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10 Mar 2009 : Column 324W—continued
Tenant Services Authority
Mr. Stewart Jackson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs.
Spelman) of 29 January 2009, Official Report, column 784W, on the Tenant Services Authority: publicity, whether external firms provided assistance with the development of the Tenant Service Authority brand. [262370]
Mr. Iain Wright: Yes. After competitive tender, the TSA awarded the job of developing their brand to the Engage Group.
Town Centre Management Schemes
Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what town centre management schemes have been established in each local authority area in each year since 1997. [262431]
Mr. Iain Wright: Responsibility for Town Centre Management schemes falls to local authorities and local partners, and information on schemes is not held centrally.
International Development
Departmental Data Protection
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department uses WPA2 encryption protocol on all its wireless networks. [259816]
Mr. Thomas: The Department for International Development follows CESG guidance on the use of the Wi-Fi protected access 2 (WPA2) communications security protocols in order to protect wireless networks carrying protectively marked (up to RESTRICTED/IL3) traffic. The configuration and operation standards for WPA2 are set out in CESG's Infosec Manual Y, Use of WPA2 wireless security in Government systems.
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what scanning for vulnerabilities his Department conducts of each of its IT devices; what method is used for IT device scans; and how many vulnerabilities have been detected as a result of such scans in the last 12 months. [259819]
Mr. Thomas: It is not in the interest of the security of the Department for International Development, or that of the public, to disclose detailed information pertaining to electronic breaches of security of the Department’s IT systems. Disclosing such information would enable criminals and those who would attempt to cause disruptive threats to the Department to deduce how to conduct attacks and therefore potentially enhance their capability to carry out such attacks.
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what IT security policy his Department has; what procedures are in place to ensure the policy is being followed; what his Department's policy is on encryption of data when they leave departmental premises; and what sanctions are in place for failure to comply with this policy. [259850]
Mr. Thomas:
Information is a key asset to Government and its correct handling is vital to the delivery of public services and to the integrity of HMG. The security policy framework, the data handling report and the
national information assurance strategy produced by the Cabinet Office provide a strategic framework for protecting information that Government handles and put in place a set of mandatory measures which Departments must adhere to.
The Department for International Development is compliant with the security policies contained in the Government security policy framework, including those for information security and assurance.
Depending upon the circumstances, a range of sanctions are available including disciplinary or administrative action, and in extreme or persistent cases, termination of employment/services and, if appropriate, criminal proceedings.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's entertainment budget was in each of the last five years. [261102]
Mr. Thomas: The budgets for entertainment in the Department for International Development in each of the last five financial years were as follows:
| £ | |
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on (a) alcohol and (b) food in each of the last five years. [261168]
Mr. Thomas: It is not possible to disaggregate specific entertainment costs without incurring disproportionate cost.
All entertainment is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles of managing public money and the Treasury handbook on regularity and propriety.
Departmental Postal Services
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [259974]
Mr. Thomas: In the last 12 months, 101,930 items were sent by the Royal Mail. This equated to 55 per cent. of our total post. The Royal Mail is our primary means of sending external mail.
Departmental Press
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on newspapers, magazines and periodicals in each year since 1997. [261176]
Mr. Michael Foster: Centrally managed expenditure on newspapers, magazines and periodicals since 2004 is listed in the following table. These publications are increasingly taken in electronic rather than printed versions. Figures for earlier years could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.
| Centrally managed expenditure on newspapers, magazines and periodicals | |
| £ | |
| (1) Spend to date | |
Departmental Public Appointments
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what information his Department holds on the number of persons appointed to executive positions in bodies for which his Department has responsibility in the last five years who previously had careers in the banking industry. [261237]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: During the last five years, the Department for International Development (DFID) has been responsible for three non-departmental public bodies:
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.
No appointments were made to executive positions in these bodies during the last five years since none of the non-departmental public bodies employed any staff.
Departmental Public Consultation
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what payments for (a) polling and (b) other services his Department has made to (i) Deborah Mattinson and (ii) Opinion Leader Research Limited since 31 December 2007; and if he will make a statement. [260989]
Mr. Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not made any payments to (i) Deborah Mattinson or (ii) Opinion Leader Research Ltd since 31 December 2007, for polling or any other services.
Departmental Rail Travel
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost to his Department was of travel by train by its staff in each year since 1997. [261178]
Mr. Thomas: DFID’s expenditure on rail travel for each year from 2003-04 is detailed in the following table. To provide information for years prior to this would incur disproportionate cost.
| Financial year | Total rail expenditure (£) |
Departmental Scientists
Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department’s budget for scientific advice and research is in 2008-09; for what purposes the equivalent budget for 2007-08 was used; and how many people employed in his Department have a science or engineering degree. [260769]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department for International Development’s (DFID) budget for scientific advice and research in 2008-09 was £135.8 million.
In 2007-08, the budget for scientific advice and research was £124.7 million. This was used to fund our priority research in human development (£50.8 million), growth and livelihoods (£42.7 million), and social, political and environmental change (£22.1 million) and £9 million was used to fund knowledge and communications programmes that ensured that the results of our research were disseminated and put into use.
DFID has above 665 members of staff with science or engineering degrees. This has been defined as those holding a B.Eng, B.Sc, Bsc.Econ, B.Soc Sc, M.Eng, MSc, or any other degree (such as BA etc.) where the qualification subject refers to science or engineering. Many of these staff have more than one degree.
Developing Countries: Family Planning
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which family planning programmes his Department supports; how much funding is being provided to each in 2008-09; and if he will make a statement. [261397]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department for International Development (DFID) provided £20 million in core funding to United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). UNFPA has a global mandate to assist countries to deliver better sexual reproductive health and rights, including voluntary family planning services, and gender equality; and to better understand population dynamics including growth, ageing, fertility and mortality.
DFID provided £5 million to support UNFPA’s Global Programme for Reproductive Health Commodity Security (GPRHCS) in 2008-09. The Global Programme will support up to 40 countries to access high quality and affordable essential drugs, contraceptives, and equipment for voluntary family planning services, HIV/STI prevention and maternal health services. The UK will be the largest donor to UNFPA’s Global Programme with up to £100 million over five years.
It is not possible to provide an exact figure of DFID’s funding to family planning at country level. This is because DFID has a number of funding channels for country programmes including budgetary support for
health systems, direct government budgetary support and multilateral funding which may have as a sub-component the provision of family planning commodities and services.
Family Planning: Finance
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what payments his Department has made to (a) Marie Stopes International, (b) the International Planned Parenthood Federation, (c) the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, (d) the United Nations Population Fund and (e) the Family Planning Association (UK) for (i) abortion, (ii) family planning and (iii) other reproductive health services in the last year; what the total of grants made to each organisation in that year was; how much he plans to give to each in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement. [261583]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Details of DFID’s 2008-09 spending are not yet available but will be published in our 2009 annual report in July. DFID contributions to the listed organisations in the 2007-08 financial year are as follows;
Marie Stopes International (MSI) (funding for three projects): £220,000
International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF): £9.55 million (£7.5 million core contribution and £2,050 Safe Abortion Action Fund)
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA): £34.9 million (£20 million core contribution, £14.9 million in funding for projects at a country level)
British Pregnancy Advisory Service: 0
Family Planning Association: 0
UNFPA has the global mandate to assist countries deliver better sexual and reproductive health and rights, including voluntary family planning services and gender equality, and to better understand population dynamics including growth, ageing, fertility and mortality. Comprehensive family planning includes the provision of reproductive health services and the provision of services to prevent unsafe abortion. It is therefore not possible to disaggregate these figures.
DFID will provide £8.6 million per annum to IPPF over the next three years. DFID will also provide up to £89.5 million in un-earmarked core funding to UNFPA between 2008 and 2011. We will also provide £100 million between 2008-09 to 2012-13 to support UNFPA’s Global Programme for Reproductive Health Commodity Security (GPRHCS).
It is not possible to provide similar figures for MSI. This is because DFID has a number of funding channels for country programmes including budgetary support for health systems, direct government budgetary support and multilateral funding which may have as a sub-component the provision of family planning commodities and services contracted to MSI.
Overseas Aid: Land Mines
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many countries have outstanding land mine clearance projects; and how much the Government have allocated to assist such projects (a) directly and (b) indirectly in 2009-10. [261007]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Landmine Monitor estimate there are more than 70 states, as well as six areas not internationally recognised, that are mine affected as of August 2008. The UK Government have allocated around £10 million to directly assist land mine clearance programmes in at least 17 of these countries in 2009.
The UK also provides funding to a number of multilateral organisations that work on land mine clearance, these include UNDP and the European Commission. However, we are unable to provide a figure for the total of this indirect support.
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