| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
21 May 2008 : Column 328W—continued
Gillian Merron:
The Department for International Development (DFID) will work with a range of partners to ensure bed nets are distributed and delivered effectively. We will work to strengthen recipient government systems
for delivering bed nets. Decisions on where the bed nets will be distributed and on what criteria, as well as the role of partners such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, will be based on country needs and will be made in-country by DFID’s country programmes.
Delivery will be monitored in accordance with DFID’s standard arrangements. We expect the countries that will benefit from UK-funded bed nets shall include Kenya, Nigeria, Sudan, Congo, and Mozambique. The timetable for delivery over the period 2008-10 will be determined by the individual countries’ needs and capacity and the most efficient means of delivery.
Apprentices
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many (a) apprenticeships and (b) advanced apprenticeships there were in (i) his Department and (ii) the agencies for which he is responsible in the most recent year for which figures are available. [206796]
Gillian Merron: There are no apprenticeships or advanced apprenticeships in the Department for International Development. The Department has no associated agencies.
Departmental Data Protection
James Brokenshire:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether any officials in his Department were disciplined or dismissed for (a)
breaches of data protection requirements and (b) inappropriate use of personal or sensitive data in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [205897]
Gillian Merron: In the last three years, the Department for International Development (DFID) disciplined or dismissed (a) no staff for breaches of data protection requirements and (b) fewer than five staff for inappropriate use of personal or sensitive data, with all action taking place in 2006-07. Due to the small number, a breakdown by number, employment status and outcome is not made public on the grounds of confidentiality.
Departmental Manpower
Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many (a) permanent civil service posts, (b) permanent non-civil service posts and (c) temporary or agency workers in employment in his Department there were in each month since May 2005. [199550]
Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development (DFID) provides employment statistics to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Prior to 2006, employment numbers were available only on an annual basis and from then on were collected quarterly.
Details of the available published DFID staffing statistics for permanent civil service employees, and temporary workers, in DFID from 2005 are contained in the following table.
| Month/year | Permanent civil service employees | Temporary workers (i.e. f ixed-term civil service employees on contracts of 12 months or less) | Total |
| Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 | |||
The definition of temporary workers follows the ONS definition which states that employees with fixed term contracts of 12 months or less should be regarded as temporary employees.
In response to the question about the numbers of our non-civil service posts, DFID employs staff appointed in country (SAIC) who are recruited locally to work in our network of over 50 offices overseas on local terms and conditions of service. The details of our SAIC staff are shown in the following table:
| Month/year | Total |
Prior to October 2007 there were no central records of agency workers within DFID so we are unable to provide historical numbers. Details of the centrally managed agency workers from October 2007 to March 2008 are shown in the following table.
| Number | |
Departmental Public Participation
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on (a) written consultations, ( b) consultation roadshows and (c) stakeholder focus groups in each of the last three years. [205838]
Gillian Merron: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Consultation is an integral function of many aspects of the Department for International Development's (DFID) policy, corporate and operational work. This includes both the funding of consultation exercises and decisions about the most appropriate consultation mechanisms to be applied.
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what consultants have been contracted by his Department to conduct public participation activities in the last three years; and how much expenditure his Department has incurred on each such contract to date. [206218]
Gillian Merron: Participation and consultation is an integral function of many aspects of the Department for International Development's (DFID) policy, corporate and operational work. Disaggregating these elements of work would incur disproportionate cost.
Departmental Translation Services
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was spent by his Department on translation and interpretation services in 2007-08, broken down by language. [205180]
Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development (DFID) spent £146,090 on translation and interpretation services during 2007-08. The following table details the overall costs broken down by language.
| Translation and interpretation services | |
| Languages | Cost (£) |
Other translation or interpretational costs may have been incurred but cannot be separately identified; for example, where translation is a small component within a larger project.
Developing Countries: HIV Infection
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent representations he has received on his Department’s (a) expenditure and (b) policy on tackling HIV/AIDS in the developing world. [204720]
Gillian Merron: A public consultation on updating the Government’s strategy for tackling HIV and AIDS in the developing world was launched in May 2007. The Department for International Development (DFID) received over 90 submissions in direct response to this consultation.
Since June 2007 DFID has received over 50,000 letters, postcards and e-mails from members of the public about various aspects of AIDS policy and expenditure. DFID Ministers have also received more than 700 letters from MPs writing on behalf of constituents and other interested groups.
Disaster Relief
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what performance indicators his Department uses to measure the effectiveness of its response in providing emergency relief aid following a natural disaster; and if he will make a statement. [206336]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) funds organisations that subscribe and adhere to, as far as is practicable, internationally accepted standards of humanitarian assistance and good practice including the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response laid out by the Sphere Project. The standards relate to:
1. Participation
2. Initial assessment
3. Response
4. Targeting
5. Monitoring
6. Evaluation
7. Aid worker competencies and responsibilities
8. Supervision, management and support of personnel.
Each of the above standards contains minimum standards, key indicators and guidance notes. More information can be found at
DFID receives reporting and monitors the activities of its partners in meeting standards.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with which companies his Department has contracts to supply air freight services in response to humanitarian needs caused by natural disasters; and if he will make a statement. [206337]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: Hanover Aviation Ltd was recently awarded a contract by the Department for International Development (DFID) to provide Aviation Brokerage Services to DFID and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). This followed their success in a tendering exercise conducted under EU Procurement Rules.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with which companies his Department has a contract or contracts to supply emergency relief including food, waste purification and tents in response to humanitarian needs caused by natural disasters; and if he will make a statement. [206338]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) maintains a stockpile of emergency relief supplies. Where the necessary supplies are not available from the stockpile, DFID procures them in accordance with EU procurement directives. DFID does not have long-term agreements with any providers of relief supplies.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what performance measures his Department includes in contracts with companies supplying and freighting UK Government emergency aid relief following natural disasters; and if he will make a statement. [206347]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: Each contract issued by the Department for International Development (DFID) follows best practice procurement processes and includes individual performance targets. All commodities supplied are subject to independent inspection for quality, suitability and contract compliance.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |