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1 Jun 2009 : Column 70W—continued
For the current round, beginning in 2007, the budgeting rules changed so that Department's may use EU receipts to offset expenditure.
Women and Equality
Departmental Stationery
Bob Spink: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what proportion of office supplies purchased by the Government Equalities Office were recycled products in the latest period for which figures are available. [275334]
Maria Eagle: No precise figures are available but the Government Equalities Office selects genuinely green supplies wherever possible. All copier paper, for example, is from recycled sources and all toner cartridges are recycled. GEO contracts with a supplier that has won a number of environmental awards, works to the international standard for environmental management and clearly identifies “environmentally preferred” products in its catalogue.
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Hands: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality when she plans to reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Hammersmith and Fulham of 28 November 2008 and 3 February 2009 on his constituent, Ms Jackie Pemberton. [273078]
Maria Eagle: I have written to the hon. Member.
Pensioners: Poverty
Bob Spink: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on levels of poverty amongst women pensioners. [275279]
Maria Eagle [holding answer 14 May 2009]: My colleagues and I have not had recent discussions with the Secretary of State on this subject.
International Development
Afghanistan
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 13 May 2009, Official Report, column 839, on Afghanistan, what the remit of the internal evaluation unit is; when that unit was established; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each report produced by that unit. [276735]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The Evaluation Office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was established in 2006. It is an internal unit conducting independent evaluations of UNDP’s global, regional and country programmes, aimed at improving and accounting for programme results.
The UNDP Evaluation Office recently conducted an evaluation of the UNDP Afghanistan country programme. It will be published on the UNDP Executive Board website
Afghanistan: Reconstruction
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will place in the Library a copy of each evaluation report commissioned by (a) his Department and (b) its bilateral donor partners on projects in Afghanistan undertaken by the UN Development Programme to which his Department has contributed funds in the last three years. [276702]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: All evaluation reports commissioned by the Department for International Development (DFID) are published and a copy is placed in the House of Commons Library at the time of publication.
Evaluations published by bilateral donor partners on projects in Afghanistan undertaken by the UN Development Programme normally appear on the website of the relevant organisation.
Developing Countries: Private Sector
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which businesses expressed an interest in involvement in the Business Call to Action; which expressions of interest his Department did not proceed with; what the reasons for not proceeding were in each case; and if he will make a statement. [276700]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: A total of 66 companies have signed up to the Business Call to Action (BCtA) since July 2007. A regularly updated list of signatory companies can be found at:
The Department for International Development (DFID) is unable to disclose the specific reasons for not proceeding in cases on the grounds of commercial sensitivity.
International Assistance: Standards
Mr. Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his most recent assessment is of the effectiveness of measures to ensure transparency in respect of the provision of international aid. [275028]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The OECD Development Assistance Committee produces statistics about past aid flows. However, research shows developing country governments and citizens face challenges in finding out how much aid their country receives. The Department for International Development (DFID) leads the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) which was launched in September 2008. It brings together donors, developing country governments and Non-Governmental Organisations to agree common information standards so they can share more and better information about aid. Agreement on essential elements of the standards is expected by the end of 2009. Further information on IATI is available on the DFID website:
North Africa: Overseas Aid
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid his Department provided for (a) Morocco, (b) Algeria, (c) Tunisia, (d) Libya, (e) Egypt and (f) Mauritania in 2008-09. [277377]
Mr. Michael Foster: Details of the Department for International Development’s (DFID) 2008-09 expenditure are not yet available but will be published in our 2009 Annual Report in July. The most recently available data can be found in Statistics on International Development 2008, which was published in November 2008 see:
Pakistan: Armed Conflict
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in (a) the Swat Valley and (b) north west Pakistan; and if he will make a statement. [277484]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: Access to the Swat Valley is severely constrained for relief agencies; however, information from partners, including the United Nations, suggests that the humanitarian situation in the Swat Valley is very poor. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) states that the region’s principal hospital in Mingora has been cut off from water and electricity supply systems. Across the Swat Valley, frequent curfews make it difficult for people to reach basic services.
Outside conflict areas there are 26 camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in North West Frontier Province (NWFP), hosting approximately 275,000 people. The humanitarian situation in these camps is stable. Outside the camps and across Pakistan there are estimated to be just over 2 million registered IDPs living with friends or family or in private rented accommodation.
Pakistan: Internally Displaced Persons
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate his Department has made of the number of individuals currently displaced in north west Pakistan; and in which locations displaced persons have assembled. [277455]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The United Nations has estimated that, as of 25 May 2009, approximately 2.38 million people have been registered as internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the conflict affected areas of North West Frontier Province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Of these, approximately 275,000 are being accommodated in 26 IDP camps in Charsadda, Lower Dir, Malakand, Mardan, Nowshera, Peshawar and Swabi. The rest are staying with friends or family or are renting private accommodation across Pakistan.
Pakistan: Overseas Aid
Mr. Andrew Mitchell:
To ask the Secretary of State (1) for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the ability of (a) his Department, (b) international agencies and (c) non-governmental
organisations to provide aid to refugees in north west Pakistan in the current security situation; [277454]
(2) what humanitarian assistance his Department is providing to civilians in (a) the Swat Valley and (b) north west Pakistan. [277456]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: Where internally displaced people (IDPs) have moved away from the areas where military action is ongoing, humanitarian aid agencies, including the United Nations (UN), the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (ICRC), and non-governmental organisations, are providing humanitarian aid. This includes those residing in 26 IDP camps and those registered IDPs who are staying with family or friends or are in rented accommodation.
However, insecurity continues to limit the ability of relief agencies to assess the needs and deliver aid to those who are cut off by the ongoing fighting. Mingora, the principal town of the Swat Valley, remains inaccessible. In other parts of Swat, Buner, Malakand and Lower Dir districts where military operations continue, agencies have been able to deliver only limited assistance.
The Department for International Development (DFID) has committed £22 million provide relief to those displaced by conflict in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and North West Frontier Province (NWFP), including from the Swat District of NWFP.
Palestinians: Overseas Aid
Mr. Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what steps the Government has taken to seek to ensure that the Israeli government does not prevent food from entering Gaza; [276527]
(2) if he will make representations to the Israeli government to allow humanitarian supplies into Gaza; [276528]
(3) what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on restrictions on the supply of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza. [276529]
Mr. Michael Foster: The humanitarian situation in Gaza is of serious concern. The UK Government have consistently lobbied for unrestricted access for food and other humanitarian supplies into Gaza.
During his visit to Gaza in March, the Secretary of State met with Isaac Herzog, the Israeli Minister responsible for co-ordinating aid to Gaza, and pressed for improved access and a relaxation of restrictions on the type of goods allowed across the border. The Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and officials from both the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have also had meetings with the Israeli government on the need to reduce the constraints on goods entering Gaza.
Sri Lanka: EU External Trade
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on withdrawing Generalised System of Preferences GSP+ benefits from Sri Lanka. [276126]
Mr. Michael Foster: Along with other member states the United Kingdom continues to support the EU Commission’s decision to initiate an investigation into Sri Lanka’s effective implementation of the GSP+ conventions. We continue to press the Commission for a speedy conclusion.
Sri Lanka: Overseas Aid
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support his Department is providing to the Mercy Mission to Vanni. [276054]
Caroline Flint: I have been asked to reply.
We are aware of reports of a humanitarian relief convoy seeking to take humanitarian supplies to northern Sri Lanka by ship, organised by the British Tamil community and supported by many MPs. It is a clear demonstration of the public's concern for the civilians in Sri Lanka. The organisers must ensure that the appropriate approvals from the relevant UK and Sri Lankan authorities are in place. We have consistently advised those who wish to provide assistance to channel their efforts through aid agencies already on the ground.
On 17 May 2009, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced a further £5 million of humanitarian assistance for the civilians affected by the conflict in Sri Lanka. This takes the total to £12.5 million since October 2008.
United Nations: Females
Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make it his policy to support the establishment of a new UN agency for women in his Department’s forthcoming White Paper. [277351]
Mr. Thomas: The UK Government’s policy is to support the establishment of a new UN agency for women. We are pushing for a fast and successful conclusion to the negotiations for its creation.
The UK’s forthcoming White Paper on International Development will cover the Government’s plan for working with UN agencies.
Justice
Asylum
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many paper cases are awaiting decision by the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal. [276562]
Bridget Prentice: At 18 May 2009, there were 31,441 paper cases with the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) awaiting consideration by an immigration judge. These are out of country cases arising from entry clearance officer (ECO), family visit visa (FVV) and managed migration (MM) applications. Of the 31,441 cases, 9,021 are waiting the receipt of the documents from UKBA (the bundle) and, therefore, cannot be progressed any further. 10,233 cases have received notification of hearing and are, therefore, moving through the system. This leaves 12,187 out of country cases still waiting to be listed for hearing. AIT have a clear plan in place to progress these cases through the system.
Courts: Canterbury
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many cases have been awaiting trial in Canterbury Crown Court for (a) more than six months and (b) more than 12 months; [277338]
(2) what steps his Department is taking to reduce the length of time taken to bring cases to trial in (a) crown courts and (b) Canterbury Crown Court. [277339]
Maria Eagle: The number of cases awaiting trial in Canterbury Crown court as at 30 April 2009 were:
(a) 66 more than six and less than 12 months; and
(b) 18 more than 12 months; out of a total of 349 outstanding trial cases.
Canterbury Crown court have introduced a number of initiatives to reduce the length of time a case can take to come to trial but there are other factors which influence the speed at which cases commence such as preparedness of the prosecuting agency or defence, and the availability of witnesses.
Last year, HMCS timeliness improved significantly from 77.6 per cent. of cases dealt with within target in 2007-08 to 79.7 per cent. of cases dealt with within target in 2008-09. Nationally HMCS are committed to further improving Crown court timeliness and are working closely with the senior judiciary to improve case management, improve timeliness and reduce the number of hearings. There have already been local and national improvements. Additionally more sitting days have been allocated for 2009-10 than in previous years.
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