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23 Jun 2009 : Column 777W—continued
Departmental Waste
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the amount of waste arising from his Department in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08 (i) in total and (ii) per full-time equivalent member of staff. [281050]
Mr. Michael Foster: The amount of waste produced by the Department for International Development’s UK estate, as reported to the Sustainable Development Commission, is as follows:
| Waste (tonnes) | Per FTE | |
Departmental Water
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the water consumption on his Department’s estate in (a) 2005-06 and (b) 2006-07, (i) in total and (ii) per full-time equivalent member of staff. [280970]
Mr. Michael Foster: The water consumption on DFID’s UK estate for this period, and thereafter, was as follows:
| Water use (cu m) | Water use (per full-time equivalent member of staff) | |
Our latest figures for 2008-09 show we achieved a significant reduction to 9,341 cubic metres. This was due to a number of initiatives such as waterless urinals and dual flush cisterns. These data are reported annually in the Sustainable Development Commission’s Report “Sustainable Development in Government”.
Departmental Work Experience
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many (a) paid and (b) unpaid graduate internships his Department has awarded in each of the last six months. [281520]
Mr. Michael Foster: The Department for International Development has not awarded any paid or unpaid internships in each of the last six months.
G8
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the outcome of the G8 Development Ministers meeting on 11 and 12 June 2009 was; and if he will make a statement. [280688]
Mr. Thomas: The meeting highlighted the need for a strong, coherent and coordinated response to the challenges faced by the poorest countries as a result of the economic crisis. It also reaffirmed G8 commitments on increasing official development assistance (ODA) made at previous G8 summits. Development Ministers also agreed to strengthen our accountability to show progress towards meeting existing pledges.
The G8 Development Ministers had a successful meeting discussing the broad spectrum of development issues. This will provide a sound basis for moving forward the development agenda at the G8 Leaders summit in July. For detail of what was discussed and agreed I refer the hon. Member to the “Chairs Summary” of the G8 Development Ministers Meeting, a copy of which will be placed in the Library of the House.
International Assistance: Children
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he plans to take towards fulfilment of his commitment to assist children in conflict zones to attend schools. [280649]
Mr. Michael Foster: Over the period 2002-03 to 2007-08 the Department for International Development (DFID) has more than doubled bilateral support to education in fragile states. In 2007 DFID outlined further plans for increasing support to education for children affected by conflict or living in fragile states. This 2007 announcement by Gordon Brown included commitments to provide financial support for education in specific conflict and post-conflict states. Significant progress has been made in these countries. In Afghanistan DFID has contributed £60 million to the Afghanistan reconstruction trust fund that meets the costs of 100,000 teachers. DFID's total contributions in Afghanistan to date have helped increase the number of pupils in school from two million in 2002 to over 5.4 million. In Somalia, DFID is supporting to date some 18,500 boys and girls in school through partnerships with UNICEF and non governmental organisations (NGOs).
Globally, DFID provides UNICEF with £4 million per year to strengthen UNICEF's humanitarian response, including in the education sector. DFID is also currently working with UNICEF and other development partners to finalise the setting up of a fund, as part of the Fast Track Initiative (FTI) partnership, to support education in countries emerging from conflict and fragility. We will contribute £20 million to this fund.
Mauritania: Overseas Aid
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what development assistance his Department has provided to the government of Mauritania in each of the last three years. [281202]
Mr. Thomas: Details on the UK’s bilateral aid expenditure and imputed share of multilateral official development assistance (ODA) are contained in the DFID publication “Statistics on International Development”. This publication is available from the Library and online at:
Relevant figures are produced in the following table:
| DFID bilateral expenditure and imputed multilateral expenditure in Mauritania 2005-06 to 2007-08 | ||
| £ 000 | ||
| DFID bilateral expenditure | DFID imputed multilateral share | |
Overseas Aid
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department takes to ensure that UK aid money is used for the needs of the people for whom it is intended. [280604]
Mr. Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) uses established payment and accounting processes to ensure that UK aid money is paid to the intended recipients. Through its core project management systems, DFID then monitors, reviews and evaluates the way in which the funding is used to meet the needs of the poor.
DFID undertakes fiduciary risk assessments to inform its work in all countries to which it provides financial aid. Individual funding proposals then include an indication of how the lessons from these assessments will be applied and how risks will be managed. Individual projects also include a mechanism to provide assurance that funds have been used for the intended purpose: often this will be through independent external audits and reviews commissioned by DFID or by its partners.
Underpinning these processes, DFID's Internal Audit Department reviews the risk management systems and related controls to provide assurance that these are adequate and are operating effectively in practice.
Timor-Leste: Politics and Government
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps his Department has taken to seek to ensure the stability of the political situation in the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. [276856]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply.
Through the UK's membership of the UN Core Group in East Timor, our contributions to the substantial UN and EU assistance programmes and our own more modest bilateral programme of contact and support, we are seeking to reduce Timorese dependence on multilateral interventions and to encourage the development of stronger civil institutions.
Our ambassador to Jakarta and his staff maintain a programme of visits the most recent of which was in March 2009.
Zimbabwe: Cholera
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his most recent estimate is of the number of people in Zimbabwe who are now in South Africa who have contracted cholera; and what assessment he has made of their access to medical treatment. [280603]
Mr. Thomas: According to United Nations figures, as of 15 June, there has been a cumulative total of 98,531 cases of cholera with 4,282 deaths. The situation is now under control and the daily rate of infection has fallen to only a handful of cases. International support, including a £10 million package from the Department for International Development (DFID), has helped to keep essential health systems operating.
Zimbabwe: Politics and Government
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his estimate is of the number of refugees from Zimbabwe since the formation of the unity government; what assessment he has made of their access to humanitarian aid; and if he will make a statement. [280601]
Mr. Thomas: Zimbabwe's social and economic decline has forced many Zimbabweans to leave the country during the last few years. The vast majority of those leaving do so by irregular means and do not request refugee status. It is therefore difficult to assess their numbers generally or within the specific period since the elections but numbers would probably exceed one million.
Zimbabweans living in South Africa, and those deported back to Zimbabwe, require access to a range of medical, food, shelter and child support services. This is being provided by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Medicins sans Frontières (MSF) and Save the Children. DFID has provided financial support to Save the Children and is the second largest contributor to the IOM.
Culture, Media and Sport
Digital Broadcasting
Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the costs of (a) printing and (b) distributing paper copies of the Digital Britain White Paper were. [281886]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Digital Britain Report was produced jointly between the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The cost of printing paper copies of the Digital Britain Report was £26,171.22 and the cost of distributing paper copies was £1,888.60 as of 19 June 2009.
Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many copies of the Digital Britain White Paper have been printed; how many paper copies were supplied free of charge to (a) Parliament and (b) other bodies; how many paper copies The Stationery Office has in stock; and whether any further print runs are anticipated. [281887]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Digital Britain Report was produced jointly between the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. 3,500 paper copies of the Digital Britain Report were printed. Of these, 396 paper copies were supplied free of charge to Parliament and 1,578 paper copies have been supplied free of charge to other bodies. The Stationary Office has 121 paper copies in stock and there are no further print runs anticipated.
National Lottery: Chorley
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Lottery funding has been received by each project in receipt of such funding in Chorley in each of the last five years. [281533]
Mr. Simon [holding answer 22 June 2009]: Lottery awards made to organisations in the Chorley local authority area between 2004-05 and 2008-09 are set out in the following tables:
| Table 1: 2004-05 | ||
| Grant date | Recipient | Grant amount (£) |
|
The Chorley and District Historical and Archaeological Society | ||
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