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16 Jun 2009 : Column 143W—continued
International Development
Africa: Conflict Prevention
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding the Government have provided for the training of African peacekeepers since 2005; how many new peacekeepers have been trained as a result; and if he will make a statement. [279077]
Mr. Thomas: Since 2004-05 the UK Government have allocated £80 million to Peace Support Operation (PSO) Projects in Africa. This has supported the training of approximately 12,000 African peacekeepers.
Departmental Public Consultation
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what consultations have been carried out by his Department since July 2007; and at what cost. [279343]
Mr. Michael Foster: Details of consultations carried out by the Department for International Development (DFID) are available on the DFID website:
Information on expenditure on public consultation is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Training
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what training courses have been attended by special advisers in his Department in the last 12 months; and at what cost. [279396]
Mr. Michael Foster: The Department for International Development's (DFID) special advisers have not attended any training courses in the last 12 months.
Independent Evaluation Group Report
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the Independent Evaluation Group report on improving effectiveness and outcomes for the poor in health, nutrition and population; and what steps his Department plans to take in response to the report. [279862]
Mr. Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) supports the main findings of the Independent Evaluation Group which provide the World Bank with clear directives on how it can improve the quality of its work in health, nutrition and population.
The World Bank has committed to refocus its capacity and support behind health system strengthening, especially in Africa. This is reflected in its health, nutrition and population strategy. DFID will continue to press for full and accelerated implementation of this strategy and has agreed to fund regional posts in health systems strengthening under the International Health Partnership.
Kenya: Overseas Aid
Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much financial aid the Government have provided to support projects in Kenya in each of the last five years. [280163]
Mr. Thomas: Full details of UK aid expenditure by country are contained in the Department for International Development's (DFID) publication ‘Statistics on International Development’. This publication is available from the Library and online at:
Relevant figures are reproduced in the following table.
| UK bilateral gross public expenditure (GPEX) and UK imputed multilateral share to Kenya, 2003-04 to 2007-08 | |||||
| £000 | |||||
| 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | |
Kosovo: Education
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate he has made of the percentage of (a) children and (b) girls enrolled in (i) primary, (ii) secondary and (iii) tertiary education in Kosovo; and if he will make a statement. [279608]
Mr. Michael Foster: The table provides the most recent World Bank data on net enrolment rates in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Kosovo for the year 2005-06.
| Percentage of all children | Percentage of girls | |
Kosovo: Electricity
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the availability and standard of supply of (a) electricity and (b) water in Kosovo; and if he will make a statement. [279607]
Mr. Michael Foster: The most recent data available are provided by the World Bank from the year 2005-06 and show that 97.9 per cent. of the population in Kosovo has access to electricity. Data on overall access to water are not collected.
Church Commissioners
Churches: Aerials
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners whether the Church Commissioners have a policy on mobile phone masts (a) on church property and (b) inside church spires. [279560]
Sir Stuart Bell: The decision to host mobile phone telecommunication equipment on a church spire is a matter for the relevant parochial church council. Any installation would be subject to the requisite secular and ecclesiastical permissions being obtained, following public consultation, and each case is decided on its own merits.
As for property owned by the Commissioners, standard form leases are offered to telecom operators for masts on properties in the Commissioners' rural portfolio.
In the rest of the Commissioners' portfolio there are only a very small number of masts and these installations are dealt with case by case.
Churches: Water Charges
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners how many churches in each diocese have reported an increase in their water bills as a result of the new surface water charges. [279561]
Sir Stuart Bell: Water charges are the responsibility of the Parochial Church Council of the particular church and such data are not held centrally.
However, as churches were previously exempt from water rates, in areas where surface water and highways charges have begun to be phased in, all those with connections to the public drains face increases. In many cases these will be substantial, with annual increases
ranging from a few hundred pounds for a small church to several thousand pounds for large churches. If applied nationally, this would result in estimated charges of £5 million for surface water drainage and £10 million for highways drainage.
Scotland
Demos
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his Department has any contracts with the think-tank Demos. [279493]
Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office has no contracts with the think-tank Demos.
Departmental Training
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what training courses have been attended by special advisers in his Department in the last 12 months; and at what cost. [279392]
Ann McKechin: Special advisers receive training as appropriate to enable them to fulfil their duties and responsibilities as set out in the “Model Contract for Special Advisers”. In the last 12 months, no training courses have been attended and no costs have been incurred.
House of Commons Commission
Catering Staff: Pay
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission (1) when the House's catering staff will receive their increases in pay arising from their pay settlement effective in April 2008; [279629]
(2) what settlement was reached in respect of pay for catering staff of the House for 2008-09. [280030]
Nick Harvey: The pay settlement for catering and retail staff for 2008-09 has yet to be agreed. However, the trade unions representing catering staff (GMB and PCS) have agreed to recommend acceptance of an improved offer made by management for a three-year pay settlement. The unions are balloting their members on management's revised offer and if both unions' members accept, staff will receive their pay increases and arrears with their July salaries.
Defence
Armed Forces: Housing
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the service family accommodation rented by his Department from (a) councils and (b) registered social landlords by standard of condition. [280195]
Mr. Kevan Jones: No service family accommodation is rented from councils or registered social landlords.
Departmental Training
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what training courses have been attended by special advisers in his Department in the last 12 months; and at what cost. [279402]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Special advisers receive training as appropriate to enable them to fulfil their duties and responsibilities as set out in the Model Contract for Special Advisers. The only training undertaken by the MOD special advisers in the last 12 months has been theatre pre-deployment training. This in-house training includes the mandatory briefings on safety and security and survival, evasion, resistance and extraction prior to visiting operational theatres.
EU Battlegroups
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what stage the EU Battlegroup roster has reached. [279966]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The current EU Battlegroup roster forecasts commitments to 2013, and is shown in the following table:
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