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20 Jan 2009 : Column 1311W—continued
Overseas Aid
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what his most recent assessment is of progress made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goal on maternal health; [248176]
(2) what steps his Department is taking to contribute towards achieving the Millennium Development Goal on maternal health. [248177]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The latest and most comprehensive assessment of global progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), including the goal to improve maternal health (MDG 5), is contained in the 2008 United Nations Millennium Development Goals Report. This noted that the maternal health MDG is severely off-track with little progress having been made in saving mothers’ lives. The report is available at:
DFID continues to work to accelerate progress to achieving both the targets of MDG 5. In October 2007 DFID announced an additional £100 million over five years to prevent unwanted pregnancies and make childbirth safer. This money is helping the UN Population Fund provide condoms, contraceptive pills and sexual health advice to poor people in South Asia and Africa. In June 2008, the UK Government announced a commitment to spend £6 billion on improving health systems and services over seven years to 2015.
Work is currently under way to revise and update DFID’s Maternal Health strategy for publication later this year. The strategy will set out what DFID will do to contribute to the achievement of the MDG 5 targets. A stakeholder consultation day was held on 13 January 2009 at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Further consultation is planned in the near future.
Somalia: Politics and Government
Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment has
been made of the humanitarian situation in Somalia; and if he will make a statement. [246167]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The humanitarian situation in Somalia is critical and there is a high risk of further deterioration. The UN has reported that a higher proportion of people in Somalia require relief assistance than in any other country in the world, with 43 per cent. of the population (3.2 million) requiring assistance in 2008. Nearly one sixth of the children in southern and central regions are starving, displacement is very high and ongoing and normal lives are severely disrupted.
The UK contributes substantially to humanitarian responses and committed approximately £27 million during 2008, making the UK the second largest bilateral humanitarian donor. UK funds were also used through our support to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), and through our contributions to the European Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO).
Women and Equality
Charities
Bob Spink: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality to which (a) charities and (b) voluntary organisations the Government’s Equalities Office has provided funding since it was established; and how much funding was provided to each. [247368]
Maria Eagle: Since its creation on 12 October 2007, the Government Equalities Office has provided funding totalling £134,720 to registered charities and £81,929 to voluntary organisations as follows:
| Charity | £ |
| (1) This is GEO’s contribution to an interdepartmental budget of £1,100,000. | |
| Voluntary organisation | £ |
Departmental Buildings
Mr. Baron: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how much has been spent on (a) maintaining, (b) decorating and (c) otherwise improving departmental buildings by the Government Equalities Office since its inception; how much has been spent on wallpaper; and what plans there are for further spending on departmental decoration. [248064]
Maria Eagle:
The Government Equalities Office leases its accommodation from Communities and Local Government and the Cabinet Office, who are responsible for any maintenance, decoration and improvements.
GEO has not spent any money directly on these areas, and none on wallpaper. The GEO has no plans to spend any money on departmental decoration and the leases it has would not, in any case, permit this.
Departmental Catering
Mr. Scott: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality which (a) food and (b) drinks companies have supplied the Government Equalities Office since its inception; and how much has been paid to each of those suppliers. [248795]
Maria Eagle: Since its creation on 12 October 2007, the GEO has paid £16,437 to food and drink companies for refreshments at GEO events. In most cases, these companies have provided food and drink and we are unable to separate the costs for each. The companies used and the payments made are as follows:
| Company | Total expenditure (£) |
Public Lavatories: Disabled
Mr. Harper: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what steps she is taking to increase the provision in public buildings of toilets fully accessible to those with disabilities; and if she will make a statement. [248133]
Maria Eagle: The Department for Communities and Local Government are responsible for the Building Regulations 2000. In line with the Disability Discrimination Act, Part M of the Building Regulations (section 5.5—Provision of Toilet Accommodation) states the requirement that toilet accommodation must be suitable for disabled people as well as other people who use public buildings.
Prime Minister
Ministers: Official Residences
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Prime Minister with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 10 November 2008, Official Report, column 823W, on Ministers: official residences, what plans he has to bring forward proposals to repeal those provisions of the Greater London Highways and Road Traffic (Various Provisions) Order 2000 which exempt South Eaton Place from standard parking controls. [245936]
Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.
62 South Eaton Place is protected as part of the Whitehall security zone because it was my right hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett’s) place of residence during his time as Home Secretary. In February 2008, Westminster city council submitted an application to the Department for Transport to have the Whitehall security zone reduced to Whitehall and the streets leading from it. The Metropolitan Police Service have now agreed with Westminster's application to reduce the security zone. When the Department receives a formal request to amend the Greater London Highways and Road Traffic (Various Provisions) Order 2000 it will do so.
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
AWE Aldermaston
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform for what reason the Government decided to sell the remaining portion of its stake in AWE Aldermaston; and what sum it received from the sale. [247045]
Mr. McFadden: The Government have not sold any of their stake in the Atomic Weapons Establishment itself. All Atomic Weapons Establishment sites and assets remain in Government ownership, as they have done since the Atomic Weapons Establishment was first contractorised in 1993. What happened on 17 December was that BNFL reached agreement to sell its one-third share in AWE Management Limited (AWEML) to Jacobs Engineering Group subject to clearance under EU merger control requirements. AWEML is the consortium of BNFL, Serco and Lockheed Martin that has the 25 year contract with MOD to manage and operate the Atomic Weapons Establishment on MOD's behalf. The sale of the one-third share arose as a result of the dismantling of BNFL and the terms remain confidential between the parties.
Further details of the sale and the nature of AWEML’s relationship with AWE plc are given in the written statements that I gave to the House on 12 January this year, Official Report, column 1WS and my right hon. Friend, the previous Secretary of State gave to the House on 16 July 2007, Official Report, column 1WS, respectively.
Broadband Stakeholders Group
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what (a) administrative and (b) financial support his Department has provided for the Broadband Stakeholders Group since it was established. [247422]
Mr. McFadden:
This Department contributes to the overall costs of the Broadband Stakeholders Group (BSG) with the remaining costs being provided by public sector membership subscriptions and support from Intellect. The Government’s contribution totalled approximately £820,000 over the last five and a half
years and the annual percentage contribution from Government has been reduced during this time. The support is for operational and some specific project costs.
This Department does not provide administrative support to the BSG but has representation on the BSG Executive Committee.
The BSG helps advise the Government on Broadband issues of the day and provides an Industry/Government forum for exploring issues relating to the knowledge based economy, and utilisation of digital technologies.
Caio Review
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the (a) total and (b) staffing cost of the Caio Review was. [247434]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 14 January 2009]: The total cost of the Caio Review was approximately £119,500 for the six month period of the review; and includes staffing costs totalling approximately £113,000.
The Government will be responding to the review in due course.
Charities
Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 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. [247366]
Mr. McFadden: The Department does not generally make charitable donations but may have given grants to charitable bodies through a number of our programmes, but the status of the organisations are not recorded. The Department, however, does provide grant in aid for operating purposes to the following organisations that are registered as charities. The organisations and amounts are as follows:
| £ million | |||||
| 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | |
Departmental Languages
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many (a) Ministers and (b) civil servants in his Department received coaching in a foreign language in the last 12 months; what expenditure his Department incurred in providing such coaching; and in what languages such coaching was provided. [248069]
Mr. McFadden: Based on business demand, there are 22 civil servants in the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform receiving language training from our preferred supplier. There are no Ministers receiving departmentally-funded language training.
The total expenditure for 2008 was £13,451.43. Languages undertaken were French, German, Spanish, Polish and Mandarin.
Departmental Marketing
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much his Department has spent on advertising in the last 12 months. [243721]
Mr. McFadden: Central financial records indicate that spending by this Department on advertising in the last financial year was £2,778,400.
Departmental Sick Leave
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many working days have been lost due to sickness amongst employees for which his Department is and its predecessor department was responsible for each year since 1997. [248875]
Mr. McFadden: Cabinet Office has introduced a revised format for reporting sickness absence statistics across the civil service. The new format was introduced at the end of March 2008 and the first report covers the calendar year 2007. It indicates 6.1 average working days lost per employee due to sickness.
Sickness absence data for the Department's predecessor, the Department of Trade and Industry, for 2006-07, 2005, 2004 and 2003, including the average number of days taken as sick leave, are published on the public civil service website:
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