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30 Apr 2008 : Column 522W—continued
These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many children were moved from secure children’s homes to young offender institutions in each of the last five years. [201860]
Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
Information about such transfers is not collected centrally. The Youth Justice Board informs us that it providing the information requested would involve a manual search of records at establishments: this could be done only at disproportionate cost.
Young Offenders: Protection
Dr. Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many child protection referrals to local children’s services involving children in custody were made from each (a) prison, (b) secure training centre and (c) local authority secure children’s home in the last two years. [201712]
Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
The following table shows the total number of referrals involving children in custody made to local children’s services by each under-18 custodial establishment between 1 April 2006 and 31 March 2008:
| Number | |
| Note: Figures provided by the YJB and HMPS have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time. | |
International Development
HIV/AIDS
6. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department has taken to improve education on HIV/AIDS in developing countries. [202415]
Mr. Thomas:
Prevention is absolutely crucial if we are to stop and reverse the spread of HIV and AIDS. Education is central to the Department for International Development’s (DFID's) approach, particularly girls’
education and improved sexual and reproductive health education for women. We support innovative AIDS education programmes, including a recent £14 million grant to the Soul City programme, a televised soap opera watched by more than 34 million South Africans, now extending to eight countries in southern Africa.
Primary Education
7. Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of children in developing countries attending primary school. [202416]
Gillian Merron: Since 1999 there are 41 million more children in schools. The UK Government have committed £8.5 billion for education in developing countries over the 10 years to 2015. This will provide support to national government education plans to achieve the millennium development goal of universal primary education by 2015.
Palestinian Territories
8. Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of UK humanitarian aid to the Palestinian Territories. [202417]
Mr. Malik: The humanitarian situation is grave. The UK channels its humanitarian assistance through international agencies including UNRWA and the EC. Our support is still reaching those who need it. Assistance from the EC's Temporary International Mechanism has paid the allowances of 77,000 Palestinian Authority workers critical to the delivery of basic services. Movement and access restrictions triggered by ongoing violence undermine the effectiveness of humanitarian operations. Recent fuel strikes further threaten the effectiveness of humanitarian efforts.
Food Prices
9. Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of increases in world food prices on developing countries. [202419]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire (Mr. Crabb) today.
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effect of high food prices on the poorest countries; and what response his Department is making. [202420]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire (Mr. Crabb) today (UIN 202410).
Nepal
11. Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid his Department is providing to Nepal. [202421]
Mr. Malik: In the current financial year (2008-09) the Department for International Development (DFID) plan to provide £42 million of bilateral development assistance to Nepal. We aim to scale this up to £56 million over the comprehensive spending review period.
Zimbabwe
12. Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he next expects to meet his EU counterparts to discuss aid to Zimbabwe. [202422]
Gillian Merron: No formal discussions on EU aid to Zimbabwe are planned for the immediate future. The UK Government are in constant dialogue with our EU counterparts and other international partners about the current crisis. Under the right conditions, we are ready to play a leading role in supporting Zimbabwe’s recovery. In the meantime, we continue to work with the United Nations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in saving the lives and livelihoods of Zimbabwe’s poorest and most vulnerable people.
Tibet
13. Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to provide humanitarian assistance to the Tibetan population in occupied Tibet. [202423]
Mr. Malik: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not plan to provide humanitarian assistance in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Together with our colleagues at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, we are keeping the situation under review, but there does not at this time, appear to be any reason for us to provide such assistance. We continue to provide £500,000 per year to support Save the Children’s work in Tibet. This is continuing to run smoothly despite the recent unrest. The work is not considered politically sensitive either by the Chinese authorities or by the Tibetan population, and is welcomed by both.
China: Overseas Aid
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether account is taken of the human rights implications of the Chinese one-child policy in his Department's decisions on aid to China; and if he will make a statement. [201958]
Mr. Malik: Human rights are one of several factors that are taken into account when deciding aid allocations. China has made good progress in recent years in improving reproductive health rights, especially through its implementation of the 2002 Law of Population and Family Planning. This law establishes equal rights for women and men in accordance with the principles of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). Sex-selective abortions are strictly prohibited. Under the Regulations for the Management of Family Planning Technical Services of 2001, the use of physical coercion to compel persons to submit to abortion or sterilization is prohibited.
The Department for International Development (DFID) does not support China’s one child policy. The UK Government’s policy on population and sexual and reproductive health in the developing world is about providing choice, not coercion. We do not provide direct funding to population activities in China. We do however provide central funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Planned Parenthood Foundation (IPPF), as well as other organisations in the sexual and reproductive health field that seek to promote informed choice and better services. Neither UNFPA nor IPPF support the one-child policy, but are working hard to uphold reproductive health rights and promote change in China.
Cycling
Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether (a) his Department and (b) his Department’s non-departmental public bodies provide (i) tax-free benefits and (ii) other allowances for their staff to purchase bicycles under the Cycle to Work scheme; and if he will make a statement. [197605]
Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not currently offer a cycle to work scheme to its employees. Our intention is to introduce a scheme through the course of 2008 in line with changes planned as part of our Human Resources Transformation Programme.
At present DFID staff can apply for an interest free loan to cover the cost of purchasing a bicycle and any necessary security and safety equipment up to the value to £500. The loan is repayable over a maximum period of 12 months.
The one DFID Executive non-departmental public body does not employ any staff.
Departmental Pensions
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cash equivalent transfer value is of the public sector pensions of the 10 highest paid members of staff in his Department and its executive agencies; and if he will make a statement. [200710]
Gillian Merron: It is not appropriate to disclose values for staff, other than those whose details are reported in the remuneration report in the Department’s resource accounts. A copy of the resource accounts for the year ending 2006-07 can be found in the House of Commons Library.
The Department for International Development (DFID) does not have any Executive agencies.
Departmental Working Hours
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many hours (a) in total and (b) on average per employee were worked by civil servants in his Department in the last year for which records are available. [195818]
Gillian Merron: Based on the contracted hours (minus leave entitlements) of home civil service staff working in our HQ offices (in London and East Kilbride) and overseas, the total hours worked from 1 January-31 December 2007, was 2,652,062.60.
This equates to an average of 1,550.90 hours per employee, based on our headcount staff numbers of 1,710.
Departmental Written Questions
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many days it took on average to answer written parliamentary questions tabled by each hon. Member for answer by him in the last six months. [201762]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development is committed to responding to written parliamentary questions promptly. Since the start of the 2007-08 Session to date:
(a) 78 per cent. of 677 ordinary written questions have been answered within five sitting days
(b) 84 per cent. of the 137 named day questions have been answered on the day specified.
Information to the level of detail requested could be provided only disproportionate cost.
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