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8 July 2009 : Column 882W—continued
Pakistan: Overseas Aid
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which organisations have managed each project funded by his Department in the North Western Frontier Province of Pakistan since 2005; what the budget for each such project was; and how much his Department has spent on each such project to date. [284187]
Mr. Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) has supported the following projects in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) in Pakistan since 2005.
| North West Frontier Province | |||
| £ million | |||
| Programme | Implementing agency | Commitment | Spend to date |
DFID has also supported the following nationwide programmes, which have helped provide services in NWFP as well as other parts of Pakistan:
| Pakistan | ||
| Programme | Implementing agency | Commitment (£ million) |
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funds his Department has allocated to organisations in the Swat, Dir, Malakand and Buner regions working with internally displaced persons following the Pakistani government’s military action against the Swat region. [284191]
Mr. Michael Foster: There is limited access to the Swat, Dir, Malakand and Buner regions because of continued military operations and insecurity. The Department for International Development (DFID) is helping those who have been displaced from these districts in camps and host communities in neighbouring areas such as Swabi, Mardan, Charsadda, Peshawar and Nowshera.
DFID has committed a total of £22 million of humanitarian aid in response to this crisis, making us the second largest donor. Our funds are being used by international humanitarian agencies to meet critical needs. In total, DFID is funding 12 non-governmental organisations and eight United Nations’ agencies as well as the International Committee of the Red Cross. Our support is being used to provide shelter, food, water, sanitation, health care and protection for the most vulnerable, such as children.
Children, Schools and Families
Better Regulation Unit
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department has spent on its Better Regulation Unit in each year since its inception. [282602]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The Department for Children, Schools and Families’ (and predecessor Departments’) Better Regulation Unit (BRU) has been operating since 1997. The current annual cost of salaries and overheads is £132,296.
Delivering value for money and better regulation are central to the work of the Department. The Department’s BRU, which has never exceeded three members of staff since its inception in 1997, is part of a central corporate services function which ensures we gain maximum value for the taxpayer’s money. Records separating the cost of different sections within the corporate services operation back to 1997 are not kept, but the total cost of the operation has been included in each year’s Departmental Report.
Care Homes
Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many residential places there are for children in (a) local authority residential homes, (b) foster homes, (c) local authority secure accommodation and (d) Home Office secure accommodation. [281506]
Dawn Primarolo: Information on the number of places in local authority residential homes in part (a) has been provided by Ofsted. There are 745 active local authority residential homes registered in England, consisting of boarding schools, children's homes, further education colleges and residential special schools, collectively offering a maximum of 9,235 registered places. Table A provides a breakdown of the maximum number of registered places according to their provision type.
| Table A: Number of local authority residential homes in England (consisting of boarding schools, children's homes, further education colleges and residential special schools) as at 31 March 2009 | ||
| Provision Type | Number of providers | Maximum number of places( 1) |
| (1) The maximum number of registered places is calculated from figures held by Ofsted. Where these data are missing, the number of places has been estimated based on the national average for the provision type and sector at that point in time. Here there were 21 out of the 745 providers where places were estimated (2.8 per cent. of total places). Of these, 20 providers (378 places) were from Residential Special Schools (17.9 per cent. of RSS), with one provider (seven places) from a Children's Home (0.2 per cent. of CH). Where a provider's sector is unknown, the maximum number of places is estimated using only the national average for that provision type. Note: All data have been extracted from the Regulatory Support Application (RSA) database taken on 1 of April 2009. | ||
Information on the number of foster homes places in part (b) is not held centrally by the Department.
Information on the number of places approved in local authority secure children's homes, requested in part (c) can be found in our publication 'Children Accommodated in Secure Children's Homes at 31 March 2008: England and Wales', which is available on the Department's website via the following link:
At 31 March 2008, there were 340 approved places in the 19 secure children's homes open in England and Wales.
Information on the number of places in Home Office secure accommodation in part (d) has been provided by the Joint Youth Justice Unit and consists of 3,007 places in Young Offender Institutions and 301 places in Secure Training Centres.
Children: Databases
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people have requested the name of one of their children to be removed from the ContactPoint database since the database was introduced. [283205]
Dawn Primarolo: The inclusion of all children and young people in England is a legal requirement of ContactPoint and its purpose could never be achieved through a consent-based or opt-out system. Including all children avoids the potential stigma that a targeted directory could have. The information on ContactPoint is very limited and it is proportionate to hold this information for all children rather than having to continuously make and review threshold decisions as vulnerable children's circumstances change over time. It is also important and appropriate to cover every child in England because any child or young person could require the support of additional services at any time. It is not possible to predict accurately in advance which children will have additional needs—estimates show that 3-4 million children and young people will need additional targeted and specialist services at any one point in time and 5-6 million will have such needs at some point throughout their childhood. We need a universal approach because we do not know, or cannot readily predict, who they may be, or when their needs may arise.
All children have a right to the universal services of education and primary health care. ContactPoint will show whether or not they are receiving those services. ContactPoint will also support local authorities to identify children not in receipt of universal services.
They have duties, for example, to identify children missing education. Only a universal system can do this.
Since the introduction of ContactPoint in January 2009 the DCSF has received 58 requests via correspondence from parents to have their child’s details removed from the ContactPoint database.
We are not aware of the numbers of requests made direct to local authorities.
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people have been convicted of an offence related to misuse of information on the ContactPoint database. [283274]
Dawn Primarolo: There have been no convictions related to misuse of the ContactPoint.
ContactPoint is designed, built, operated and managed to HM Government standards for security and complies with the strict controls imposed by HM Government security policy. Before being granted access, all users must have completed identity checks, enhanced Criminal Records Bureau disclosure (renewable every three years) and mandatory training which covers the importance of security and good security practice, the Data Protection Act and Human Rights Act. Users will also be members of the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) Scheme when it is introduced.
Every access to a child’s record is detailed in the audit trail. This is regularly reviewed to ensure that any misuse is detected and investigated.
ContactPoint training and guidance will also alert users that any misuse will lead to an immediate investigation, disciplinary procedures and criminal sanctions where appropriate. Criminal sanctions include fines under the Data Protection Act 1998 and fines or imprisonment under the Computer Misuse Act 1990.
Children: Emigration
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) if he will bring forward legislative proposals to strengthen the rights of parents resident in England seeking to challenge leave to remove applications; and if he will make a statement; [283307]
(2) what recent assessment he has made of the effects on the well-being of families of the use of leave to remove applications; and if he will make a statement; [283304]
(3) what recent assessment he has made of the effects of successful leave to remove applications on the well-being of the (a) children subject to the application and (b) parent remaining in the UK; [283305]
(4) if he will make it his policy not to recognise leave to remove applications; and if he will make a statement; [283309]
(5) whether his Department takes steps to monitor the welfare of those children who have been the subject of successful leave to remove applications; and if he will make a statement; [283306]
(6) what information he holds for benchmarking purposes on the policies of the (a) US and (b) New Zealand government on leave to remove applications. [283308]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department currently has no plans to consider not recognising leave to remove applications or to strengthen the rights of those seeking to challenge leave to remove applications.
The Children Act 1989 ensures that any decision regarding a child or young person will be made in the child’s best interests and his or her long and short-term welfare will be fully considered before any decisions, including leave to remove application, are taken. Following a successful removal the welfare of the child will be safeguarded by the country in which the child is resident.
The Department has not undertaken any recent research or benchmarking comparison into the effect on the family or the child where there has been a leave to remove application.
Children: Protection
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he plans to issue guidance to local authorities on the new framework for the integrated children's system. [281261]
Dawn Primarolo: On 22 June Directors of Children's Services received a ministerial letter setting out the actions we will take to facilitate immediate improvements in local systems and to support local authorities in doing so. This letter was accompanied by a circular which sets out the immediate and longer term practical steps that we will take, and establishes the new principles which will guide future development of the Integrated Children's System. A copy has been placed in the House Libraries.
Children: Sight Impaired
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the eye health of children under the age of 16 years of prolonged exposure to television and computer screens. [264912]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The Department has not made any assessment of the affect of prolonged exposure to television and computer schemes. However the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) do offer advice on the impact of computer screens or monitors (Visual Display Units) on eye health on their website:
Extensive research has found no evidence that VDUs can cause disease or permanent damage to eyes. But long spells of VDU work can lead to tired eyes and discomfort. Also, by giving your eyes more demanding tasks, it might make you aware of an eyesight problem you had not noticed before. You and your employer can help your eyes by ensuring your VDU is well positioned and properly adjusted, and that the workplace lighting is suitable. Ask for an eye test if you still think there is a problem.
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