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12 Nov 2007 : Column 36W—continued
New Deal Schemes: Contracts
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list those contractors who have won contracts under the New Deal in each of the last three years; and what the value of each contract was. [162394]
Caroline Flint: No new contracts for New Deal services were awarded in 2004 or 2005. Contracts were competitively re-tendered during 2005-06 and new contracts were awarded which started between March and July 2006.
A list of contractors who have won contracts under the New Deal programme in the last three years is provided as follows. Information on the value on each individual contract is not currently available but will be placed in the Library as soon as possible.
New Deal p roviders awarded contracts in the last three years
A4e (Action for Employment)
Armstrong Learning
Best Ltd.
Birmingham Chamber of Commerce
Biscom Resource Management
Bournemouth and Poole College
BTCV
Career Development Group
Carmarthenshire CC Training and Technology Centre
Claverhouse Training
Community Links
Crosby Training
DASH Training South Wales LLP
DISC
Dudley MBC Future Skills
East Dunbartonshire Council
Glasgow Mentoring Network
Hyfforddiant Ceredigion Training
Inbiz
Inspire to Independence
Instant Muscle
Juniper Training
Kennedy Scott
Lauder College
Management Introductions
MBW Training Services LLP
Moray College
Norfolk and Waveney Enterprise Agency
North Hertfordshire College
Pembrokeshire CC
Pertemps People Development Group
Prospects Services
Quadrant Media and Communications Ltd.
Reed in Partnership PLC
Scottish Cultural Enterprise Ltd.
Scout Enterprises
SCVO
SEETEC
Sencia Ltd.
Shackleton Associates
Shropshire County Training
Skills Training
SOVA
Standguide
Steps to Work Walsall
Support into Work
Support Training Ltd.
Swansea College
TBG Learning
TD Training Ltd.
The Calderdale Colleges Corporation
The Wise Group
Training Network Group Ltd.
Training West Lancs Ltd.
Triage Central Ltd.
Tydfil Training Consortium
Voluntary Action Vale Royal
Warwickshire CC
West Lothian Council
Work Directions UK
Work First
Working Links
WTCS
YMCA Training
Source: Jobcentre Plus Commercial Employment Provision.
Pensions: Females
Steve Webb:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether women who draw a retirement pension based on their husband's contributions receive a higher rate of pension if their husband defers
drawing his pension at the age of 65; and if he will make a statement. [163095]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: A woman who has reached state pension age can build up extra state pension, or a lump-sum payment, on that part of her state pension, based on her husband's national insurance contributions if he puts off claiming his state pension provided that she is not in receipt of a pension based on her own contributions or certain other social security benefits.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Departmental Manpower
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Welsh speakers his Department employs. [162888]
Meg Munn: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office recruits its UK-based staff from all parts of the UK. Our records do not show whether staff are able to speak Welsh.
Entry Clearances: Tourism
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of applications for a holiday visa to visit the UK were rejected for the most recent period for which figures are available in respect of (a) applications made from Thailand and (b) all applications. [162049]
Dr. Howells: UKvisas does not use a 'holiday visa' category. Instead, UK visit visa applications are recorded as either ‘family visitor' or ‘other visitor’.
The following table displays the percentage of ‘family visitor' UK visa applications and ‘other visitor' UK visa applications refused by our Embassy in Bangkok and all UK missions overseas, for the financial year 2006-07.
| All visit visa applications for all UK missions and Bangkok (financial year 2006-07) | ||||||
| Other Visitor | Family Visit | |||||
| Applications received | Refused | Percentage of visas refused | Applications received | Refused | Percentage of visas refused | |
| Note: This data is unpublished and should be strictly treated as provisional. | ||||||
European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government have taken to implement their responsibilities under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages since signing the Charter. [162785]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The UK ratified the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages on 27 March 2001 and the charter entered into force for the UK on 1 July 2001. The UK recognises Welsh, Irish, Scottish-Gaelic, Ulster Scots, Manx Gaelic, Cornish and Scots under the charter's definition of a regional or minority language.
The charter's monitoring mechanism requires member states party to the charter to produce, a year after entry into force of the charter for the state and thereafter every three years, a periodical report detailing the policy pursued under Part II of the charter and the measures taken in application of those provisions of Part III of the charter which they have accepted. Since ratification the UK has produced two such periodical reports, the first published on 1 July 2002 and the second on 1 July 2005. The UK's third periodical report is due for publication on 1 July 2008.
The UK's first and second periodical reports can be found on the Council of Europe website at:
http://www.coe.int/t/e/legal_affairs/local_and_ regional_democracy/regional_or_minority_languages/ 2_Monitoring/Monitoring_table.asp#TopOfPage
Guantanamo Bay: Detainees
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the US Administration on his request for the release of Shaker Aamer, Jamil El Banna, Omar Deghayes, Binyam Mohamed and Abdennour Sameur from Guantanamo Bay; what assessment he has made of the likelihood of their release; and if he will make a statement. [162100]
Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary wrote to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on 7 August to request the release from Guantanamo Bay and return to the UK of five men (Shaker Aamer, Jamil El Banna, Omar Deghayes, Binyam Mohamed and Abdennour Sameur) who, while not British nationals, were legally resident here prior to their detention.
Discussions with the US Administration are ongoing and are confidential between our Governments. While we continue to give the matter due priority, we cannot guarantee that we will be successful.
Guatemala: Children
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of Guatemala on the level of violence against street children in that country. [162602]
Meg Munn:
Our embassy in Guatemala City, along with EU colleagues, regularly raises human rights
issues with the Government of Guatemala. We continue to urge Guatemala to improve security and health provision for the most vulnerable sectors of society, including street children.
On 15 October the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) hosted a meeting between Guatemalan Vice President Eduardo Stein and Minister of Foreign Affairs Gert Rosenthal and several non-governmental organisations, including Christian Aid, Amnesty International and Casa Alianza. The non-governmental organisations were able to put their concerns directly to the delegation. Child rights and the problems faced by street children including the alarming number of murders were discussed. On 30 October, FCO officials in London held a discussion forum with a number of international child rights non-governmental organisations to identify further opportunities for intervention.
On 25 September our Ambassador in Guatemala City, in partnership with EU ambassadors, met Alvaro Colom (since elected as the next President of Guatemala). They discussed a range of human rights issues. Our ambassador emphasised the importance of improving the protection and rights of children and undertook to develop this dialogue further with the new Administration. The FCO also sponsored a project earlier this year in which 800 Guatemalan police officers were trained in the rights of street children.
Iraq: Manpower
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of his Department's personnel are in each province of Iraq; what role they are playing in each province; and if he will make a statement. [162528]
Dr. Howells: There are 42 Foreign and Commonwealth Office personnel employed in Iraq. Publicising the exact numbers in each province would risk compromising their security. They are supporting the democratically elected Government of Iraq in their efforts to forge a future for the country based on reconciliation, democracy, good governance, economic prosperity and regional security.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many third country nationals of each nationality have been employed by his Department in Iraq in each year since 2003; and if he will make a statement. [162565]
Dr. Howells: No third country nationals have been employed in Iraq by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office since 2003.
Iraq: Resettlement
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reasons the assistance package to locally employed staff in Iraq is limited to staff who have attained 12 months or more of continuous service; and if he will make the assistance available to all locally employed staff who are made redundant or have to resign from their jobs because of what the Government judge to be exceptional circumstances. [162298]
Dr. Howells: We are focusing on staff who have given us dedicated service over a period of time. Staff who have not yet worked for us for 12 months but reach that mark in future will become eligible at that time. A 12-month requirement is not unique to the UK; it is also a feature of the US Special Immigrant Visa programme for its Iraqi staff. We have no plans to extend the assistance scheme.
Iraq: Security Guards
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what private contractors have provided protection services for his Department in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan in each year since 2003. [162525]
Dr. Howells: The information requested by the hon. Member is as follows:
2003: Control Risks
2004: ArmorGroup, Control Risks
2005: ArmorGroup, Control Risks
2006: ArmorGroup, Control Risks, GardaWorld (formerly Kroll Security Group)
2007: Control Risks, GardaWorld
ArmorGroup provided static security until 2006, when GardaWorld (formerly Kroll Security Group) took over this contract. Control Risks provides mobile security. Both contracts were subject to a retender in early 2006.
2003: ArmorGroup
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