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30 Mar 2009 : Column 858W—continued
International Development
Afghanistan: Overseas Aid
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's humanitarian aid to Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement. [267384]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) has responded swiftly to the humanitarian situation through capable operational agencies, particularly the World Food Programme (WFP). Since January 2008, we have committed £22.5 million to alleviate food shortages. This includes:
(a) £17 million to help feed over 4.5 million people; and
(b) £5.5 million to provide agricultural input including seeds, fertilisers, technical assistance to boost food production, and credit.
The food security situation remains fragile. However, the WFP has delivered over 96 per cent. of the 36,000MT of food designated for target beneficiaries, and has recently assessed that there is sufficient food in place to stabilise supply until the harvest period.
Central African Republic: Overseas Aid
Mr. Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the reasons are for the change in his Department’s (a) bilateral expenditure on and (b) imputed multilateral shares for the Central African Republic between 2006-07 and 2007-08. [266332]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Between 2006-07 and 2007-08, the Department for International Development (DFID) bilateral spend reduced because this period saw an increased donor interest in the Central African Republic (CAR), and a corresponding reduction in UK burdenshare.
DFID provides core contributions to the general budgets of multilateral organisations and cannot then track the funds directly to individual countries. DFID uses the figures reported by multilateral institutions to the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) to provide an estimate of what proportion of DFID’s core contributions are spent in each country. The multilateral institutions themselves determine which countries should receive an allocation from their funds in any given year, and the size of any allocation. The UK’s imputed share of multilateral official development assistance (ODA)
accordingly reflects increases or decreases in the allocation by multilateral institutions to each country in the years in question.
Mr. Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he next expects an allocation from his Department’s regional programme for aid to be made to the country programme for the Central African Republic. [266333]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The allocation for 2009-10 has been made. In addition to the Department for International Development’s (DFID) imputed multilateral share, an envelope of up to £2 million will be available for the Central African Republic during the coming financial year, from the Department’s wider regional humanitarian programme.
Departmental ICT
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will place in the Library a copy of the joint DFID/WB scoping study prepared for his Department by Roger Wilson in August 2007. [263980]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The report ‘Proposal for a UK/DFID-World Bank Governance Partnership Facility’ prepared by Roger Wilson and Sarwar Lateef in August 2007 will be placed in the Library of the House.
Departmental Manpower
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2009, Official Report, column 17W, on departmental personnel, if he will place in the Library a copy of (a) the terms of reference for his Department's recruitment of an interim human resources manager via Penna Interim, (b) the contract between his Department and Penna Interim, (c) the contract of employment between the appointee and Penna Interim and (d) the list of the appointee's primary responsibilities and the duties for the human resources manager; and if he will make a statement. [263728]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: (a) A copy of the terms of reference for the recruitment of the Interim HR Director, will be placed in the Library.
(b) The contract between DFID and Penna Interim is regarded as commercial in confidence. As such it is not appropriate to place a copy in the Library.
(c) The contract that existed between the appointee and Penna Interim is a matter for the two parties involved.
(d) The duties of the DFID HR Director will also be placed in the Library.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the (a) dates of employment, (b) total days worked, (c) salary, (d) daily rate and (e) other costs of employment for Roger Wilson in respect of his employment by the Department to prepare the joint DFID/WB scoping study were. [263978]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Roger Wilson was not an employee of the Department for International Development (DFID) when he undertook work on the project titled “Joint DFID/WB Scoping Study”. The total contract award value was £21,965. DFID cannot comment on salary and other employment costs because Mr. Wilson was not an employee of the Department.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on what dates Roger Wilson (a) joined and (b) left the service of his Department as a direct employee; and what payments the Department has made to him for (i) consultancy and (ii) other work since he ceased to be a direct employee. [263979]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Roger Wilson joined the Department for International Development (at that time known as the Ministry of Overseas Development) on 1 June 1976 and left the service of the Department as a direct employee on 6 August 2006. Since that date he has been paid a total of £55,700 in consultancy fees.
Departmental Official Engagements
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his official engagements on 23 February 2009 were; and by what (a) route and (b) method he travelled between each engagement. [262424]
Mr. Michael Foster: On 23 February 2009 the Secretary of State for International Development attended the Cabinet Away-Day in Southampton in the morning and did a regional visit on behalf of the Department for International Development (DFID) in the afternoon. He took the train from London to Southampton and returned to London by train from Reading. He travelled between engagements by Government car.
Departmental Public Appointments
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which former (a) Members of the House of Lords and (b) hon. Members who left Parliament since 1997 have been appointed to public bodies for which his Department is responsible; and who made each such appointment. [267856]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: No former members of the House of Lords or hon. Members who left Parliament since 1997 have been appointed to public bodies for which my Department is responsible.
Departmental Training
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2009, Official Report, column 861W, on departmental training, which Ministers attended the public communications course; and how much the course cost to provide. [265679]
Mr. Michael Foster: Identifying Ministers who undertake training may discourage participation in future training sessions, acting as a disincentive for Ministers to undertake formal professional development. The total cost of the public communications course was £4,050.
Developing Countries: Debts
Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the Government's policy is on the establishment of a new sovereign debt work-out mechanism to deal with the debts of poor countries. [265602]
Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
The UK has been at the forefront of international delivery of debt relief. The heavily indebted poor countries initiative and the multilateral debt relief initiative provide comprehensive debt relief for the poorest, most heavily indebted countries. 34 countries are currently receiving debt relief; of which 24 have received irrevocable debt cancellation, including 100 per cent. cancellation of debts to the UK and international financial institutions.
In addition, any country that experiences debt problems can also approach the Paris Club. This informal group of 19 sovereign creditors, including the UK, finds co-ordinated and sustainable solutions to sovereign debt problems.
In relation to proposals for a wider sovereign debt work-out mechanism, the Government supported earlier work by the International Monetary Fund to investigate the establishment of a sovereign debt resolution mechanism, although international consensus was not reached on the establishment of such a mechanism.
Overseas Aid: Malaria
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development from which budget the allocation of £2 million for the prevention of the spread of malaria announced on 12 March 2009 will be drawn; whether the funding is additional to that allocated for the provision of 20 million bed nets; to which programmes that funding will be allocated; and how that funding will be distributed. [267560]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The funding to meet this commitment will come from the budget available for development programmes in Africa at the Department for International Development (DFID). The funding is additional to that allocated for the additional 20 million bed nets.
This additional funding will be spent in Kenya and Tanzania and be used to support malaria prevention activities in those two countries. Officials are currently working on the detail of what the resources will support and how the funding will be distributed.
Overseas Aid: Water
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of progress towards reaching Millennium Development Goal 7, target 3, for drinking water and sanitation; and if he will make a statement. [266390]
Mr. Michael Foster: The latest assessment on the progress of Millennium Development Goal 7, target 3 was made by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) Joint Monitoring Programme in July 2008. Their report is available on-line at:
Sierra Leone: Education
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department is providing to support education in Sierra Leone in 2008-09; and how much of this has been allocated for the construction of new school buildings. [267782]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: During 2008-09 the Department for International Development (DFID) provided £750,000 directly to education in Sierra Leone in support of a national Teacher Verification and School Census programme. DFID also contributed £10 million in Poverty Reduction Budget Support to the Government of Sierra Leone, 15 per cent. of which is attributed to the education sector.
DFID's support to the construction of new school buildings has been through our contribution to the Fast Track Initiative Catalytic Fund for Sierra Leone. Between 2008 and 2010, $5.9 million was allocated by this fund for school rehabilitation and construction. In addition, the UK's core contributions to the World Bank, UN and Africa Development Bank have contributed to the construction of 304 schools across the country in that time.
Children, Schools and Families
Cabinet Sub-committee on Families, Children and Young People
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families for what reasons it is his policy not to disclose information relating to proceedings of the Cabinet Sub-committee on Families, Children and Young People; and when the Sub-committee last met. [266323]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees, including when, how often and for how long they meet, is generally not disclosed; as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been claimed in reimbursable expenses by special advisers in his Department in 2008-09 to date. [260340]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Costs incurred on reimbursable expenses in 2008-09, will be available only when the Department’s resource accounts are fully audited and laid before Parliament. This is expected to be before the 2009 summer recess.
Further Education: Finance
Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills on using unspent capital allocations in that Department's budget for capital projects in the further education sector; and if he will make a statement. [261761]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families is in ongoing contact with the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills about the use of the FE capital modernisation fund, which is administered by the Learning and Skills Council to support the improvement of college facilities. As it has always done, the Department will co-operate with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills wherever possible to support the interests of learners in this country. We are discussing, with the LSC, ways of supporting additional capital building programmes in the FE sector. However, in the current spending review period, the Department’s capital resources for strategic, targeted and devolved programmes for schools are fully committed.
The Government’s record on capital investment in the further education sector has been exemplary. In 1997 there was no capital budget for FE colleges; between 1997/98 and 2006/07, more than £2 billion was invested in modernising FE facilities and we will spend another £2.3 billion on the FE estate in the current spending review period.
As the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills made clear in his statement on 4 March, there are 253 projects that have already received agreement in detail and are under way and we anticipate spending the full £2.3 billion in this spending review period.
The Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills has asked the LSC to consult with the Association of Colleges and the FE sector on ways of prioritising schemes in the future programme. The Department will continue to work with DIUS and the LSC to bring the benefits of the capital modernisation programme to as many young people as possible.
Pupils: Offensive Weapons
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many students have been arrested for taking weapons into schools in (a) England, (b) the North East, (c) Tees Valley district and (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each of the last 12 years. [265341]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information requested on arrests is not collected centrally. The data on arrests held by the Home Office cover arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) broken down at main offence group level, covering categories such as violence against the person and robbery; they would not show the number of people arrested specifically for taking weapons into schools. It is not possible to obtain the individual circumstances of persons arrested (such as student status) from the data on arrests held by the Home Office.
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