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7 Dec 2006 : Column 603Wcontinued
Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which areas of Burma have the highest rates of malaria; and whether the Three Diseases Fund for Burma is able to operate in these areas. [106759]
Mr. Thomas: Malaria is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Burma, but reliable statistics on geographical distribution of malaria morbidity and mortality are very limited. We believe that the disease is endemic in 284 out of 324 townships, primarily in rural areas but also in some peri-urban locations. According to the Burmese authorities official statistics, reported malaria outbreaks have increased over the past 10 years; and most outbreaks have been reported in Shan and Rakhine states and in Mandalay, Taninthayi, Magway and Bago divisions. A recent report by the Back Pack Health Worker Teams also identified very high rates of malaria infection in conflict areas in Karen State.
The Three Diseases Fund is not yet funding any work in Burma. However, it will seek to gradually extend its operations to reach all of those most at risk from the Three Diseases. The Three Diseases Fund will continue its dialogue with the Burmese authorities about improving access for the UN and international NGOs in all areas of the country. It will also seek to strengthen dialogues with community-based organisations, local non-governmental organisations and ceasefire groups about how they can contribute to the Funds efforts to deliver services in the most difficult to reach areas .
Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people in Burma with (a) HIV/AIDS, (b) TB and (c) malaria are expected to receive services from projects funded by the Three Diseases Fund in each year of its operation. [106760]
Mr. Thomas: DFIDs economic appraisal suggests that if the US$ 100 million indicated by donors is indeed committed, then over the next five years the Three Diseases Fund should generate around 20 million additional healthy years of life, or put another way, save the lives of over one million people.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he expects to reply to the letter dated 18 October from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to M. A. Knowles, transferred from HM Treasury. [106394]
Hilary Benn: The letter of 18 October from my right hon. Friend for Manchester, Gorton, on behalf of his constituent M. A. Knowles was received in DFID on 6 November. A reply was issued on 27 November on behalf of myself and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. I apologise for the delay.
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department contributed to (a) microfinance and (b) microcredit in each financial year since 2000-01. [107756]
Mr. Thomas: DFID has spent about £96 million since April 2003 supporting microfinance projects. The majority of this funding has been to build the capacity of microfinance institutions to serve greater numbers of poor people with a better range of services and at a lower cost.
We estimate the breakdown of DFIDs spending on microfinance over the last three financial years to be about:
£ million | |
DFID also supports microfinance through its core funding to International Financial Institutions such as the World Bank.
DFID has programmes in six countries that provide funding to microfinance institutions and promote more conducive policy and regulatory environments for microfinance. DFID also supports initiatives such as the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) that cover many more countries.
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many temporary employees were contracted to work for his Department in 2005-06; and what the total cost of such employees was in (a) 2005-06 and (b) 1997-98. [106696]
Mr. Thomas: DFID does not hold information centrally on the number of temporary staff engaged from time-to-time, and this could be secured only at disproportionate cost.
From 2005-06, information on agency costs, and those employed on similar short term contracts, has been collated when preparing DFIDs Resource Accounts. The total agency costs for 2005-06 were £3.8 million. The costs of those on short term
contracts was £1.7 million. The equivalent information for 1997-98 is not available.
From 1 January 2007, DFID will be joining an existing scheme, set up by the Prison Service, for the provision of temporary staff. Once the new arrangements come into force, information on the numbers of temporary staff engaged by DFID, together with the duration of their appointments, will be available from a central source.
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action he is taking on human trafficking in developing countries. [104616]
Mr. Thomas: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 21 November 2006, Official Report, column 25W by the Secretary of State for International Development to the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr. Hayes).
Mr. David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much the UK has given in financial aid to South Africa since the ending of apartheid. [104538]
Hilary Benn: Since 1994, when apartheid ended in South Africa, the UK has provided a total of £511,086 million of bilateral development assistance to the country. This sum is the total of UK funds provided to technical co-operation programmes; humanitarian assistance; grants and other aid-in-kind; and aid from other UK official sources, such as from CDC. None of this funding has been provided in the form of financial aid. (Financial aid to a partner Government is a grant, which is the subject of a formal written arrangement under which the partner Government is responsible for expenditure.)
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many of his Departments civil servants work full-time to support departmental special advisers; and what the salary is of each such civil servant. [106507]
Mr. Thomas: Only one civil servant in DFID works full-time in support of our special advisers. The salary for that post is currently within the range £20,604 to £24,665 a year.
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of the Departments expenditure on anti-HIV/AIDS projects is being directed to schemes involving street children; and how the effectiveness of this aid is measured. [104592]
Mr. Thomas:
Over three years (from 2005-06 to 2007-08) the UK Government will spend at least £1.5 billion on AIDS-related work in the developing
world. At least £150 million will be spent on programmes to meet the needs of orphans and other children, particularly those in Africa, made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS. We do not record or report expenditure specifically on street children. Expenditure on street children will be part of the £150 million commitment to orphans and vulnerable children.
An example of DFIDs support in this area is the £450,000 contribution to the Street and Working Children Programme in Burma. One element of this programme was HIV and AIDS education. In 2005-06 DFID provided £32 million in core funding to UNICEF whose work includes programmes to help street children affected by AIDS.
The effectiveness of DFIDs bilateral aid projects and programmes is measured using monitoring and evaluation at the project and programme level. An interim evaluation of the UKs strategy for tackling HIV and AIDS in the developing world, Taking Action, is currently taking place and final reports will be published in early 2007.
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Solicitor-General what the role is of the Crown Prosecution Service in Northamptonshire in securing compensation for victims in prosecuting offenders. [105018]
The Solicitor-General: Crown Prosecutors have a longstanding duty to seek compensation for victims in appropriate cases. The Prosecutors Pledge, which was launched earlier this year by the Attorney General and sets out the level of service victims can expect from prosecutors, expressly states that crown prosecutors should always consider making any relevant application for ancillary orders such as compensation.
In practice, the police will provide the necessary details regarding the extent of the loss suffered and where this is not done, the onus is on the crown prosecutor to seek this information from the victim via the police.
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people were recruited to the Regular Army in each of the last 12 months; and how many of these recruits became trained soldiers. [104483]
Derek Twigg: The following table provides intake figures for untrained soldiers to the Army in each of the last 12 months up to 1 October 2006:
Of the 12,580 soldiers who joined the untrained strength of the UK Regular Army between 1 October 2005 and 30 September 2006, 1,550 soldiers have subsequently become trained during this period. As at 1 October 2006, 8,730 soldiers were still undergoing phase 1 or 2 training at this time.
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the leaving figures for the Regular Army have been for each of the last 12 months. [104486]
Derek Twigg: Figures for Outflow from UK Regular Forces can be found in Tri-Service Publication 1 (TSP1). TSP1 is a monthly publication; copies are available in the Library of the House and can also be found at www.dasa.mod.uk.
Mr. David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people (a) left and (b) were recruited to the Army in 2005-06. [105820]
Derek Twigg: Figures for Outflow from UK Regular Forces and Intake from civilian life to UK Regular Forces can be found in Tri-Service Publication 1 (TSP1). TSP1 is a monthly publication; copies are available in the Library of the House and can also be found at www.dasa.mod.uk. The most recent publication showing data as at 1 October 2006 situation date also shows data on outflow and intake during 2005-06.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of (a) the total funding necessary for all operational force enhancements referred to in his written statement of 24 July 2006 and (b) the amount and proportion of such funding to come from (i) acceleration of existing funding within his Department's budget and (ii) new funding from the Treasury. [102592]
Des Browne: The investment in Vector, Mastiff and Bulldog vehicles is split between funding from the Reserve and the Department.
Vector is a planned programme using accelerated acquisition procedures to meet an urgent operational requirement. All 160 or so vehicles will be funded by
the Department; contract negotiations for the second tranche of vehicles which I announced on 24 July are still to be finalised, so I am not in a position to confirm the exact cost of the whole acquisition, although it is expected to be in the region of £50 million.
The Treasury is providing around £70 million to fund the procurement of 108 Mastiff vehicles, subject to finalisation of commercial arrangements, and around £30 million is being provided by the Treasury to fund about 70 additional up-armoured and up-graded FV430 vehicles, which will be known as Bulldog.
The operating costs of the two extra CH-47 Chinook helicopters, whose deployment on Operation Herrick 1 announced on 24 July, will be funded from the Reserve as a net additional cost of operations, in the usual way.
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff were employed on a consultancy basis in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies in each of the last five years for which information is available; and what the (i) average and (ii) longest period was for which a consultant was employed in each year. [102972]
Derek Twigg: Specific data on the number of consultants employed are not held centrally within my Department and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
However, I can advise that summaries of MOD expenditure on external assistance, of which consultancy is a part, are available in the Library of the House for the years 1995-96 to 2005-06.
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of staff employed in his Department were registered disabled in each year since 2001. [104473]
Derek Twigg: MOD disability data are collected on employee self-declaration of disability, and may include staff not listed as registered disabled. The following table shows the number and percentage of staff in the Ministry of Defence self declared as disabled since 2001.
At April each year | Declared disability | Declared disability (percentage) |
Notes: 1. All numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Disability percentage is based on known disability and excludes staff of unknown declaration. |
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