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15 May 2008 : Column 1717W—continued
Navy: Medals
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will change the qualification criteria for a General Service Medal with Suez ‘canal zone’ clasp so that Navy personnel qualify for a medal after 30 days aggregated service. [205710]
Derek Twigg: There are no plans to seek to change the qualifying criteria for the ‘canal zone’ clasp to the Naval General Service Medal 1915-62.
Reserve Forces: NHS
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on encouraging more NHS staff to become reservists. [204352]
Derek Twigg: Defence Ministers have met their counterparts on a number of occasions where the subject of NHS reservists was discussed. Officials within the MOD and the UK Health Departments have further advanced this issue under the auspices of the MOD/UK Health Departments Partnership Board. The Partnership Board is currently exploring a number of ways in which NHS staff can be encouraged to become reservists. These include targeted MOD recruitment campaigns and the education of NHS employers on the benefits to the NHS, in terms of clinical and leadership skills, of their staff being members of the volunteer reserve.
The MOD and the Department of Health are also developing the concept of sponsored medical reservists. The aim is to encourage specialist civilian clinicians to mobilise for a limited period within a deployed medical facility. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health announced our intentions in a speech in April at a dinner hosted by the Supporting Britain's Reservists and Employers (SaBRE) organisation. The invited guests at the dinner consisted of NHS executives from NHS Trusts in the North-West. As part of his speech he also spoke of his support for NHS staff being members of the volunteer reserves and his hope that NHS employers would actively support staff who became reservists.
I am appreciative of the support of the UK Health Departments and the NHS in taking this work forward.
Duchy of Lancaster
Census
Mr. Todd: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what arrangements have been made for release of output area census data from the forthcoming census to businesses; and if he will make a statement. [200843]
Mr. Watson: The information falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 15 May 2008:
As National Statistician I am replying to your recent question asking what arrangements have been made for release of output area census data from the forthcoming census to businesses. (200843)
A consultation on Small Area Geographies in England and Wales ran for three months up to the end of February 2007. Its aim was to inform thinking on the future policy for small area geographies for National Statistics, and specifically the way forward on the use of Output Areas (OAs) and Super Output Areas (SOAs). Informed by this consultation it has been decided that OAs in England and Wales will remain largely unchanged from the 2001 Census.
Arrangements for the release of outputs from the 2011 Census are not yet finalised. No specific arrangements have yet been made with businesses, but consideration is being given to the requirements of commercial users of the data through ongoing consultation with user and advisory groups. Currently, an on-line consultation is being carried out to identify views and priorities from a variety of Census users, including business users, on high level output issues regarding data dissemination and media.
Civil Servants: Internet
Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what guidance (a) his Department and (b) the Cabinet Secretary provides to civil servants on the use of social networking sites and blogs. [198180]
Edward Miliband: The values and principles set out in the Civil Service Code apply to civil servants' use of online channels (such as blogs and social networking sites) as well as offline activity. Propriety guidance for Government communication also applies. Copies of both documents are in the Library of the House.
In addition the Cabinet Office is also developing guidance for civil servants specifically on the use of social media (including blogs and social networking sites).
Departmental Written Questions
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 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. [201770]
Edward Miliband: Information on the average number of days taken to answer parliamentary questions is not readily available in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Ipsos MORI
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what payments (a) the Cabinet Office and (b) its agencies have made to Ipsos MORI in the last 24 months; and for what purposes. [193820]
Phil Hope: The total paid to Ipsos MORI in the period 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2007 is £376,197. It is not possible to give details as to the purposes of the spend with Ipsos MORI without incurring disproportionate costs. It is for relevant Departments to account for work commissioned through the Central Office of Information (COI).
Northern Rock
Mr. Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what statistics the UK Statistics Authority will be required to collate relating to Northern Rock. [204940]
Phil Hope: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 15 May 2008:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question what statistics the UK Statistics Authority will be required to collate relating to Northern Rock. (204940).
The Office for National Statistics, as the executive agency of the UK Statistics Authority, will not compile any statistics specifically about Northern Rock plc. It would be disclosive to present statistics on any entity that is competing in a market economy. As Northern Rock plc is active in the economy its relevant information is used in the National Accounts and in Labour Market statistics. While Northern Rock plc is classified as part of the public sector, its relevant information will be collated for inclusion in Public Sector Finances and Public Sector Employment statistics.
International Development
Developing Countries: Food
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department is monitoring changes in dietary habits in regard to staple foods in (a) developing and (b) least developed countries; and if he will make a statement. [202768]
Mr. Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) is monitoring changes in diet in developing and least developed countries. The Department does this in a number of different ways. We support global research by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and in particular the International Food Policy Research Institute. We support data gathering and analysis by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). We liaise with our own in-country and regional offices and carry out our own analysis of CGIAR and FAO information.
European Union Global Climate Change Alliance
Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support the Government plan to give to the European Union Global Climate Change Alliance. [204968]
Mr. Thomas: We welcome the European Commission’s Global Climate Change Alliance, which aims to help poor developing countries most vulnerable to climate change to increase their capabilities to adapt to the effects of climate change and to have their voice better heard in the international climate change negotiations. We believe that the GCCA’s proposal to pilot a programmatic approach to integrating climate resilience into development planning will help to provide valuable lessons for future adaptation responses. It is essential that this is well co-ordinated with other adaptation financing initiatives and is delivered in line with the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. We look forward to reviewing the EC’s working paper on the GCCA and will consider support once this has been presented to member states.
Iraq: Education
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government have taken on the development of education in Iraq since 2003. [205286]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: Since 2003, the Department for International Development (DFID) has not provided any direct financial assistance to develop the education sector in Iraq. However, we have contributed £70 million to the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI), which encompasses two trust funds administered by the United Nations and World Bank. 25 donors have committed over $1.8 billion to IRFFI since 2003. This money has been used to provide assistance to a range of sectors and development projects across Iraq, including projects to rehabilitate schools, provide essential text books and train Iraqi teachers.
DFID’s wider priority is to support the Iraqi Government to spend their considerable oil wealth more effectively—to provide sustained improvements to the lives of the Iraqi people. We are therefore working with both central and local government institutions to help them to manage and disburse their finances—which will give the Iraqi Government the ability to provide better public services and to take a lead in developing their own education system.
Iraq: Health Services
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government have taken to assist the Iraqi government in developing health care services since 2003. [205287]
Mr. Douglas Alexander:
Since 2003, the UK has contributed a total of £70 million to the United Nations and World Bank Trust Funds for Iraq, which together are spending over $180 million to repair hospitals, train health care staff and improve nutrition. The UK has also contributed £5 million to the World Health Organisation, which has helped fund emergency
medical supplies, supported clinics and hospitals in Baghdad and Basra, and supports the Government of Iraq’s Health Sector Working Group.
The UK has contributed £49 million to international agencies to support protection and emergency assistance activities in Iraq. This has included the provision of urgently needed medical supplies and improving health facilities, including physical rehabilitation and training for staff.
Since 2003, the UK’s financial assistance has helped contribute to the rehabilitation or equipping of over 1,000 health care facilities and the training of over 6,000 staff.
In addition to DFID’s financial assistance, the UK Department of Health is providing £5 million to fund the Iraqi Clinical Training Project—designed to update the skills of around 400 clinicians and managers in the Iraqi health service by providing eight-week training attachments in the UK. Initial feedback from the Iraqi Ministry of Health Inspectorate General is strongly positive in terms of the actions and impact that the returning clinicians have begun to make.
DFID’s wider priority is to support the Iraqi Government to spend their considerable oil wealth more effectively—to provide sustained improvements to the lives of the Iraqi people. We are therefore assisting both central and local government institutions to manage and disburse their finances—which will then allow the Iraqi Government to take a lead in improving their own health care services.
Iraq: Reconstruction
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much the Government have allocated to Iraq for reconstruction purposes since 2003. [205290]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: Since 2003, the UK Government have pledged £744 million for reconstruction and development for Iraq. So far, over £720 million of this has been disbursed, of which £532 million has been spent by the Department for International Development (DFID) (including EC contributions).
Smoking
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many smoking shelters were built at each of his Department’s London buildings in each of the last five years. [205039]
Mr. Thomas: The Department for International Development has built no smoking shelters over the last five years.
Justice
Bail Accommodation and Support Service
Mr. Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many bail accommodation centres there are in each parliamentary constituency in England. [205291]
Mr. Hanson: The Bail Accommodation and Support Service provided by ClearSprings provides rented housing for users, with a maximum of five sharing. At 2 May there were 157 houses available in England and Wales. The requirement is kept under review. The following table shows in which constituencies these were located:
| Constituency | Number of houses |
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