| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
4 July 2007 : Column 1075W—continued
Departments: Performance Appraisal
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff in his Department did not achieve an acceptable mark in their annual report in 2006-07. [146921]
Mr. Malik: For the senior civil service (SCS), Departments and agencies are responsible for their own performance management arrangements within a framework set by the Cabinet Office. The 2006-07 guidance for the SCS was based on a relative assessment of how individuals compared to their peers, with between 5 and 10 per cent. of SCS staff being placed into the lowest of three performance groupings.
The performance management arrangements for staff in grades below the SCS have been delegated to individual Departments. DFID has in place a system similar to that of the SCS, whereby staff are classified as falling into one of three performance categories - with the lowest being defined as “those most in need of development”. For staff below the SCS, the distribution of performance markings is not determined by a quota allocation.
Neither system explicitly identifies staff as “unacceptable” performers. Both are based on the principle of bringing about performance improvements through continual dialogue and coaching; and both are
designed to identify those in whom DFID should invest more resources in terms of training and personal development.
We do have parallel systems in place to identify “unacceptable” performers whose standard of work falls well below that expected of their grade. In such cases, line managers are charged with setting in place a formal performance improvement plan, to be agreed with the job holder. Failure to meet the required standards within a specified period of time may result in sanctions being applied, including dismissal. Information on the number of staff being monitored in this way is not recorded centrally and could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
Departments: Public Transport
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate his Department has made of the number of its staff using public transport to travel to work. [147313]
Mr. Malik: DFID last carried out a survey of staff two years ago in order to produce Green Travel Plans for our two UK offices. Our London office has no car parking for staff, so with the exception of 13 per cent. staff who cycled all or part of the journey, or 3 per cent. who walked, the remainder all used public transport. Our smaller East Kilbride office is somewhat more difficult to reach via public transport but around 20 per cent. use either trains or buses. The majority of the remainder use cars, but at least a third of these use car sharing arrangements. Overall, around 60 per cent. of our staff use public transport.
Departments: Sick Leave
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff in his Department have taken (a) five or more, (b) four, (c) three and (d) two periods of sick leave of less than five days in the last 12 months. [147057]
Mr. Malik: The following table sets out how many DFID staff have taken (a) five or more, (b) four, (c) three and (d) two periods of sick leave of less than five days in the last 12 months.
| Periods of sick leave of less than 5 days | Number of staff in the last 12 months |
HIV Infection: Medical Treatments
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support the Government are giving to UNICEF's efforts for a greater supply of the necessary medication to prevent the transmission from mother to baby of HIV/AIDS; and if he will make a statement. [147191]
Mr. Thomas: DFID has committed to spend at least £150 million over the three years from 2005-08 on programmes to meet the needs of children affected by AIDS. When the commitment was made in 2004 it was expected that at least £44 million of this would be delivered through UNICEF. The methodology to track this expenditure is under review.
In 2006 the UK was the second largest donor to UNICEF, providing £105 million. This included £19 million of core financial support and £5 million to increase the coverage, quality and coordination of the global response for children affected by HIV and AIDS. Both of these elements contribute directly to supporting UNICEF's strategic goals, which include reducing the number of paediatric HIV infections by at least 40 per cent. and ensuring that at least 80 per cent. of HIV positive pregnant women receive antiretroviral therapy to prevent mother to child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV.
DFID is also intensifying action on PMTCT at country level with a range of partners, including UNICEF. For example in Zimbabwe DFID has initiated a £25 million project specifically to strengthen actions to prevent, diagnose and treat HIV infections in mothers and babies. In Zambia, we support UNICEF's expansion of PMTCT services.
South America: Poverty
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what measures his Department are undertaking to alleviate poverty in (a) Uruguay, (b) Argentina, (c) Brazil and (d) Peru. [147144]
Mr. Malik: DFID's support to these four countries is provided through international (“multi-lateral”) organisations—mainly the European Union, the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. In 2004, DFID's contributions through these channels were £1 million to Uruguay; £1 million to Argentina; £6 million to Brazil; and £2 million to Peru. To help these organisations focus on reducing poverty, DFID has a Latin-America regional programme, with offices in Brazil, Bolivia (for the Andes) and Nicaragua (for central America). These offices work with the Inter-American Development Bank and World Bank on two areas: (i) helping poor people benefit from markets, and (ii) making public sectors and political systems more transparent and accountable. In addition, we work on global issues that affect the region such as HIV and AIDS, and trade. Social exclusion is a cross-cutting theme throughout all facets of our work. DFID is also supporting a number of UK NGOs working in Latin America under partnership programme agreements and the Civil Society Challenge Fund.
DFID's assistance to Latin America from 2004-07 is set out in the regional assistance plan, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.
Sudan: Overseas Aid
Mr. Drew:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the UN Joint Logistics
Centre in providing non food items for humanitarian programmes run by non-governmental organisations in Darfur; and if he will make a statement. [147201]
Mr. Thomas: Overall, the UN Joint Logistics Centre (UNJLC) runs an effective mechanism for the supply and distribution of non-food items (NFIs) for Darfur in partnership with CARE and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Between January and May this year, 307,178 households were provided with NFIs, roughly 1.8 million people.
Given the scale of need in Darfur and like all other sectors, the supply of NFIs requires regular prioritisation to ensure the available resources are directed to the most pressing needs. UNJLC, CARE and other UN and NGO partners regularly meet to define the NFI priorities for Darfur, a process that is working well in very challenging circumstances. A second constraint is that of access for distributing agencies. Pervasive insecurity, including increasing attacks against humanitarian agencies, has limited the ability to deliver NFIs and other aid to populations in need.
It is only through the admirable work of the UN and NGOs that aid is being delivered to the 4 million people in need in Darfur. I utterly condemn the continuing violence targeting civilians and humanitarian workers in Darfur and the UK has 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.
Innovation, Universities and Skills
Further Education
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps his Department is taking to encourage those in employment to engage in further educational study. [147155]
Mr. Lammy: It is essential that individuals in employment are encouraged to study further. The Leitch Review of Skills published in 2006 reinforced this and I welcome Lord Leitch’s assessment that the need to dramatically raise awareness and aspirations on skills and to change people’s attitudes is key to this.
On 9 July, we will launch a long-term, national marketing campaign which will play an important and powerful role in bringing about the change in culture that we need.
In order to improve their skills and employability and progress their careers, people also need to be informed of the choices they have. The Leitch Report made some specific recommendations on how to improve careers advice and empower the learner; we will respond to these in the forthcoming Leitch Implementation Plan.
Our policies also encourage and support those in employment to engage in further upskilling in various ways. Train to Gain is central to delivering a truly demand-led system and is the key vehicle for delivering the expansion in participation and achievement for
individuals already in the work force. As at April 2007, a total of 154,290 learners had commenced learning through Train to Gain and over 40,000 employers had been engaged. The level 2 entitlement provides free tuition for all adults studying for their first full level 2 qualification. The Skills for Life programme provides opportunities for adult learners to acquire the underpinning skills they need for further learning and sustainable employment and many adults have benefited from free provision and achieved their first ever qualification in literacy, language or numeracy. Adults under the age of 25 who have missed out on education and training opportunities will be able to get free tuition through further education colleges and providers to obtain a first, full level 3 qualification, equivalent to 2 A-levels, from this August.
Higher Education
Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many students (a) enrolled for and (b) were awarded higher national certificates in each of the last 10 years. [146491]
Bill Rammell: The information is provided in the following tables. The length of time taken to complete a higher national certificate (HNC) can vary. Typically, the qualification lasts one year if studied full-time or two years if studied part-time. In addition, students completing an HNC can proceed directly to further study such as a higher national diploma (HND). For these reasons, it is not possible to calculate completion rates simply by comparing entrants with qualifiers.
| Number of entrants to higher national certificate (HNC) courses( 1) , UK higher education Institutions( 2) , academic years 1996/97 to 2005/06 | |
| Academic year | Entrants |
| (1) Covers students on both full-time and part-time courses. (2) Excludes the Open university. Note: Entrant figures are on a snapshot basis as of 1 December for comparability. All figures are rounded to the nearest five. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). | |
Higher Education Funding Council for England: Qualifications
Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (1) what proportion of the Higher Education Funding Council for England’s annual budget was spent on Higher National Diplomas in each year since the introduction of that qualification; and how much of that budget was spent on (a) course design, (b) teaching and (c) other activities; [146414]
(2) what the total cost to the public purse was of (a) foundation degrees, (b) Higher National Diplomas and (c) Higher National Certificates in each year since their introduction. [146415]
Bill Rammell: It is not possible to answer these questions in precisely the way they have been asked on the basis of the data which is available centrally. The following table sets out for each of the last five years the amount of the Higher Education Funding Council’s budget notionally allocated to support (a) Foundation Degrees (b) Higher National Diplomas and (c) Higher National Certificates in cash terms and calculates (b) as a proportion of the Council’s overall budget.
| Notional grant | ||||
| £ million | ||||
| Foundation degrees | HNDs | HNCs | HND budget as percentage of total HEFCE budget | |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |