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21 Jun 2007 : Column 2212W—continued
Somalia: Peace Keeping Operations
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment has been made of the merits of establishing a UN force for Somalia; and what the UK policy is on the matter. [143779]
Mr. McCartney: The Government strongly support the current African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) but also support the need for the UN Security Council to consider fully the merits of establishing a UN force in Somalia, to succeed AMISOM. We sponsored UN Security Council Resolution 1744, adopted unanimously by the Security Council on 20 February, and fully supported the Council’s Presidential Statement of 30 April. Both emphasised the need to consider establishing a UN force in Somalia to succeed AMISOM and requested the Secretary-General to undertake contingency work and prepare options for the Security Council to consider. We expect the Secretary-General to report back to the Council within the next month, after which we will assess the merits of a force, in consultation with our UN partners. We supported this approach as Co-Chairman of the International Contact Group for Somalia when it met in London on 6 June.
Sudan: Armed Conflict
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 10 May 2007, Official Report, columns 400-1W, on Sudan: armed conflict, what measures to allow better air monitoring of the violence in Darfur have been proposed by the UK; and if she will make a statement. [142586]
Margaret Beckett: We are considering a number of measures to improve air monitoring in Darfur, from enhanced monitoring on the ground to a no fly zone. We need to assess the logistical challenges of implementation and impact on the humanitarian effort of any measures. We are working with partners in the UN Security Council to press both the African Union and the Panel of Experts to notify the UN Sanctions Committee of any instances of offensive military flights in Darftir.
Sudan: Peace Keeping Operations
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what agreements have been reached with the government of Sudan on when the United Nations/African Union heavy support package will be in place; and if she will make a statement. [142697]
Margaret Beckett:
The Government of Sudan gave their full agreement on 16 April to the deployment of the UN Heavy Support Package, The UN Department
for Peacekeeping Operations is now responsible for organising its deployment. We are pressing them to ensure that this happens as soon as possible.
We will monitor its deployment to ensure the Government of Sudan do not block it. If the Government do not co-operate, we will be prepared to introduce tougher measures.
Weapons: Finance
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the Financial Action Task Force is expected to complete its examination of the risks involved in weapons of mass destruction proliferation finance and to review its mandate, as called for by the G7 Finance Ministers in Essen in February 2007; and if she will make a statement. [143775]
Ed Balls: I have been asked to reply.
The Financial Action Task Force is due to complete a review of its mandate by the end of June 2008. Its examination of the risks involved in weapons of mass destruction proliferation finance is in progress. There is no formal deadline for completing this work.
Work and Pensions
Bereavement Benefits
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was (a) overpaid and (b) underpaid in bereavement benefits due to (i) fraud and (ii) error in each of the last five years. [133912]
Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested. For details of the amount of overpayment in bereavement benefit and widow’s benefits combined, due to official error, I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 18 April 2007, Official Report, columns 697-700W.
There are no reliable estimates of the amount of underpayment in these benefits.
Carers’ Allowances: Leeds
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Leeds West (a) receive and (b) are entitled to carers’ benefits. [143674]
Mrs. McGuire: The available information is in the following table.
| Number of people in Leeds West parliamentary constituency in receipt of and entitled to carers’ benefits—November 2006 | ||
| In receipt | Entitled | |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Recipients of IS carer’s premium may also be entitled to or receiving CA. 3. CA recipient totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended. 4. CA entitled totals show the number of people who are entitled to receive CA, including those who receive no actual payment. Source: DWP Information Directorate 100 per cent. WPLS | ||
The vast majority of those entitled to but not receiving CA are pensioners and are likely to be receiving state pension and may receive the carer’s premium in pension credit. Only one benefit at a time can be paid for the same purpose. While the circumstances that give rise to entitlement to CA and the state pension are different, both benefits are designed to provide a degree of replacement for lost or forgone income.
Child Support Agency: Manpower
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many staff were employed by the Child Support Agency in each quarter since January 1997; what the estimated numbers are for each quarter until 2012; and if he will make a statement; [141934]
(2) if he will make a statement on plans to reduce Child Support Agency (CSA) staff numbers; and whether such plans will be affected by CSA performance against targets. [141935]
Mr. Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 21 June 2007:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions regarding the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff were employed by the Child Support Agency in each quarter since January 1997; what the estimated numbers are for each quarter until 2012; [141934]
and
If he will make a statement on plans to reduce Child Support Agency (CSA) staff numbers; and whether such plans will be affected by CSA Performance against targets. [141935]
Such information as is available is in the attached table. However, we cannot currently provide anticipated people numbers beyond March 2008 as staffing profiles have yet to be agreed across the Department.
I have provided the average people employed for each financial year from 1997/98 through to 2000/01, as we no longer retain information on a quarterly basis for this period. The information provided is sourced from the Agency Annual Report and Accounts and is set out in the attached Table 1.
The Agency is committed to meeting both the Departmentally agreed headcount target of 9547 by March 2008 and the Secretary of State performance targets for the coming year.
I hope you find this answer helpful.
| Table 1 | |
| Financial year | Average number of people employed |
| Note: Quarterly information is not available for this period. Source: Agency Annual Reports and Accounts. | |
| Table 2 | |
| Quarter ending | Number of full-time equivalent people |
| Notes: 1. Actuals—for June 2001 to March 2007. 2. Projected—from September 2007 to March 2008. | |
Child Support Agency: Marketing
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many whole-time equivalent staff are responsible for (a) brand management and (b) marketing at the Child Support Agency; and what the cost was of those staff in the last 12 months. [137978]
Mr. Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 21 June 2007:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many whole-time equivalent staff are responsible for (a) brand management and (b) marketing at the Child Support Agency: and what the cost was of those staff in the last 12 months. [137978]
The Agency uses the Department for Work and Pensions accounting system. While the accounting system does not have the functionality to report separately the discreet activities and day-to-day costs associated with either marketing or brand management, we can identify five full-time equivalent staff, at a range of grades, responsible for marketing at the Child Support Agency.
The estimated cost for 2006/07 for these people, who are responsible for a range of activity including developing the Agency’s external communication channels such as the website and planning the current Child Maintenance Enforcement Campaigns, was £125, 143.
I hope you find this answer helpful.
Child Support Agency: Stationery
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Child Support Agency spent on (a) stationery, (b) business cards and (c) building signs in each year since 1997. [137974]
Mr. Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 21 June 2007:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much the Child Support Agency spent on (a) stationery (b) business cards (c) building signs—in each year since 1997. [137974]
The Child Support Agency is an Executive Agency of the Department for Work and Pensions (and prior to 8 June 2001 formed part of the Department of Social Security). The Agency uses the Departments accounting system to record and report expenditure.
In response to your question:
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