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19 Jan 2009 : Column 1104W—continued
St. Helena: Airports
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his most recent estimate is of the length of time which will be required for the proposed airport on St. Helena to be brought into service once approval has been granted. [244744]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: No decision has been made on the project. It would therefore be inappropriate to provide further information at this stage.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his most recent estimate was of the cost to the public purse of the proposed St. Helena airport before the pause in negotiations on the airport was announced. [246301]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: It would be inappropriate to release any financial information, including cost estimates, relating to improving access to St. Helena as these could influence future negotiations.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he plans to publish the environmental impact assessment of the proposed St. Helena airport development. [246313]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The environmental statement for the proposed St. Helena airport and supporting infrastructure was published in May 2008. It is available at:
Zimbabwe: Cholera
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe. [246204]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe continues to deteriorate. The cholera epidemic is the biggest in Zimbabwe's history. The UN is predicting that as many as 60,000 could be affected in the coming weeks. DFID is funding a £10 million package to help fight the cholera outbreak and support life-saving health services.
Tackling this outbreak represents a major coordinated international effort, led by the World Health Organisation and UNICEF with support from a wide range of bilateral partners (including USAID, ECHO, the Netherlands, Japan, Switzerland, France, Canada and Australia) and local and international NGO's. The response is co-ordinated in Harare and the UK is actively engaged.
Zimbabwe: Diamonds
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether it is the Government's policy to support calls for a suspension of Zimbabwe from the Kimberley Process for diamonds. [246304]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Reports of violence and state-sponsored murder in and around Marange diamond mine are a major cause for concern. The UK Government, who are represented in the Kimberley Process by the European Union (EU), is working with their partners, the diamond industry and civil society groups, to investigate this illegal trade and stem the flow of illicit diamonds from Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe: Overseas Aid
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of distribution of humanitarian aid in Zimbabwe; and if he will make a statement. [246158]
Mr. Ivan Lewis:
Deliberate aid obstruction (in the form of a government ban on NGO activities) was a feature of the election period in 2008. This coupled with long-term policy failures and economic mismanagement
by the government of Zimbabwe means that the country is facing its largest ever cholera epidemic and over five million people—in this highly fertile country—are receiving international food assistance.
Occasional localised instances of humanitarian obstruction can never be entirely ruled out but, according to latest UN reporting, there have been no impediments to humanitarian access reported by partner organisations on the ground in recent weeks. The UN monitors this situation closely and is quick to respond to any problems with obstruction or political interference in aid delivery.
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many UK humanitarian workers have been refused visas to enter Zimbabwe since November 2008; and if he will make a statement. [246300]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The UK Government generally do not consider the Government of Zimbabwe to be a credible development or humanitarian partner and we do not receive systematic reports on visa and other issues related to humanitarian work. However, there have been a number of reports of international NGO workers being refused or having difficulty in securing temporary employment permits which allow for longer stays.
This kind of behaviour is unfortunately symptomatic of a Government which has little or no regard for the welfare of its people. We are working as part of a co-ordinated international effort to tackle the worst cholera crisis in Zimbabwe's history, to provide food aid to over 5 million people and to meet other basic humanitarian needs. As part of this, any obstructive behaviour by the Government of Zimbabwe will be raised with them directly through UN channels.
Treasury
Car Allowances
John Barrett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the rate for approved mileage allowance payment was last set. [248685]
Mr. Timms: The current rates for approved mileage allowance payments were introduced in April 2002.
Charities
Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer to which (a) charities and (b) voluntary organisations his Department has provided funding in the last five years; and how much funding was provided to each. [247370]
Angela Eagle: The Treasury does not provide any direct funding to charities or voluntary organisations. Government funding for a charity or voluntary organisation would be delivered through the Department with policy responsibility for the area in which the organisation operates.
Child Benefit
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average period between approval of an application for child benefit and the first benefit payment was in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [247321]
Mr. Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for West Ham (Lyn Brown) on 12 January 2009, Official Report, column 328W.
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the average time taken to process applications for child benefit in the most recent period for which information is available; and what steps he plans to take to reduce that time. [248670]
Mr. Timms: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for West Ham (Lyn Brown) on 12 January 2009, Official Report, column 328W.
Churches: Repairs and Maintenance
Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will publish the names of those on the inter-departmental working group set up to look into the repair of church buildings and the bodies they represent. [248146]
Yvette Cooper: Following the commitment made in Budget 2007 to examine how the Government can help churches and heritage buildings, officials and Ministers from: HM Treasury; Communities and Local Government; the Office of the Third Sector; the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have met with the Church of England Archbishops’ Council to consider ways in which church buildings might benefit from existing departmental programmes in order to support the Government’s community objectives.
Clear Line of Sight Programme
Mr. Letwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made on the Clear Line of Sight project; and if he will make a statement. [247226]
Yvette Cooper: Good progress continues to be made in taking forward the Clear Line of Sight project. The Government submitted an initial Memorandum to Parliament in November 2008, setting out the high level principles and proposals underpinning the project. The Government plan to submit formal proposals in a second Memorandum to Parliament in due course, reflecting comments received from the Parliamentary Committees on its initial proposals, as well as the outcome of an external consultation exercise conducted during the autumn of 2008.
Debts
Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the International Monetary Fund on its assessment of (a) public and (b) private debt in the UK. [248191]
Ian Pearson: The Chancellor maintains regular contact with international financial institutions. As President of the G20, the UK is actively working with the International Monetary Fund to strengthen international macro-economic and financial surveillance.
Departmental Air Travel
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many official journeys (a) he and his predecessors and (b) his officials made by plane in each of the last five years. [247502]
Angela Eagle: The information requested could not be provided within the disproportionate costs threshold.
Departmental Catering
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which (a) food and (b) drinks suppliers have been used by his Department in each of the last three years; and how much his Department paid to each such supplier in each of those years. [248377]
Angela Eagle: The catering company providing facilities within the Treasury is contracted under the Department’s PFI contract and not directly employed by the Department. The contractor’s suppliers and amounts spent are commercially sensitive and are not available for publication.
Departmental ICT
Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what IT systems used by his Department access data from the central Frameworks Database; and what the stated purpose of each system is; [248103]
(2) what calculations of (a) tax, (b) tax allowances and (c) tax credits undertaken by his Department access data from the central Frameworks Database; [248104]
(3) which Government Departments other than his own have access to data from the central Frameworks Database. [248105]
Mr. Timms: The following HMRC IT systems interface with Corporate Data Frameworks and Benefits Payments Engines.
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