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3 Mar 2008 : Column 2138W—continued
Institute of Community Cohesion: Finance
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding her Department provided to the Institute of Community Cohesion in each of the last three years; what funding it plans to provide in each of the next three years; and if she will make a statement. [190112]
Mr. Dhanda: Communities and Local Government was created in May 2006. We provided the Institute of Community Cohesion with £64,000 in 2006-07, and £55,000 in 2007-08. We do not currently have any agreed plans for future funding of the Institute.
Local Authorities: South West
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which major local authorities will exist in the South West region after the current restructuring is completed. [188319]
John Healey: Following the earlier parliamentary approval of the Structural Change Orders, which were laid before both Houses of Parliament on 8 January; the following principal local authorities will exist in the South West Region on l April 2009:
| Unitary authorities | |
| Authorities | Population (Est 2006 in thousand ) |
| Principal Two-Tier County Councils, And Their Associated District Authorities | |
| Authorities | Population ( Est . 2006 In Thousand) |
Local Authority Business Growth Incentives Scheme
Mr. Byers:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much had been received by (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b)
Newcastle-upon-Tyne under the Local Authority Business Growth Incentive by 31 December 2007; how much each was entitled to under the provisions of the scheme; and if she will make a statement. [190960]
John Healey: As at 31 December 2007, Newcastle-under-Lyme borough council had received £2,612,562.36 under the Local Authority Business Growth Incentives scheme; and Newcastle city council had received £5,092,209.00.
Under the provisions of the scheme, Newcastle-under-Lyme borough council was entitled to £592,362.36; and Newcastle city council was entitled to £7,879,635.00.
The Department is seeking recovery of the overpayment in line with “Managing Public Money”—the Treasury guidance (replacing “Government Accounting”) which sets out principles and standards for government departments on managing public resources. We are making an additional payment of £2,787,426.00 to Newcastle city council today (3 March).
The Department has taken steps to ensure that this type of error does not happen again.
Non-departmental Public Bodies
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department’s definition is of a non-departmental public body. [190542]
Mr. Dhanda [holding answer 29 February 2008]: This information is published at:
Recycling
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information her Department holds on the volume of recyclable materials designated to be exported for reprocessing which have been diverted to (a) landfill and (b) other disposal facilities over the last five years. [189599]
Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
My Department does not hold any information on the amount of waste that is exported for recycling that may have been diverted to landfill or other disposal facilities.
Regional Ministers: Manpower
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff work for each Regional Minister in (a) his or her departmental office and (b) the government office of his or her respective region. [188880]
Mr. Dhanda: The number of staff supporting Regional Ministers varies between regions and is listed in the following table. It should be noted, however, that only a minority of the staff listed as working in the departmental private offices support Ministers in their regional capacity.
| Regional Minister | Departmental private office staff | Additional information on departmental staff | FTE in GO |
|
As Deputy Chief Whip, he is assisted by the Chief Whip’s Private Office |
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Burma: Politics and Government
Mr. MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department’s latest assessment is of the political situation in Burma. [190654]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 29 February 2008]: The Government continue to be deeply concerned by the political situation in Burma. Fundamental civil and human rights continue to be abused. Ethnic minority groups are subject to particular abuse and marginalisation. The military Government impose tight controls on the freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and freedom of the media. The civil opposition continues to be harassed and suppressed. 2,000 political prisoners continue to be detained.
On 9 February, the Burmese regime announced that it would hold a referendum on a new constitution in May 2008 and elections in 2010 as part of its “Roadmap” process. The civil opposition and representatives of many ethnic groups have been excluded from the constitution-drafting process. Unless the constitution and the process is truly inclusive and transparent, it will not lead to genuine national reconciliation. We are particularly concerned at the regime’s attempts to exclude Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from the political process and fear that this will only exacerbate tension and instability in Burma. In our contacts with the military Government and those who have influence over them, we are stressing the need for all political actors, including Aung San Suu Kyi, to be allowed to play their full part in shaping the country's future.
On 12 February, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary reiterated our demand that the Burmese regime immediately release Aung San Suu Kyi and called for the early return of the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, to the country, to help facilitate political transition.
Business Ethics
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which (a) Minister and (b) departmental division is responsible for policy on corporate social responsibility in his Department. [191213]
Meg Munn: My noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, the right hon. Lord Malloch-Brown, is responsible for Corporate Social Responsibility at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). The FCO’s Sustainable Development and Business Group is currently responsible for the FCO’s work on Corporate Social Responsibility. However, this Department will be closed at the end of March as a result of the FCO’s recent reprioritisation of policy work and the majority of the Department’s work on Corporate Social Responsibility will be redistributed to other Departments.
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the budget for promoting corporate social responsibility (a) internally in his Department and (b) externally by his Department to British companies was in each of the last five years. [191214]
Meg Munn: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has provided an annual contribution of £80,000 to the Trust Fund for the UN Global Compact, the largest international initiative promoting Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and the FCO annually contributes £3,000 towards the running costs of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights. Over the last five years the FCO has also made the following allocations of project funding for CSR related projects globally:
| Amount (£) | |
| (1) Projected for 2008. | |
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