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26 Jun 2007 : Column 669W—continued
Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with senior army personnel on the death of Baha Mousa in Basra in 2003; and if he will make a statement. [143699]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 18 June 2007]: The Secretary of State for Defence has regular discussions with senior army personnel on a range of matters. In line with standard practice, the Royal military police are currently reviewing the evidence from the court-martial. The Army Reviewing Authority is also conducting a statutory review of the sentence passed on Corporal Payne and the case remains sub judice. We will make a statement when these reviews are complete.
Land: Sales
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 22 March 2007, Official Report, column 1035W, on land: sales, on what basis a contaminated site is not remediated before sale; and on what basis land on Matapan Road, Hilsea was not remediated. [134491]
Derek Twigg: It is normal for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to undertake Land Quality Assessments (LQAs) on all sites being considered for disposal. Before the sale of a site, the MOD will generally undertake remediation of ordnance and other defence specific contaminants such as chemical agents, radioactive and microbiological materials.
A phase I and phase II LQA survey for the Royal Navy Motor Transport Depot site at Hilsea concluded there were no unacceptable risks to public health or the environment and action was not required under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Low levels of contamination were identified but no remediation measures by this Department were deemed necessary.
Navy: Drug Seizures
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the value was of illegal narcotics seized by the Royal Navy in all theatres in each of the last three years; [143363]
(2) what value of illegal narcotics was seized by the Royal Navy in all theatres in each of the last three years. [144007]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer s 18 June 2007]: All drugs seizures involving Royal Naval vessels or Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels over the past three years have taken place in the Caribbean or the Atlantic.
Figures for total tonnage seized also include estimated amounts that traffickers have jettisoned or destroyed during Royal Naval interdiction operations.
It is difficult to put an accurate value on the amount of illegal drugs seized or destroyed in these operations. The price of illegal drugs varies greatly depending on supply and demand, as well as the purity of the drugs themselves when they reach the UK market. Therefore quoted MOD figures for the “street value” of successful seizures are always estimates. Against that background and following close consultation with the Serious Organised Crime Agency since its formation in April last year, we have revised our overall figures for 2006-07 seizures (better reflecting the actual street value).
The tonnage and estimated value of Royal Naval drugs seizures over the last three reporting years are set out as follows.
| Tonnage (to nearest metric tonne). | Estimated street value (£ million) | |
Written Questions
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to reply to question 134491, on land: sales, tabled by the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South on 24 April 2007; and what the reasons are for the delay. [144584]
Derek Twigg: I replied to the hon. Member today. The delay occurred because I sought further information in order to give the fullest possible reply.
Duchy of Lancaster
Departments: Northern Ireland
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if she will place in the Library a copy of the concordat governing the relationship between her Department and the Northern Ireland Administration. [145936]
Hilary Armstrong: We do not have a concordat with the Northern Ireland Executive. The principles set out in the Memorandum of Understanding and Supplementary Agreements between the UK Government, Scottish Ministers, the Cabinet of the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Executive, published in 2001, continue to underpin our working relationship with the Northern Ireland Executive.
Voluntary Organisations: National Lottery
Mr. Mackay: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if she will make a statement on the impact of funding plans for the 2012 Olympics on lottery funding for voluntary sector organisations. [143869]
Hilary Armstrong: The Big Lottery Fund (BLF) is the main distributor of lottery funding to the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS). The BLF has committed to distributing 60-70 per cent. of its money to the voluntary sector and that commitment is based on the money the sector would have received without the Olympic transfer, not 60-70 per cent. of what is left. The commitment remains unchanged, and the NCVO has welcomed this. It will allow for the important work carried out by Third Sector organisations, for the benefit of individuals and communities, to continue.
The other lottery distributors are currently considering the specific impact of the Olympics funding on the VCS. However, lottery money will not be transferred to Olympic funding before 2009. This is in order to give the distributors the highest degree of certainty and the greatest possible time for planning. The other distributors are also concerned to ensure that support for small-scale and voluntary sector projects remains available.
International Development
Departments: Credit Cards
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was spent by staff in his Department via departmental (a) credit, (b) procurement and (c) fuel cards in each of the last three years. [145296]
Mr. Thomas: Department for International Development spend on departmental credit, procurement and fuel cards in the last three years is set out in the following table.
| £ | ||||
| Financial year | Credit card | Procurement card | Fuel card | Total for year |
| (1 )The use of the credit card ceased in August 2006 | ||||
Departments: Energy
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many energy saving light bulbs were purchased by his Department for use on the departmental estate in (a) 2005 and (b) 2006. [144947]
Mr. Thomas: The vast majority of light bulbs and fluorescent tubes used in DFID are of the energy efficient type. DFID purchased 1,645 bulbs and fluorescent tubes in the 2005-06 financial year and 2,015 in 2006-07.
Departments: Older Workers
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of staff in his Department were over 60 years of age in each of the last three years. [145684]
Mr. Thomas: Information on the number of staff over 60 is not available for March 2005, but figures for the last two years are shown in the following table. The figures relate to both our UK-based staff and staff appointed locally overseas.
| As of 31 March: | Total number of s taff | Number of staff over 60 | Percentage |
| (1 )Not available | |||
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people aged (a) over 55 years of age and (b) over 60 years of age have been recruited by his Department in each of the last three years; and what percentage in each case this is of the number of new recruits in each year. [145702]
Mr. Thomas: In 2004, there were 409 new recruits to DFID, of which 10 were over age 55 and a further three over age 60. These represent 2.44 per cent. and 0.73 per cent. of the total respectively.
For 2005, there were 243 new recruits to DFID, of which eight (3.29 per cent.) were over age 55 and one (0.41 per cent.) was over age 60.
In 2006 the total was 208, with six (2.88 per cent.) over age 55 and none over age 60.
These figures include both our UK-based staff and those appointed locally overseas.
Departments: Sick Leave
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of sick leave taken by staff in his Department was stress-related in each of the last three years. [145978]
Mr. Thomas: Data on stress related absence in DFID are only available for the last year and the estimated figure for this was 1.1 per cent. of total sickness absence in that period. Data are not available for the previous two years and could be gathered only at disproportionate cost.
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 8 May 2007, Official Report, column 8W, which set out the steps DFID has taken to prevent and manage stress in the workplace. On 1 July DFID will launch our Better Balance Campaign which is specifically targeted at raising awareness of stress-related issues and the support available to tackle these.
Palestinians: EC Aid
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is on the resumption of European Union aid to the Palestinian Authority. [144775]
Hilary Benn: The UK fully supports the EU’s position. On 18 June, EU Foreign Ministers discussed the resumption of assistance to the Palestinian Authority. They concluded that the EU should develop the conditions for urgent practical and financial assistance. The EU is currently working on plans for the best way for this to be delivered. In allocating our assistance, we will wish to ensure that it addresses the needs of Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank, and is subject to satisfactory fiduciary controls.
Sudan: Overseas Aid
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment has been made of the humanitarian requirements of the displaced people in the Gereida region of Darfur following the recent withdrawal of independent aid agencies; and if he will make a statement. [145812]
Hilary Benn:
The work of Oxfam and other aid agencies in addressing the humanitarian needs of the 130,000 people in Gereida was exceptional. Their withdrawal is highly regrettable but under the circumstances, they could not place their staff at such a continued risk. Since the evacuation of the other
agencies, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), as the only agency left, decided to cover the gaps, providing water, sanitation, food, health care, shelter and other household items to the camp and host population of Gereida. As a result of this huge expansion in services, ICRC increased their appeal by £13 million to £44 million. In response, DFID increased its support to ICRC proportionately by £1 million to £4 million for 2007.
The events in Gereida underline the fragility of the humanitarian situation in Darfur. It is only through the admirable work of aid agencies that the four million people dependent on aid in the region have had access to vital assistance and services. The deterioration of the security situation and attacks on humanitarian workers, however, are having a severe impact on getting help to those in need.
I utterly condemn the continuing violence targeting civilians and humanitarian workers in Darfur and have called on all sides to cease the violence immediately, renew the ceasefire, reinvigorate the political process and support the rapid deployment of the AU/ UN peacekeeping force for Darfur.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Cattle: Exports
Gwyn Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what proportion of live calves exported since 1 January 2007 have formed part of (a) a consignment exported from a single farm and (b) a multiple pick up of consignments from several farms; [142649]
(2) what proportion of live calves exported since 1 January 2007 have been sent (a) from a holding of origin in the UK directly to a place of destination in another EU member state, (b) from a holding of origin in the UK via an assembly centre in the UK to a place of destination in another member state and (c) from a holding of origin in the UK via an assembly market in the UK to a place of destination in another member state; and if he will make a statement. [142650]
Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer s 14 June 2007]: The information requested is not collected centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost to the Department.
Climate Change: Insects
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessments have been made of the impact of climate change on the life cycle of (a) bees and (b) insect populations. [144210]
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