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28 Jan 2008 : Column 6W—continued
Electoral Register: Entry Clearances
Mr. Shepherd: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what guidance is issued by the Electoral Commission to electoral registration officers to highlight the requirement for Commonwealth citizens to have valid leave to remain in order to legally register. [182136]
Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has issued guidance advising Electoral Registration Officers that a ‘qualifying Commonwealth citizen' is either one who does not require leave to remain in the United Kingdom or is a person who both requires and holds leave to remain.
The Commission further advises Electoral Registration Officers that if there are any doubts about an applicant's eligibility in relation to immigration status, the Electoral Registration Officer has the power to require a statutory declaration of eligibility, under Regulation 24(2)(d)(ii) of the Representation of the People Regulations 2001.
Electoral Register: Illegal Immigrants
Mr. Shepherd: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what guidance is issued by the Electoral Commission to electoral registration officers on their duty to maintain accurate electoral registers in relation to illegal immigrants. [182137]
Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has provided guidance to Electoral Registration Officers in Great Britain that if there are any doubts about an applicant's eligibility in relation to immigration status, the Electoral Registration Officer has the power to require a statutory declaration of eligibility, under Regulation 24(2)(d)(ii) of the Representation of the People Regulations 2001.
Information Officers
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission how many (a) press and (b) communications officers the Electoral Commission employed in each of the last 10 years. [182507]
Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that the numbers of press and communication officer posts in each year since it was established are as follows:
| Press officers | Communication officers | Total | |
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission how much the Electoral Commission paid in bonuses to press and communication officers in each year since it was established; and what the (a) highest and (b) lowest such bonus was in each of those years. [182727]
Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that the following special bonuses have been awarded to press and communication officers since the Commission was established in 2000:
| Number | Total (£) | Highest (£) | Lowest (£) | |
In addition to the special bonus scheme, in April 2007 a reward voucher scheme for all staff was launched to recognise good team and/or individual performance. The vouchers can be redeemed in a variety of shops and outlets across the UK. Since the introduction of this scheme 15 press and communication officers have been awarded vouchers, averaging £25 each.
International Development
Africa Progress Panel
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the (a) role and (b) remit of the Africa Progress Panel is; what support the Government are providing to the Africa Progress Panel in 2007-08; and what activities have been undertaken by the Africa Progress Panel since it was established. [181744]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The Africa Progress Panel's objective is to use its collective influence and knowledge to work with Africa and its development partners to ensure the implementation of promises to support the continent. This includes commitments made at the Gleneagles G8 summit in 2005.
The panel was launched in Berlin on 24 April 2007, where it issued a communiqué setting out its objectives and priorities in detail:
The panel's Africa launch took place in Accra, Ghana, on 11 June 2007. The UK Government have committed £1 million to support the panel during its existence which is expected to be until 2010-11.
Panel members held discussions with a number of international leaders in 2007 to advance its work, including the German Chancellor (as President of the G8), the President of Ghana (as Chair of the African Union), the President(s) of the European Union, the then British Prime Minister Tony Blair and other world leaders.
The panel has also issued several statements, including a response to the outcomes of the 2007 G8 summit, and an assessment of progress towards the Millennium Development Goals—accessible from the panel's website:
Africa: Security
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the Africa Partnership Forum is planning to present a progress report on peace and security in Africa. [181745]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The Africa Partnership Forum (APF) discussed a paper on peace and security at its 8th meeting, in Berlin, on 22 to 23 May 2007. The paper and the chair's summary of the discussion are available online at the following address:
Chad: Asylum
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation of refugees and internally displaced persons in Chad; and if he will make a statement. [180820]
Mr. Thomas: Eastern Chad hosts 240,000 Sudanese refugees in 12 refugee camps and 46,000 Central African refugees in four refugee camps. There are 180,000 IDPs, and an estimated 700,000 in host communities have been adversely affected by the ongoing conflict. DFID relies on data from partner agencies for assessment of the humanitarian situation affecting the displaced populations, and the humanitarian situation in Chad is monitored closely by a dedicated west African humanitarian advisor. In financial year 2007-08, DFID has committed £6.5 million to Chad through humanitarian agencies. These include ICRC (3600,000), UNHCR (£2 million) UNOCHA (£260,000), Oxfam (£330,000), WFP (£1.8 million) and Islamic Relief (£500,000).
Though conditions for refugees remain of concern, the immediate humanitarian needs of most of the refugee population are being addressed. In the majority of refugee camps, for example, refugees are receiving 15 litres of potable water per person per day, in accordance with international standards. According to the UN, refugees all have access to primary health care facilities, although vaccination coverage is less than the accepted level. The UN estimates that 82 per cent. of refugee school-age children are enrolled and attend school. In line with international nutritional norms, refugees are all receiving 2,100 kCal per person per day. Nutritional surveillance shows that in the refugee population, global acute malnutrition is 7.7 per cent. which is within the WHO-defined ‘alert’ band, and severe acute malnutrition is 0.75 per cent.—which is defined as ‘acceptable’.
The situation for the internally displaced population is more worrying; in many cases, standards fall below the internationally accepted norms. Of the total of 180,000 IDPs, only 125,000 are receiving more than 10 litres of potable water per person per day. The UN estimates that 70 per cent. of IDPs have access to primary health care facilities at utilisation rate of one visit per person per year, which is below what is to be expected for a displaced population. 2,100 kCal per day have been provided to a caseload of 150,000 IDPs. Global acute malnutrition levels are at 21.4 per cent. and severe acute malnutrition levels are at 2.6 per cent; both levels are classified by WHO as ‘serious’. The UN notes that information relating to the full extent of coverage of humanitarian need is as yet incomplete. The situation for the host population, and those otherwise affected by the conflict, is very serious, with global and severe malnutrition figures comparable to those prevalent amongst the IDPs. The UN estimates that some 700,000 additional people fall into this category.
Departmental Telephone Services
Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many 0845 or similar cost telephone numbers are used by (a) his Department and (b) related departmental bodies for public access to services. [179376]
Mr. Malik: DFID has one 0845 number which enables members of the public to call the public enquiry point in East Kilbride from anywhere in the United Kingdom, charged at standard local rates. No related departmental bodies use 0845 numbers for public access to services.
Developing Countries: AIDS
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with his G8 counterparts on the provision of health workers to work with people with AIDS in developing countries; and if he will make a statement. [180917]
Mr. Malik [holding answer 22 January 2008]: The UK has been actively engaged with the US Government to address health worker shortages in Africa. Through the International Health Partnership, DFID recently held a joint meeting in Ethiopia with the US Presidents Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and four PEPFAR and IMP African countries to agree priority actions to increase and improve resources for health workers, including those needed to deliver HIV and AIDS services.
DFID has committed £1 million to the Global Health Workforce Alliance (GHWA) to take forward global advocacy and lesson learning, including on issues such as supply, retention and migration of health workers. We are working with GHWA as it develops its plan to support the scale-up of health workers, including health education and training.
The UK will continue to push for action to address health worker shortages in developing countries at the forthcoming meeting of the G8 health experts group. We will work with G8 partners, and especially closely with Japan during its 2008 G8 presidency, to maintain the profile and momentum to help solve the health worker crisis facing the poorest countries. We hope the GHWA will be a useful contribution to this.
Human Trafficking
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is on introducing conditionality changes related to anti-trafficking measures into the UK's bilateral development and assistance programmes. [181680]
Mr. Malik: Where the Department for International Development (DFID) gives money to partner governments, it comes with conditions. We assess whether partner governments show commitment to tackling poverty, upholding human rights and managing public money wisely. We may, and do, interrupt or stop aid if a partner government breaches these commitments. All our conditions relate to these three partnership commitments. DFID has no plans to introduce conditionality changes specifically related to anti-trafficking measures.
Poverty and social exclusion make people vulnerable to human trafficking. DFID is supporting long-term programmes to help eliminate the underlying causes of poverty. Our programmes help improve the livelihood opportunities and security of poor people so that they are less susceptible to traffickers. DFID also supports the anti-trafficking work of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) through its Special Action Programme to Combat Forced Labour and its International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour. Over £14 million is currently committed to ILO and civil society anti-trafficking programmes in south-east Asia.
Leader of the House
Business Questions
Mrs. May: To ask the Leader of the House what meetings the Deputy Leader of the House has had with ministerial colleagues on the business of the House in each of the last six months. [181934]
Helen Goodman: Since July 2007, I have had regular meetings with ministerial colleagues to discuss the business of the House.
Departmental Visits Abroad
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Leader of the House how many overseas visits by officials in her Office took place in each of the last 10 years; which countries were visited; and how much was spent on such visits in each such year. [181599]
Helen Goodman: Following a Machinery of Government change, information prior to 2006-07 is available only at disproportionate cost.
All travel is undertaken in accordance with the “Civil Service Management Code” and the “Ministerial Code”.
Details of overseas ministerial visits, including costs for Ministers and officials are published annually by the Cabinet Office and can be found at:
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