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27 Mar 2009 : Column 821W—continued
Conflict Prevention Pool
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the future of the Conflict Prevention Pool; and if he will make a statement. [266008]
Mr. Michael Foster: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend, the Foreign Secretary on 25 March 2009, Official Report, columns 17-18WS.
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's priority areas are for the Conflict Prevention Pool. [266141]
Mr. Michael Foster: The Department for International Development's (DFID) priority areas for the Conflict Prevention Pool are consistent with those set out in PSA 30:
A downward trend in the number of conflicts globally, in particular in sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, Central and South Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa;
Reduced impact of conflict in specific countries and regions (Afghanistan, Iraq—funded through the Stabilisation Aid Fund, Balkans, Middle East, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo and the Great Lakes region, Horn of Africa, Nigeria and Sudan);
More effective international institutions, better able to prevent, manage and resolve conflict and build peace.
DFID remains focused on those countries and regions considered at most risk of instability in Africa, South Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The Foreign Secretary's written ministerial statement of 25 March, Official Report, columns 17-18WS, sets out specific priorities and changes to conflict funding in 2009-10.
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of the Conflict Prevention Pool funding is being spent in sub-Saharan Africa in 2008-09. [266142]
Mr. Michael Foster: The Conflict Prevention Pool is forecast to spend £68 million on sub-Saharan Africa from an overall Conflict Prevention Pool budget of £112 million in 2008-09. This works out at around 60 per cent. of the total budget.
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Conflict Prevention Pool funds are not duplicated by spending by (a) other Government departments and (b) international partners. [266143]
Mr. Michael Foster: The Conflict Prevention Pool (CPP) is managed and governed at all levels tri-departmentally between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD). This minimises the possibility of duplicating our spending 'with other Government departments with all projects approved by tri-departmental boards and with all three departments engaged at the country or project level.
Programme teams have long-established relationships with partner organisations and have a good understanding of our international partner interests in a region. Interventions are designed from the start to complement and not duplicate spending by other international partners.
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's plans are for the future of the Conflict Prevention Pool. [267305]
Mr. Michael Foster: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend, the Foreign Secretary on 25 March 2009, Official Report, columns 17-18WS.
Departmental Detergents
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make it his policy to ensure that no cleaning products or ingredients of cleaning products used by his Department have been tested on animals. [261123]
Mr. Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) will ensure that any future contracts let for cleaning services in the United Kingdom contain a provision that cleaning products used by the contractor have, wherever possible, not been tested on animals. Our existing contractors have assured us that the products they currently use have not been tested on animals.
Departmental Empty Property
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the change in the annual cost to his Department of maintaining the empty public buildings owned by his Department as a result of the April 2008 changes to empty property rate relief. [267125]
Mr. Michael Foster: This change does not affect the Department for International Development (DFID) as we have no empty buildings.
Kosovo: Politics and Government
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking in conjunction with allies and international agencies to encourage community and inter-communal development in Kosovo. [266084]
Mr. Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) works as part of the overall British Government effort to encourage community and inter-communal development in Kosovo through implementation of the UN-sponsored plan for Kosovo’s supervised independence (the Ahtisaari Plan). Principles of protection and promotion of the rights of members of communities are now enshrined in Kosovo’s constitution.
DFID’s activities help the Government of Kosovo establish effective state institutions as well as develop and implement policies for sustainable growth and employment. These activities complement those under the FCO-MoD-DFID Conflict Prevention Pool for the resolution of war-related property disputes, help in establishing a communities consultative council to strengthen ethnic communities’ voice in policy making, and outreach to Serb communities to explain the benefits of the Ahtisaari plan.
DFID co-ordinates closely with international partners—the European Commission, World Bank, other bilateral donors—in order to improve the effectiveness of assistance to the Government of Kosovo and communities. Conflict Prevention Pool funding has been used to help UNDP start a programme for civic development in the divided town of Mitrovice and fund a UNDP led programme to support returns of Serb refugees.
RMS St. Helena
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on what dates (a) the discussions on the construction of RMS St. Helena commenced, (b) the approval for construction was given, (c) construction started and (d) the vessel commenced her maiden voyage. [266054]
Mr. Michael Foster: Economic Consultants Ltd. carried out an options study into the replacement for the original RMS St. Helena in 1984.
Approval for her construction was given in November 1987, and a contract was signed with Hall Russell for her construction in December 1988. Her maiden voyage commenced in November 1990.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the projected (a) lifespan and (b) cost of RMS St. Helena was when it was commissioned; and what the cost to the public purse was on completion. [266055]
Mr. Michael Foster: While there is no definitive figure, the RMS St. Helena could be expected to have an economic lifespan of 20 to 25 years. The RMS St. Helena has now reached a stage where Lloyds Registry and the Marine and Coastguard Agency require annual inspections in dry dock to maintain her Class 1 Passenger certificate.
The original contract with Hall Russell for the construction of the RMS St. Helena was signed in the amount of £19.4 million. The final cost to the public purse following completion of the work by Appledore after Hall Russell went into receivership was £31.8 million.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on (a) funding of an airport on the island of St. Helena, (b) the replacement of RMS St. Helena, (c) the comparative economic benefits to the island's economy from each form of access by (i) sea and (ii) air and (d) the cost to the public purse of the subsidy to sustain the (A) population and (B) economy of St. Helena; and if he will make a statement. [266058]
Mr. Michael Foster: Routine discussions have taken place with Treasury at official level from April 2008.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what consideration he has given to the procurement of a vessel to replace RMS St. Helena. [266060]
Mr. Michael Foster: The option of replacing the RMS St. Helena was considered as part of Atkins' 2005 feasibility study.
No decision will be taken on whether to replace the RMS St. Helena pending the completion of the public consultation we announced on 16 March.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been spent on (a) repairs to and (b) maintenance of RMS St. Helena in each of the last 10 years; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of (i) renewal, (ii) refurbishment, (iii) repairs and (iv) maintenance for each of the remaining years of the vessel's anticipated life. [266061]
Mr. Michael Foster: Annual maintenance costs (including repairs) for the RMS St. Helena over the last 10-years are set out in the following table. These do not include consumables (paint etc.).
| Maintenance/repair cost (£) | |
| (1) Estimated costs as accounts not broken down. (2) Includes dry dock. | |
A replacement vessel is estimated to cost between £35 million and £75 million, depending on the country of origin.
An additional capital investment of approximately £2.5 million in 2009-10 would be required for refurbishment the engines and for repairs to essential steelwork to extend the working life of the ship to around 2015.
In addition to this, annual maintenance costs are expected to be of the order of £1.2 million per annum (inclusive of annual dry dock required to maintain certification).
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of a replacement vessel for RMS St. Helena. [266062]
Mr. Michael Foster:
Estimates carried out during the 2005 feasibility study and updated in 2007 put the cost of a replacement vessel at between approximately £35 million and £75 million, depending on the country of origin. No decision will be taken on whether to
replace the RMS St. Helena pending the completion of the public consultation I announced on 16 March.
St. Helena: Airports
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he plans to visit St Helena before reaching a decision on the possible construction on an airport on the island. [267104]
Mr. Michael Foster: The ministerial team have no plans to visit St. Helena.
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