along with other interested Departments, will wish to contribute to that debate.
Gas Supplies
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he has taken besides his efforts to liberalise the European gas market to ensure security of supply within the UK gas market. [101909]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 21 November 2006]: The recent review of the UK's energy policy confirmed the Government's view that security of supply is best ensured by a competitive and liberalised market-based system. Coupled with a light touch regulatory framework, this facilitates the short-term balancing of supply and demand, and provides the price signals and incentives to encourage investment for the longer term in diverse supplies. Two outcomes from the Energy Review address security of gas supply: DTI is working to streamline consent regimes for gas supply infrastructure projects, and is also consulting on possible ways to further improve the effectiveness of the current UK gas security of supply arrangements.
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what impact concerns raised by NATO regarding Russia limiting gas supply into Europe have had on his plans for security of gas supply in the UK. [101910]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 21 November 2006]: With our EU partners and through the International Energy Agency, the Government monitor international gas market developments closely. The UK continues to promote diverse supplies, delivered through competitive markets, as the most efficient and effective way to ensure gas security of supply.
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the availability of information on the cost and supply of Norwegian gas imported into the UK. [102439]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 23 November 2006]: No individual assessment has been made. Rules covering participation in GB gas markets, including those relating to provision of information, are the same for all market participants.
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he has taken to increase the transparency of the gas markets that feed the UK gas market. [102623]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 23 November 2006]: I attach great importance to the development of a functioning internal energy market. While progress has been made in implementing the EU's 2003 liberalisation package, further steps are needed and I welcome the action the Commission is taking, both in conducting a sectoral inquiry of energy and in considering what other action may be necessary.
In the UK's response to the Commission energy Green Paper of March this year, we underlined a number of factors which we regard as key to the development of the market: ensuring sufficient information is available for all market players and consumers to benefit from fair competition; the need for regulators to have sufficient powers and independence to deliver competition, including across borders; investment in cross-border infrastructure; and effective unbundling to prevent discrimination against market entrants.
I look forward to the publication of the Commission's strategic energy review and the conclusions of the sectoral inquiry, both due to be published in January.
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