Previous Section Index Home Page

3 July 2007 : Column 957W—continued

Welfare Tax Credits: Peterborough

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was overpaid to recipients of tax credits in Peterborough constituency in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [146755]

Jane Kennedy: Estimates of the numbers of families with tax credits awards, including information on overpayments and underpayments by constituency, based on final family circumstances and incomes, for 2005-06, is available in the HMRC publication ‘Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised Awards 2005-06. Supplements on Payments. Geographical Analysis’, which is available on the HMRC website at:

Working Families Tax Credit

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much working families tax credit was (a) overpaid and (b) underpaid due to (i) error and (ii) fraud in each year that the credit was available. [146258]

Jane Kennedy: The estimated level of error and fraud by value under the working families tax credit is published in paragraph 5 of the Introduction note in the HMRC publication “Child and Working Tax Credits. Error and Fraud Statistics 2003-04”, which is available on the HMRC website at:


3 July 2007 : Column 958W

Communities and Local Government

Ordnance Survey: Copyright

Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what revenue the Ordnance Survey raised from selling licensable or copyright material to (a) schools and public educational establishments, (b) commercial cartographers and (c) software developers in each of the last five years. [146017]

Hazel Blears [holding answer 29 June 2007]: Ordnance Survey revenue from licensing data and from sales of products and services directly attributable to the schools and public educational establishments for each of the five years from 2002-03 to 2006-07 was £436,188, £461,064, £428,274, £280,334 and £304,837 respectively.

Revenue information is not held separately for the specific categories of commercial cartographer or software developer. This could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Voluntary Organisations

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what action the Government are taking to support efforts by local public bodies and voluntary groups to strengthen their practice on local sector independence. [147215]

John Healey: As part of the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review, HM Treasury and the Cabinet Office are leading a review of the role of the third sector in social and economic regeneration. The role of local voluntary and community groups is central to the review.

Communities and Local Government have been actively involved in the review and supported the activity on strengthening communities. We also published our Third Sector Strategy discussion document on 7 June which invites comments on how we can help strengthen the relationship between the sector and local government.

Scotland

Departments: Consultants

Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much the Department spent on (a) management consultants and (b) other external consultants and advisers in each year since 2000; and which of these consultants undertook work for the Department with a total contractual value in excess of £10 million over this period. [146330]

David Cairns: The following table provides information on consultancies, none of which was greater than £10 million.


3 July 2007 : Column 959W
Amount (£)

2001-02

Comparison study on motor taxation across Europe

5,465

Professional services in relation to a proposed Scotland to Northern Ireland ferry service

17,864

2002-03

Professional services in relation to a proposed Scotland to Northern Ireland ferry service

4,620

Report on devolution in Europe

6,100

2003-04

Senior Civil Service Assessment Centre

10,044

2004-05

Management Review and Assessment Centre for Head of Scotland Office

2,817

2005-06

None

0

2006-07

None

0


Departments: European Union

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many officials in his Department are (a) involved in assisting European Council negotiations, (b) involved in assisting and advising the European Commission, (c) seconded to the European Commission, (d) involved in monitoring EU decisions, communications, regulations and directives, (e) involved in enforcing compliance with EU decisions, communications, regulations and directives and (f) involved in other work related to the European Council, Commission or Court of Justice. [146089]

David Cairns: The Scotland Office has a small team of policy officials who, among a range of other responsibilities, provide advice and guidance, on request, to UK Government Departments on any Scottish devolution aspects of European Council negotiations, the monitoring and enforcement of EU decisions, communications, regulations and directives and other work related to the European Council, Commission or Court of Justice.

The Scotland Office does not assist or advise the European Commission, nor does the Scotland Office have officials seconded to the European Commission.

Departments: Pay

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at the Department and its agencies in each year between 1997 and 2006; and what the total cost of those bonuses was. [146500]

David Cairns: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. Members of the senior civil service in the Scotland Office are seconded from the Scottish Executive; their bonuses are assessed under a framework set by the Cabinet Office. The Scotland Office does not hold central information on such bonuses.

Departments: Performance Appraisal

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff in his Department did not achieve an acceptable mark in their annual report in 2006-07. [146924]


3 July 2007 : Column 960W

David Cairns: All the staff in the Scotland Office are on secondment from the Scottish Executive or the Ministry of Justice who hold the individual personnel records, including annual performance. Poor performance is dealt with by line management within the procedures prescribed by the parent Departments. The Office does not maintain a central record of the performance of staff.

Departments: Sick Leave

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of sick leave taken by staff in his Department was stress-related in each of the last three years. [145981]

David Cairns: I refer the hon. Member to the answers that I gave him on 26 April 2006, Official Report, column 1131W and 16 May 2007, Official Report, column 764W.

Departments: Surveys

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff surveys his Department undertook in the last 12 months; and at what total cost. [145264]

David Cairns: The Scotland Office undertook one staff survey in 2006 at no cost.

Wales

Departments: Common Purpose

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department paid to Common Purpose in each of the last five years; for what purpose; and what the outcome of the expenditure was. [147600]

Mr. Hain: Nil.

Departments: Pay

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at his Department in each year between 1997 and 2006; and what the total cost of those bonuses was. [146419]

Mr. Hain: On its creation in 1999 the Wales Office initially had two senior civil servants, but since 2000 has had only one. This is the director post, which has been held by two individuals since 1999.

The director has been subject to performance related pay, in accordance with Cabinet Office guidance. The current scheme can be found on the Cabinet Office's Civil Service website.

The pay, including any bonus, of the director is reported by salary range in our annual departmental reports, which are available in the House Library and on the Wales Office website.


3 July 2007 : Column 961W

Financial Assistance Scheme

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues in the Department of Work and Pensions on the level of assistance afforded to former Allied Steel and Wire workers under the Financial Assistance Scheme; and if he will make a statement. [146508]

Mr. Hain: The Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) allows all members of affected pension schemes to receive payments of 80 per cent. of their pension, which is a substantial replacement of scheme members' pensions.

Up to 27 June 2007, 37 former ASW (Cardiff) members are in receipt of FAS initial payments.

A review led by Andrew Young of the Government Actuary's Department is currently examining whether better use can be made of scheme assets and other potential funding sources, with a view to providing greater levels of help to those who have lost their pensions as a result of scheme collapse. The review is due to report by the end of the year, with an interim report due shortly.

Patients

Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on waiting times for hospital treatment in England of patients from Wales. [146402]

Mr. Hain: I have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, including the delivery of cross border health services.

The number of Welsh patients waiting over eight months for in-patient or day-case treatment has dropped from 7,218 in April 2006 to none at the end of May 2007. This includes patients from Wales receiving treatment in hospitals in England.

International Development

Afghanistan: Drugs

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to reduce opium production in Afghanistan. [146731]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: The UK Government supports the Afghan National Drug Control Strategy, a key priority of which is to strengthen and diversify legal livelihoods which free farmers and other rural workers from dependence on poppy cultivation.

DFID has provided £77 million from 2005 to 2007 to support the development of legal rural livelihoods, much of which has been channelled through the Government of Afghanistan's own National Priority Programmes.

Alternatives to opium poppy can take many forms. There is no one single crop which will replace poppy, and therefore DFID has provided £3 million to support research into a range of alternatives including high
3 July 2007 : Column 962W
value crops such as mint and saffron. Traditional alternatives include crops such as wheat and onions.

However, alternatives to poppy come not only in the form of different crops. They can often be non-farm activities such as clothes-making and shop keeping. The Government of Afghanistan's Microfinance Investment Support Facility of Afghanistan (MISFA) has provided over £133 million worth of small loans to 364,786 Afghan families to help them invest in their own licit businesses. MISFA operates in 23 provinces, including Helmand. DFID has provided £15 million to MISFA since March 2004. Nearly 75 per cent. of those receiving loans are women.

DFID also provided £18 million in 2005-06 to the Government of Afghanistan's National Rural Access Programme (NRAP), which has so far built or repaired over 9,000 km of roads—essential for rural farmers to access markets. So far the programme has generated over 13 million days of labour for Afghans. NRAP operates in all 34 provinces.

DFID has also provided £42.6 million in total for the National Solidarity Programme (NSP) and is providing £10.6 million to roll out NSP in Helmand province (2006 to 2009). NSP is helping elected Community Development Councils (CDCs), representing over 17,000 communities across Afghanistan, identify development priorities in their areas and then receive grants to undertake the work. NSP has funded over 28,000 projects in agriculture, education, health, irrigation, power supply, transport, and water supply. NSP currently operates in all 34 provinces.

DFID is making a contribution of £22.7 million over three years (as part of an overall UK Government contribution of £30 million) to the Government of Afghanistan's Counter Narcotics Trust Fund. The fund brings funding for counter narcotics into the national budget, gives the Afghans greater responsibility for managing the drugs problem and ensures money is targeted effectively.

India: Education

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to support education in rural areas of (a) India and (b) Pakistan. [146730]

Mr. Malik: DFID has been supporting the Indian Government's flagship Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) universal elementary education programme, together with the World Bank and the European Commission, for the last five years to increase educational opportunities, particularly in rural areas where 75 per cent. of school-age children live. DFID has spent £210 million over the five years 2003-04 to 2007-08 in support of SSA. Over the same period the World Bank has contributed £330 million and the EC £100 million. SSA is the central Government's prime vehicle for delivering on the Universal Primary Education (UPE) Millennium Development Goal (MDG), and the 2002 constitutional amendment that made elementary education a fundamental right in the country. The aim is to ensure that by 2010 all children in India are receiving eight years of basic education of acceptable quality, regardless of sex, caste, creed, family income or location.


3 July 2007 : Column 963W

SSA is a priority for the Indian Government, which last year spent over £1.5 billion on the programme. Over 90 per cent. of India's Government elementary schools are in rural areas and SSA has a particular focus on these institutions. Very good progress is being made:


Next Section Index Home Page