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21 Jan 2009 : Column 1532W—continued
Trade: Economic Situation
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what effect he anticipates the economic downturn will have on the number of business travellers from the UK to Nordic countries. [245412]
Caroline Flint: The Government does not capture statistics on business visitors to Nordic countries so would not be able to anticipate the specific effect of the economic downturn on this group. Some companies will be tempted to spend more time in the market, trying to boost exports, whilst others will respond to the downturn by cutting back on travel to overseas markets.
World War Two: Anniversaries
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received on commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Kindertransport since July 2008; and if he will make a statement. [247760]
Gillian Merron: We are not aware of any representations to my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary since July 2008 on the 70th anniversary of the Kindertransport. However, we welcome the commemoration of this event and others of this kind to ensure that we never forget the horrors of Nazi occupation and the holocaust. It is also important to celebrate the humanitarian acts that saved lives and helped refugees to start anew.
Zimbabwe: Diamonds
Mr. Keith Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate has been made of the profits accrued from the illegal
diamond trade in Zimbabwe in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proposals the Government has put forward to stop the trade. [246298]
Gillian Merron: There have been reports of an influx of thousands of illegal panners and dealers to the Marange/Chiadzwa diamond field to extract and export diamonds outside the Kimberley Process. There are no accurate data available on the value of such illicit diamond trading, but estimates are that it could run to millions of dollars.
Reports indicate that the military have brutally stamped down on mining activities in the area. Hundreds are reported to have been killed. The use of such extreme force indicates the lengths to which the regime will go to regain control of the diamond fields.
The UK, represented by the EU, is working with Kimberly Process partners and civil society groups to determine the most effective way of resolving the situation.
Zimbabwe: Politics and Government
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the political situation in Zimbabwe. [247838]
Gillian Merron: Ministers are in regular contact with EU counterparts to discuss the political and humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe. The issue was on the agenda at the General Affairs and External Relations Council in July, September, November and December during the French presidency and has come up in many other contexts. It is once again on the agenda for the General Affairs and External Relations Council later this month.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps the Government has taken to monitor the political situation in Zimbabwe. [248109]
Gillian Merron [holding answer 19 January 2009]: We are following the situation in Zimbabwe very closely, including through our embassy in Harare, as well as our other missions in the region, which continue to monitor the situation. Ministers maintain a keen interest in developments and are regularly briefed on the political and humanitarian situation. We are continuing to work with states in the region and the wider international community to encourage a durable solution.
Children, Schools and Families
Building Schools for the Future Programme
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many jobs have been created by the Building Schools for the Future programme in each year since its establishment; and in which sectors those jobs were created. [248736]
Jim Knight:
No data are available on the number of jobs created by the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme in each year since its establishment.
So far, construction jobs are supported by capital allocations and commitments of £7,617 million to Wave 1 to Wave 6 of the BSF programme. This figure includes both capital grant and the capital value of PFI contracts. A tentative estimate of the number of jobs that have been and will be created across the period of construction of Wave 1 to Wave 6 is 95,000.
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many One School Pathfinder projects have been set up by his Department under the Building Schools for the Future programme; and how many of those (a) have received formal guidance from Partnership for Schools and (b) have had a Partnership for Schools Director appointed to guide the project. [249639]
Jim Knight: There are 39 One School Pathfinder projects. These are not part of the Building Schools for the Future programme.
The One School Pathfinder programme is a devolved programme that allows local authorities to rebuild one school with the highest level of building need that fits their long term strategic plans for education. The programme allows the local authority an opportunity to set up and test its approach to educational transformation in advance of joining the full Building Schools for the Future programme.
We believe that local authorities are best placed to make local decisions, and so expect authorities to manage single school projects themselves. Partnerships for Schools do not manage the One School Pathfinder programme and has not produced guidance.
Charities
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families to which charities his Department has provided funding of £100,000 or more in each of the last three years; and how much was given to each charity. [242085]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry [holding answer 10 December 2009 ]: The information requested can only be collated at disproportionate cost.
Child Support Agency: ICT
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how much the most recent Child Support Agency computer update cost; [240288]
(2) what the Child Support Agency caseload was on the most recent date for which figures are available; and what the caseload is expected to be once the update of the Agency's IT systems is fully implemented. [240289]
Kitty Ussher: I have been asked to reply.
The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 21 January 2009:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much the most recent Child Support Agency computer update cost [240288]; and
You also asked what the Child Support Agency caseload was on the most recent date for which figures are available; and what the caseload is expected to be once the update of the Agency's IT systems is fully implemented. [240289]
The most recent update to the Child Support Agency's computer systems was successfully implemented on 27th October 2008. This update supported the repeal of Section 6 to the Child Support Act 1991, which removed the compulsion from parents with care in receipt of income based benefits to make a claim for child maintenance through the Child Support Agency. The cost of this upgrade to our system is estimated at around £7m however final invoices have yet to be received from our IT suppliers.
At the end of September 2008, the latest date that figures are available, the Agency had a total of 1,339,600 cases registered as live across the CSCS and CS2 computer systems. The Agency also had a total of 44,000 live clerical cases of which a significant number will be included in the cases shown as registered on the computer systems. These are cases which are being progressed clerically but remain registered on the computer systems.
The repeal of Section 6 allows all parents to choose the child maintenance arrangements that best suit their circumstances, whether private arrangements or through the statutory maintenance schemes. The size of the future caseload of the statutory maintenance schemes is therefore dependant on the choices that parents make. Information on the size of the Agency's caseload is published each quarter in the Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics and the next edition containing information on the impact of the recent changes is due to be published at the end of January 2009.
I hope you find this answer helpful.
Children: Databases
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects the ContactPoint database to become operational; and if he will make a statement. [249435]
Beverley Hughes: We announced, in August 2008, that ContactPoint would be deployed from January 2009. We are on track to deploy the first phase from that date and will continue to keep Parliament informed of key developments.
Children: Health
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on what date he expects the Child Health Strategy to be published. [249009]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 19 January 2009]: The Child Health Strategy is being developed jointly by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and Department of Health and will set out the Government's long-term strategy to support children’s and families’ health. It will be aimed at the NHS, local government and partnership organisations, and build on the work already being delivered through Every Child Matters and the National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services. We hope to be in a position to publish the Child Health Strategy in February.
Children: Protection
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many established child protection officer posts there are in each local authority; and how many child protection officers each local authority employed at the latest date for which figures are available. [248164]
Beverley Hughes: Although the number of child protection officers in each local authority is not collected by the Government, the NHS Information Centre does collect and publish data relating to the number of social care staff directly employed by councils. The number of child protection officers is collected as part of this larger group of social care staff, although child protection officers and senior child protection officers are recorded in different categories (as follows). However, it is not possible to split child protection officers from these groups.
Child protection officers are part of the category 2.35—child protection, family placement, juvenile/youth justice workers. Senior child protection officers are part of the category 2.31—assistant team managers/senior social workers.
Table 1 shows the total headcount of staff for each local authority in England under these two categories as at 30 September 2007.
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