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7 May 2009 : Column 356W—continued
New Businesses
Joan Ryan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what support his Department is providing for new business start-ups in 2008-09; and if he will make a statement. [260160]
Ian Pearson: Advice and support for new business start ups in England is provided through the Business Link network as contracted by the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and funded by this Department. This includes free advice and information on understanding business finance. More intensive support, including mentoring or one-to-one coaching, is available for those targeted by RDAs as either being from underrepresented groups or as having high-growth potential. The businesslink.gov.uk website provides a wide range of advice and support tools for new business start ups.
Post Offices
Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what plans he has for the development of the Post Office network. [273160]
Mr. McFadden: I refer the hon. member to the answer given earlier today to the hon. Member for Argyll and Bute (Mr. Reid).
Real Help with Finance Package
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what percentage of each of the three funds announced under the Real Help with Finance Package have been allocated to Northern Ireland; and when it is expected that funding under the package will be made available to Northern Ireland businesses. [260312]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 3 March 2009]: The three funds announced under the Real Help with Finance package on 14 January are the Enterprise Finance Guarantee, the Capital for Enterprise Fund and the Working Capital Scheme.
The Enterprise Finance Guarantee and Capital for Enterprise Funds are UK-wide schemes and are open to all eligible UK businesses, including those in Northern Ireland. Since its launch on 14 January, the Enterprise Finance Guarantee has nearly £300 million of eligible applications from over 2,600 firms that have been granted, are being processed or assessed.
The Working Capital Schemes supports lenders by providing a guarantee on portfolios of lending to business and is open to all UK banks.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
British Overseas Territories: Agriculture
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of land in (a) the Turks and Caicos Islands and (b) the Cayman Islands was used for crop or livestock production in each of the last five years. [272614]
Gillian Merron: There is no significant or regular crop or livestock production in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The department of agriculture in the Cayman Islands does not have an agricultural land use database but has estimated that the percentage of land used for crop and/or livestock production in the Cayman Islands is 6 per cent.
British Overseas Territories: Environment Protection
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding (a) Montserrat, (b) Bermuda and (c) the British Virgin Islands has received from the Overseas Territories Environment Programme for environmental management. [272605]
Gillian Merron: The Overseas Territories Environment Programme is jointly funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development for environmental management projects. Funding to date has been £257,413 for projects in Montserrat, £324,334 for projects in Bermuda and £65,058 for projects in the British Virgin Islands.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many species endemic to (a) South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands and (b) Anguilla are on the endangered species list. [272609]
Gillian Merron: According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red list of threatened species, none of the species endemic to either South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands or Anguilla are thought to be endangered.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which UK Overseas Territories have coral reefs; and whether an assessment has been made of the condition of such reefs in the last 10 years. [272613]
Gillian Merron: The British Overseas Territories with coral reefs are: the Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Bermuda, Pitcairn Islands, the British Indian Ocean Territory and Montserrat. With the exception of Pitcairn Islands and Montserrat, all have assessed the condition of their reefs within the last 10 years.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether strategies are in place to deal with the risks of climate change and rising sea levels in low-lying UK Overseas Territories in the Caribbean. [272615]
Gillian Merron: The Caribbean British Overseas Territories are Anguilla, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Anguilla is addressing climate change through a sustainable energy strategy. Montserrat has established a Climate and Volcano Institute to address the impact of the active Soufriere volcano on climate change in the region. The British Virgin Islands are undergoing a year-long assessment prior to identifying climate change strategies. The Cayman Islands have set up a climate change adaptation working group. The Turks and Caicos Islands have set up a climate change group.
The British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean are participating in a Department for International Development funded project to enhance capacity for adaptation to climate change.
British Overseas Territories: Nature Conservation
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on conservation measures in British Overseas Territories in each of the last five years; and what funding allocation has been made to such measures in 2009-10. [271990]
Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has contributed £500,000 per annum every year for the last five years to the Overseas Territories Environment Programme, which supports conservation measures in the British Overseas Territories. The same amount has been allocated for 2009-10.
British Overseas Territories: Population
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the population of (a) the Turks and Caicos Islands and (b) the Cayman Islands was in each year since 2000. [272606]
Gillian Merron: The statistical office of the department for economic planning and statistics in the Turks and Caicos Islands has provided the following estimated figures relating to the population of the Turks and Caicos Islands in each year since 2000.
| Estimated figure | |
The economics and statistics office in the Cayman Islands has provided the following estimated figures relating to the population of the Cayman Islands in each year since 2000.
| Estimated figure | |
Figures for 2008 are not yet available.
The drop in population level in 2004 has been attributed to the temporary relocation of residents abroad in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan. The increase in population in 2005 has been attributed to the return of these residents, and the increase in the labour force needed for the reconstruction of the country.
British Overseas Territories: Prisoners
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people have been held in prisons in (a) Anguilla and (b) Gibraltar since 2005. [272618]
Gillian Merron: We understand that 744 people were held in prison in Anguilla between 1 January 2005 and 29 April 2009 inclusive.
As regards Gibraltar, in 2005 there were 192 receptions of prisoners, the average daily population was 26.
In 2006, there were 202 receptions of prisoners, the average daily population was 34.
Under the 2006 constitution, the administration of the prison in Gibraltar, except as it affects the Governor’s responsibility for upholding internal security, is a matter for the Government of Gibraltar. Figures for 2007 onwards are therefore not held by the Government.
British Overseas Territories: Renewable Energy
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which UK Crown Dependencies have trialled electricity generation through the use of (a) wind turbines, (b) solar power and (c) tidal or hydro-electric power. [272634]
Mr. Wills: I have been asked to reply.
The Isle of Man has a small hydro generation facility which supplies about 1 per cent. of island electricity demand. Feasibility work is being carried out on larger scale renewable schemes.
Jersey and Guernsey Governments have not yet trialled electricity generation through wind, solar or hydro power. However, Jersey and Guernsey are in the process of establishing tidal energy commissions. Alderney has already established such a commission to oversee the regulation of companies which wish to run tidal energy schemes.
Democratic Republic of Congo: War Crimes
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2009, Official Report, column 620W, on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): war crimes, what further reports he has received on allegations that Bosco Ntaganda is playing a leading role in military operations in the DRC; and if he will direct his officials to make further high level representations to the Congolese government on the arrest of Bosco Ntaganda. [272737]
Gillian Merron [holding answer 6 May 2009]: It is unclear from reports we have received whether Bosco Ntaganda has taken a role in planning military operations against the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda (FDLR) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Our embassy in Kinshasa is seeking to establish the facts. We understand that the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative in the DRC has ordered his officials not to attend meetings at which Bosco may be present. Our ambassador in Kinshasa raised the question of Bosco's position in meetings with the DRC Foreign Minister and the commander of the UN peacekeeping force on 20 April 2009. He has sought reassurances that Bosco will be handed over to the International Criminal Court.
Departmental Air Conditioning
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of his Department's buildings are equipped with air conditioning systems with output greater than 250kW; how many of these systems have been inspected under the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each inspection report. [272144]
Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has three buildings for which inspections of air conditioning systems need to be carried out in accordance with the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations (2007/991). No inspections have been carried out to date. The surveys on all three are due to be completed by 15 May 2009
The FCO will place in the Library of the House, a copy of the display energy certificates and their associated advisory reports in respect of each property occupied by the FCO and its agencies, once received.
Departmental Billing
John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of its suppliers his Department has paid within 10 days of receipt of invoice in each of the last five months. [272250]
Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has paid the following percentage of valid invoices received from UK suppliers within eight days of receipt in the last five months. In normal circumstances it will take two further days for a payment to reach the suppliers’ bank accounts.
| Percentage | |
The FCO is committed to paying all of its suppliers as quickly as possible following receipt of a valid invoice, and is giving priority to increasing the percentage of invoices paid within eight working days.
Diplomatic Service: Recruitment
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs by what method it is intended to select the person to be appointed as the next Ambassador to the Holy See when the post is expected next to become vacant; and whether the post is to be advertised. [271790]
Gillian Merron [holding answer 28 April 2009]: Our current ambassador to the Holy See is due to leave the post in summer 2010. Leaving dates in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) are to some extent flexible to allow the FCO to deploy its resources most effectively, and it is therefore possible that this timing will change. We will select a replacement for our current ambassador by advertising within the FCO and more widely across other Whitehall Departments, as is standard with senior posts.
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the post of Ambassador to South Africa was (a) advertised and (b) trawled before the recent appointment of a successor to the right hon. Paul Boateng. [271791]
Gillian Merron [holding answer 28 April 2009]: The vacancy for the post of our high commissioner in Pretoria was advertised within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the wider civil service at the end of October 2008. An appointment has been made without the need for the position to be trawled. Our high commissioner-designate is expected to take up their post in August 2010.
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