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11 May 2009 : Column 550W—continued
44 TPOs are due to qualify in Wales in October 2009. A further 469 TPOs are due to qualify in England.
The newly appointed Directors of Offender Management will ensure that Probation Area resourcing and work force plans will include planning for TPO employment.
The current cost of salary and training a probation officer over the two year training programme is approximately £74,000.
International Development
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 27 April 2009, Official Report, column 1015W, on departmental public expenditure, what proportion of the International Inspiration Programme budget his Department’s grant represents; and whether this further funding is classified as official development assistance. [272378]
Mr. Thomas: DFID’s £7.4 million contribution is equivalent to around 31 per cent. of the £23.79 million in funding committed so far to the International Inspiration Programme.
The programme is considered to be ODA-eligible in line with the relevant directives laid out by the OECD Development Assistance Committee.
Pakistan
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many (a) locally-engaged and (b) UK-based staff his Department employs in Pakistan; and how many of these (i) are based in and (ii) travel to (A) the North West Frontier Province and (B) Federally Administered Tribal areas in connection with their responsibilities. [272923]
Mr. Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) no longer publicises staff numbers for country offices, following an assessment of DFID's work in insecure environments by the National Audit Office in October 2008, and a range of improvements to our security policies and procedures.
Pakistan: Overseas Aid
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) how many development and education projects funded by his Department are located in Swat; and if he will make a statement; [272729]
(2) whether any (a) schools and (b) educational materials funded by his Department in Swat have been destroyed by the Taliban. [272730]
Mr. Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) do not currently have projects that are specifically focused on Swat or the neighbouring districts that are most affected by conflict. We are providing support across the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) for the delivery of basic services, including education, health, water, sanitation and micro-finance. In some places these services have been significantly disrupted by conflict, although in most of NWFP services are still being provided as normal. We are closely monitoring the situation with the provincial government and other development partners.
None of the schools or education materials funded by DFID have been destroyed by the Taliban.
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which (a) programmes and (b) projects his Department supports in (i) the North West Frontier Province and (ii) the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in Pakistan; and how much his Department gave to each 2008-09. [272921]
Mr. Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) supported the following programmes and projects targeted directly in North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in Pakistan during 2008-09:
| Programme | Expenditure during 2008-09( 1) ( £ ) |
| (1) Provisional (2 )Programme shared equally between NWFP and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Only the NWFP component is shown here. (3) Covers both NWFP and FATA. | |
In addition, in 2008-09, DFID supported the following nationwide programmes which helped provide services in NWFP and FATA as well as in other parts of Pakistan:
| Programme | Expenditure during 2008-0 9( 1) ( £ ) |
| (1) Estimated. | |
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what effect recent events in the Swat valley have had on his Department’s operations in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan; and if he will make a statement. [272922]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: Insecurity in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), including Swat district, has a major effect on both the provincial government’s capacity to deliver services and the international community’s ability to provide development assistance. We are monitoring the situation closely and are in discussion with the provincial government and other development partners.
The Department for International Development (DFID) do not currently have projects that are specifically focused on Swat or neighbouring districts that are most affected by conflict. We are providing support across the province for the delivery of services, including education, health, water, sanitation and micro-finance. In some places these services have been significantly disrupted, although in most of NWFP services are still being provided as normal. As we design new programmes, we undertake detailed assessments of conflict, security and risk in order to develop effective approaches to the delivery of basic services in conflict affected areas. In direct response to the consequences of conflict in NWFP and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas we have so far provided £12 million of humanitarian assistance to help those who have been displaced from their homes.
Sri Lanka: Overseas Aid
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much humanitarian aid the UK has provided to Sri Lanka in the last 10 years. [273007]
Mr. Michael Foster: This information is available in the Department for International Development's (DFID) Statistics on International Development publication. Copies of this are available in House of Commons Libraries and on the DFID website:
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what recent discussions he has had with representatives of international aid agencies on the provision of humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka; [273008]
(2) what recent discussions he has had with the Sri Lankan Government on the provision of humanitarian aid to that country; [273010]
(3) what recent discussions he has had with representatives of non-governmental organisations on the provision of humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka. [273011]
Mr. Michael Foster: I and other UK Ministers have had many such discussions to try to improve the provision of aid to Sri Lanka. These include my visit to Sri Lanka on 27-28 April where I met the Sri Lankan Government, international agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). I pressed on the Government of Sri Lanka the need to: ensure international humanitarian access to those in the conflict zone; protect people from disproportionate use of force; and ensure early return for those who have been displaced. I also pressed the Government of Sri Lanka to improve the conditions for people in displacement camps, especially through allowing international organisations and NGOs better access. I updated the House on my visit and other recent developments in a written statement on 29 April 2009, Official Report, columns 49-50WS.
Zimbabwe: Death
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who have died of starvation in Zimbabwe in the last 12 months. [273108]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: There are no figures available for the number of people who have died of starvation in Zimbabwe in the last 12 months as public record-keeping systems have, in many cases, broken down. According to the most recent UN nutritional assessments, malnutrition rates have continued to remain below emergency levels. Death from disease (including HIV/AIDS, TB, cholera and other gastro-intestinal conditions) is far more likely than starvation.
The Department for International Development’s (DFID) Zimbabwe programme is aimed at tackling the whole range of life-threatening and other urgent challenges facing ordinary Zimbabweans. We provided £49 million in aid to the people of Zimbabwe in 2008-09, none of which passed through government hands.
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Aviation: Radio Frequencies
Ms Hewitt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether he has had recent discussions with representatives of the International Telecommunications Union on the implications for aeronautical radio spectrum in the UK of introducing administered incentive pricing. [272232]
Mr. McFadden:
My noble Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has not had recent discussions with representatives of the International Telecommunication Union, on the implications for aeronautical radio spectrum in the UK of introducing administered incentive pricing. Discussions
of this nature are a matter for the regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which represents the UK Government on matters of international spectrum policy, including in the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Bankruptcy: Wales
Mark Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many bankruptcies there have been in each business sector in Wales since 2000. [272772]
Mr. McFadden: Statistics for individual bankruptcies attributable to trading-related debts are not readily available broken down by the industry sector of the business for Wales separately. Corporate insolvency statistics in Wales are similarly not available by industry sector.
Headline insolvency statistics published by the Insolvency Service cover England and Wales as a whole, and these, including the latest industrial breakdowns may be found here:
Business: Voluntary Organisations
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent steps his Department has taken to foster links between businesses and the third sector. [272858]
Ian Pearson: Social enterprises have a valuable role to play in our economy and BERR is fully committed to creating an environment in which all enterprise, including social enterprise, can thrive and grow.
Examples of Government support mechanisms to help achieve this include ‘Real Help for Businesses’ and ‘Solutions for Business’, which is the Government's streamlined portfolio of business support products, providing tailored advice to help social and other enterprises start and grow.
Cabinet: Glasgow
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many (a) special advisers and (b) officials of his Department accompanied the Secretary of State to Glasgow for the Cabinet meeting on 16 April 2009. [273969]
Mr. McFadden: One official and no special advisers.
Conditions of Employment: Carers
Mr. Marsden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what progress has been made on implementing the National Carers Strategy with respect to (a) flexible working practices for carers including the definition of carer in flexible working legislation, (b) awareness among employers and carers of flexible working and (c) the production of a good practice guide for employers on supporting carers; and if he will make a statement. [250812]
Mr. McFadden: I apologise for the delay in responding.
The following details work under way in relation to the progress on the Carers Strategy.
(a) Flexible working practices for carers including the definition of carer in flexible working legislation
The Work and Families Act 2006 extended the right to request flexible working to carers of adults where the person cared for is a relative or lives at the same address. This definition covers approximately 80 per cent. of carers. BERR will review the definition of carer in relation to flexible working once the impact of the current extension has been evaluated. This is part of the short to medium-term commitments in the Carers Strategy to be undertaken by 2011.
(b) Awareness among employers and carers of flexible working
The Government are actively promoting the right to request flexible working, focusing primarily on employers, carers and parents. Activities are being spread over 12 months encompassing media opportunities, ministerial events and using publications to reach the various target audiences. The campaign is both raising awareness of the individuals' right to request flexible working and helping employers understand how to handle such requests through more effective use of tools and advice available on BusinessLink.Gov.
Improved guidance on the Businesslink website aims to help employers implement flexible working and provides all the information they need to comply with the law including free online forms and guidance tools to help deal with requests—helping save time, money and stress.
The Directgov website provides practical information and advice for individuals including their rights under the law and how to make a request.
In the run up to 6 April 2009 the Government contracted 890,000 SMEs to highlight the change in the law and to publicise the guidance available at
This aimed to make sure businesses knew where to find the free help available and could avoid having to pay for professional external advice, thereby making the implementation of flexible working in the workplace easier and simpler to manage.
Also in the run-up to 6 April Directgov ran a campaign encompassing magazine advertorials, radio slots and television advertising, and highlighting the guidance and advice available on
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