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26 Nov 2008 : Column 1805W—continued
CDC
Mr. Moore:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 3 November 2008, Official
Report, column 5WS, on CDC Group, what measures his Department has taken to fulfil the obligations of paragraph 9.1 of the New Investment Policy to (a) determine and (b) measure the (i) differentiation and (ii) added value of CDC investments. [239302]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: DFID and CDC are working together to illustrate the ways in which CDC provides added value and differentiation. These include the extent to which CDC acts as a lead investor in funds, its role in attracting third party investment and its wider demonstration effect to private investors, including environmental, social and ethical standards.
Determining additionality is a difficult challenge faced by all development finance institutions, and not only CDC. But CDC's new investment policy, which focuses very significantly more on poorer countries than other DFIs, is a major part of seeking to ensure that CDC's investments are additional.
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 3 November 2008, Official Report, column 5WS, on CDC Group, when the CDC shareholders' resolution adopting the New Investment Policy was passed. [239303]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The new investment policy will be adopted at an Extraordinary General Meeting of the company to be held before the end of 2008.
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 3 November 2008, Official Report, column 5WS, on CDC Group, what consideration he gave to including targets for investment in (a) agriculture and (b) environment sectors within the policy targets; and if he will make a statement. [239304]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: DFID's primary objectives for CDC are that it should invest in the creation and growth of viable private businesses in poorer countries to contribute to economic growth for the benefit of the poor; and mobilise other private investors to invest in these markets, both directly and more widely by demonstrating profitable investments.
In some countries and circumstances, well-chosen investment in agriculture and the environment sectors may generate good returns; in other countries and circumstances this may not be the case as a result, the new CDC policy does not include specific targets for investment in certain sectors.
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 3 November 2008, Official Report, column 5WS, on CDC Group, what measures his Department will put in place to ensure parliamentary scrutiny of the reports his Department receives from CDC under paragraph 12 of the New Investment Policy. [239305]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: I will place copies of both CDC's annual report and accounts, as well as CDC's annual review in the Library of the House.
As part of the annual report CDC will include a report on its development impact, as well the conclusions of the independent audit of its implementation processes in relation to the Investment Code.
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 3 November 2008, Official Report, column 5WS, on CDC Group, what his Department's timescale is for the principle to work overtime to apply relevant international best practice standards, as set out in the Investment Code. [239306]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: CDC is currently working with around 60 investment fund managers of differing experience and sophistication, which in turn are investing in some 600 businesses in developing countries. CDC has made good progress in raising the standards applied by the fund managers in which it invests, and has different timescales with different fund managers according to the nature of the challenges to be addressed in each case.
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 3 November 2008, Official Report, column 5WS, on CDC Group, why his Department has included in section 3 of the Investment Code an exception to the exclusion of investment in tobacco or tobacco-related products; what current investments involving tobacco CDC has or is committed to; and if he will make a statement. [239307]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: Some African companies seeking investment from CDC have old, legacy connections to tobacco farming. To encourage agribusiness investment in poor countries, CDC's excluded investment list was recently amended so that it is now possible for promising agribusinesses with small and declining legacy tobacco farming interests to receive backing from CDC funds.
CDC has no investments or commitments involving tobacco or cigarette production and CDC's capital will not be used to support cigarette production. CDC will additionally require its fund managers to ensure that their portfolio companies with legacy tobacco connections agree a schedule for phasing out any tobacco farming interests.
Chain Reaction Conference
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2008, Official Report, column 755W, on the Chain Reaction conference, (a) from which budget line his Department’s funding for the conference was taken, (b) what the development impact and outcomes of the conference were and (c) how many people attended. [239811]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The Chain Reaction conference was funded as part of the Department for International Development’s (DFID) remit (under the 2002 International Development Act) to promote awareness of global poverty.
The organisers will shortly be taking forward an analysis of the event’s impact and outcomes, including drawing together information on the new ideas that the conference has inspired. The speakers and attendees
from business, Government, third sector, development focused non-governmental organisations and youth initiatives agreed 138 written commitments to take forward on a range of issues, including new partnerships between developed and developing countries. All of these can be viewed at the Chain Reaction website:
The Chain Reaction conference was attended by 1,100 people.
Democratic Republic of Congo: Overseas Aid
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid the Government (a) has channelled and (b) plans to channel to those displaced by violence and conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [239264]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time before Prorogation.
Democratic Republic of Congo: Politics and Government
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [239322]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time before prorogation.
Departmental Absenteeism
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the rate of staff (a) absence and (b) sickness absence was in (i) his Department and (ii) each of its non-departmental public bodies in each year since 1997; what the target rates set for his Department are in each case; and if he will make a statement. [238935]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested is as follows:
(i) The average number of working days lost to sickness absence in the Department for International Development (DFID) from 1999 onwards, are shown in the following table:
| Average working days lost to sickness absence | |
| Number | |
We do not have information prior to 1999.
DFID has a target of 5.5 average working days lost to sickness absence by the end of December 2008.
(ii) During the period 1997 to present, DFID has had three non-Departmental public bodies (NDPBs):
Overseas Service Pensions Scheme (OSPS) Advisory Board was wound up on 1 October 2005;
Crown Agents Holding and Realisation Board was wound up on 1 April 2008;
Commonwealth Scholarship Commission is still in operation.
None of the non-departmental public bodies employed any staff.
Departmental Catering
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether food and drink on sale to staff of (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies at official premises is subsidised from public funds. [237421]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development has a staff restaurant in each of its two UK offices. These are contracted out to an external provider, and the contract includes a subsidy towards the operating costs.
There are no agencies for which DFID is responsible.
Departmental Consultants
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies spent on external consultancy in each year since its inception; and if he will make a statement. [239061]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time before Prorogation.
Departmental Databases
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will place in the Library an electronic copy of his Department’s Performance Reporting Information System for Management database. [239813]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time before Prorogation.
Departmental Equality
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what information his Department holds on the (a) sex, (b) ethnicity, (c) age, (d) disability, (e) sexual orientation and (f) religion or belief of its staff; and what assessment he has made of his Department's performance against its targets in each respect. [238482]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department for International Development (DFID) carries out a diversity monitoring analysis annually on its staff covering sex, ethnicity, age and disability. In the first quarter of each year DFID's Management Board review progress on the key diversity challenges identified for the preceding year and sets priorities for the year ahead.
The following table shows how DFID's senior civil service performed in 2008 against the Cabinet Office and DFID targets.
| Percentage | ||
| Civil service 2008 targets | DFID 2008 target | DFID 2008 performance |
DFID plans to review the process of collecting and assessing information on sexual orientation and religion or belief once the Single Equality Bill becomes an Act.
Departmental Gifts
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff in his Department have received gifts valued at £100 or higher in the course of their duties in each of the last three years; what these gifts were; and from whom they were received in each case. [239634]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time before prorogation.
Departmental Land
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much surplus land his Department owns; and what the (a) area and (b) estimated monetary value of each site is. [236420]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department for International Development has no surplus land.
Departmental Manpower
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many departmental posts are (a) established and (b) filled in military stabilisation support teams in Helmand province. [239897]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time before Prorogation.
Departmental Marketing
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies spent on (i) publicity and (ii) advertising in each year since its inception; and if he will make a statement. [238952]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The information requested is as follows:
(a) DFID has spent the following since 2000 on advertising and publicity figures; figures prior to this date are not available. 98 per cent. of this expenditure has been for procurement and recruitment reasons.
| Spend (£) | |
| Note: Final figures for 2008 are not yet available. | |
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