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19 Feb 2007 : Column 268W—continued
Rehabilitation of Naghlu Hydropower Plant
Urban Water Supply and Sanitation
Education Quality Improvement
Rural Water Supply and Sanitation
More detailed information will be available in the latest ARTF quarterly report which we will place in the House of Commons Library when we receive it next week.
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 8 February 2007, Official Report, column 1070W, on “Afghanistan: overseas aid”, whether members of community development councils are remunerated. [121641]
Hilary Benn: Members of community development councils are not remunerated.
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 8 February 2007, Official Report, column 1070W, on “Afghanistan: overseas aid”, what assessment his Department has made of the impact on the water table in Helmand province as a result of the digging of the (a) 150 wells dug to date and (b) further 150 wells to be dug. [121656]
Hilary Benn: DFID included a Helmand water table assessment in its programme design. We had originally sourced an Italian NGO to undertake this assessment; however they are no longer working in Afghanistan. DFID is currently in negotiations with a Danish NGO, DACAAR, the largest water and sanitation non-governmental organisation in Afghanistan, to oversee an assessment of the well construction which will include the impact on the water table.
Commonwealth Education Fund
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the (a) past work and (b) future of the Commonwealth Education Fund. [121382]
Mr. Thomas: The Commonwealth Education Fund, launched in 2002, has sought to increase access to primary education in Commonwealth (CEF) developing countries and has focused attention on the vital role of civil society in helping achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Its strength lies in its catalyst role galvanising civil society organisations to participate in planning and monitoring national Education for All plans and the education component of PRSPs (poverty reduction strategies). It also supports innovative ways to ensure all children—including the most vulnerable such as AIDS orphans and socially excluded groups—are able to go to school.
The UK Government support the CEF through its three components, the Strategic Fund which is the main fund, the Comic Relief Fund and the School Links Programme. Other donors, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have contributed to the CEF since its launch.
We value the work of the CEF in strengthening the capacity of civil society in the developing world and in strengthening relationships between Government, civil society and the private sector. DFID has extended the completion dates of the funds to 2008.
Departments: Equal Opportunities
Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department has taken to implement the Race Equality Duty since 2000. [120630]
Mr. Thomas: Following the introduction of the Race Equality Duty, DFID produced a Race Equality Scheme in 2002. The Department revised and updated the scheme in 2006. The revised Race Equality Scheme lays out in detail how the Department will:
assess, and consult on, the likely impact proposed policies will have on promoting race equality;
monitor policies for any adverse impact on promoting race equality;
publish the results of assessments, consultation, and monitoring;
make sure the public have access to information and services; and
train staff to carry out the general duty and the specific duties.
Copies of our Race Equality Scheme have been placed in the Library.
DFID has made good progress in race equality in a number of areas, including representation of black and minority ethnic staff in the senior civil service (SCS). In November 2006, 13 per cent. of the SCS was from a black or ethnic minority background; this compares favourably to progress in the SCS as a whole.
DFID also continues to strengthen its links with people from diaspora communities in the United Kingdom. This is undertaken through, for example, increased consultation on DFID Country Assistance Plans.
Family Planning: Overseas Aid
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was given in grants to (a) International Planned Parenthood Federation and (b) Marie Stopes International in the last year for which figures are available. [121151]
Mr. Thomas: DFID’s total expenditure in financial year 2005-06 for Marie Stopes International was £717,000.
The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) 2005 unrestricted core contribution of £6 million was paid in March 2005, which meant it was charged against the financial year 2004-05.
No further funds were provided to IPPF in financial year 2005-06, but we have already provided a further core contribution in 2006-07 of £7.5 million.
Further information on DFID expenditure through UK Civil Society Organisations for 2005-06 is published in table 17 of “Statistics on International Development 2001/02-2005/06”, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library.
Final figures for financial year 2006-07 will be available from autumn 2007.
Malawi: Overseas Aid
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when the Scottish Executive first approached his Department to discuss overseas assistance to Malawi. [120008]
Hilary Benn: The issue of the Scottish Executive becoming involved in international development was first raised in a meeting I had with the First Minister, Jack McConnell MSP, on 21 September 2004 during my visit to the Scottish Parliament.
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what requests for advice or assistance to Malawi his Department has received from the Scottish Executive; and if he will place in the Library all related correspondence, including e-mails, meeting notes and notes of telephone conversations. [120009]
Hilary Benn: DFID officials have had discussions with the Scottish Executive about their International Programme but have not had any formal requests for advice or assistance to Malawi. I will place all of the relevant correspondence relating to our contact with the Scottish Executive about the formulation of their international development policy in the Library.
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions officials in his Department have had with Scottish Executive officials (a) in Malawi and (b) in the UK on aid projects to Malawi. [120010]
Hilary Benn: The Scottish Executive and DFID in Malawi are in regular contact. The Scottish Executive keep DFID Malawi informed of their activities in Malawi. In turn DFID provides background to developments in the sectors of interest and encourages the Scottish Executive to work within existing Government of Malawi priorities, programme and donor structures and to focus their efforts on where they think they can add value.
In the UK there have been a number of informal meetings between Scottish Executive and DFID officials and an official has represented DFID at the two meetings of the Scottish Executive’s Expert Group on international development.
Scottish Executive officials are also members of the Africa Capacity Building Initiative Group, led by DFID, and attend all meetings.
Malaysia
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had on recent flooding in Johor Province, Malaysia; what assessment he has made of the aid needs of the evacuees; and what provision the Government are making available to Malaysia to help alleviate the effects of the flooding. [110825]
Mr. Thomas:
DFID has been monitoring the situation closely, and has been prepared to respond if necessary. The Government of Malaysia have not
requested international assistance and needs are being met by the Government of Malaysia and local response arrangements.
It is reported that the flood water has begun to recede and people are returning home, although waters are expected to subside more slowly in some affected areas such as Batu Pahat.
Serbia: Overseas Aid
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much development assistance the Government provided to (a) Serbia and (b) Kosovo in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [121119]
Mr. Thomas: In the last three completed financial years DFID provided the following:
| £ million | ||
| Serbia and Montenegro | Kosovo | |
These figures include spending on projects managed by DFID under the Global Conflict Prevention Pool. This is a joint funding initiative between DFID, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the Ministry of Defence.
Not all development assistance can be split between Kosovo, on the one hand, and Serbia and Montenegro on the other. The UK provided debt relief amounting to £45.821 million for Serbia and Montenegro, including Kosovo, in 2005-06. This figure cannot be further disaggregated. A further £10,000 development assistance was provided by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to Serbia and Montenegro, including Kosovo in 2003-04, and cannot be further disaggregated. Similarly, it is not possible to disaggregate further the British share of assistance provided through multilateral channels such as the EC, the World Bank and the United Nations. In 2004, the most recent year for which figures are available, our share of multilateral aid to Serbia and Montenegro including Kosovo was £39.3 million.
Church Commissioners
Departments: Equal Opportunities
Mr. Burstow: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what steps the Commissioners (a) have taken and (b) plan to take to ensure compliance with the gender equality duty in the Equality Act 2006 by the April 2007 deadline. [120995]
Sir Stuart Bell: As the Commissioners are not a public body, they are not affected by the part of the Act to which the hon. Member refers.
Of course, the Commissioners wish to protect their employees from prejudice on gender or other grounds and have in place an equal opportunities policy.
House of Commons Commission
Catering Services: House of Commons
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission when he expects an agreement to be reached on a pay increase for catering staff in the House due from April 2006. [120906]
Nick Harvey: Managers and unions have conducted negotiations for pay increases in 2006 for a number of months without being able to reach agreement. Negotiations are continuing. In the meantime, management and unions have agreed that a provisional pay increase should be given to catering staff and this will be paid to them with their March salaries.
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the five golden rules are which have been issued to catering staff in the House. [120907]
Nick Harvey: The “five golden rules” issued to catering staff in the Terrace Cafeteria and Members’ Tea Room have been devised as part of the Refreshment Department’s customer service improvement programme, launched in January 2007. Building on customer service training delivered to all staff of the Department during 2006, the programme is being led by a customer service adviser working alongside staff in their own workplaces. The programme will continue until July 2007 and is intended to highlight and encourage good customer service practices, correct poor customer service practices or attitudes and achieve greater consistency across all venues.
The “five golden rules” issued to customer-facing staff in the Terrace Cafeteria and Members’ Tea Room are:
1. Hold eye contact with each customer and smile
2. Greet each customer—use customer’s name
3. Make a positive statement or compliment their food choice
4. Listen carefully and respond to what they say
5. Thank them with a smile
Similar guidance may be produced for staff working in other venues, but this will depend on the customer service improvement priorities in each area.
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many (a) catering managers and (b) service staff were employed in the Refreshment Department in the House in each year since 1997. [120908]
Nick Harvey: The information requested is available only from 2002 onwards and is given in the following table:
| Catering managers | Service staff | |||
| Complemented | Actual numbers employed on 31 March | Complemented | Actual numbers employed on 31 March | |
| (1) February. | ||||
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