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2 Nov 2009 : Column 628W—continued
Police Service of Northern Ireland: Helicopters
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many helicopters are available for use by the Police Service of Northern Ireland; [297163]
(2) what provision has been made for the Police Service of Northern Ireland to deploy airborne thermal imaging cameras to detect cannabis factories in Northern Ireland. [297165]
Paul Goggins: That is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. I have asked him to reply directly to the hon. Member, and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Police Service of Northern Ireland: Manpower
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff of each rank work in the Police Service of Northern Ireland Historical Enquiries Team. [297161]
Paul Goggins: That is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. I have asked him to reply directly to the hon. Member, and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Special Purchase Evacuated Dwellings Scheme
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the performance of the Special Purchase of Evacuated Dwellings Scheme against its objectives; and if he will make a statement. [297188]
Paul Goggins: The Special Purchase of Evacuated Dwellings Scheme is a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive. The scheme is operated by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive which is funded by the Department for Social Development.
House of Commons Commission
Press Gallery
Mr. Drew: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how long each member of the Parliamentary Press Gallery has been a member of it. [296951]
Nick Harvey: The House authorities do not hold information on how long individuals have been a member of the Parliamentary Press Gallery.
Women and Equality
Females: Developing Countries
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how much her Department has spent on the promotion of women's rights in developing countries in each of the last 12 months. [290479]
Maria Eagle: No expenditure has been spent in each of the last 12 months by the Government Equalities Office in promoting the UK's policies for women's rights in developing countries. This area of responsibility lies with the Department for International Development-12 October 2009, Official Report, column 84W.
The UK Government are strongly committed to promoting and protecting women's rights, as evidenced by the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1986.
In addition, the UK actively participates in the annual UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) meetings in New York. At its 50th session in 2006, actions were agreed that member states and civil society actors should undertake in order to enhance the participation of women in development.
International Development
Departmental Postal Services
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which companies are under contract to his Department to provide mail services; and when each such contract expires. [296085]
Mr. Michael Foster: There are no companies under contract to the Department for International Development to provide mail services.
Pakistan: Internally Displaced Persons
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2009, Official Report, column 1379W, on Pakistan: internally displaced persons, to which humanitarian agencies and for which projects his Department has allocated funds. [296839]
Mr. Michael Foster: The following table shows the Department for International Development's allocation of funding to humanitarian agencies and projects in support of internally displaced people in Pakistan.
| Funded a gency | Total f unding (£) |
The UK has committed an additional £10 million to help people displaced by the fighting in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and North West Frontier Province of Pakistan. This commitment will be distributed through the UN to aid agencies working in NWFP. This assistance will support early recovery to provide food, water emergency shelter and other critical humanitarian help to those most in need.
Palestinians: Politics and Government
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in Gaza. [297322]
Mr. Michael Foster: The conflict that ended in January made worse an already extremely serious humanitarian situation. Today, more than nine months on, 75 per cent. of Gazans still rely on some form of food aid and over 60 per cent. do not have daily access to water. The onset of winter will further affect those whose homes remain damaged or destroyed since the end of the conflict.
Since the start of the conflict in December 2008, the UK has pledged almost £47 million for immediate humanitarian assistance, early recovery and reconstruction. Whilst some basic humanitarian assistance has been entering Gaza, access constraints have severely hampered early recovery and reconstruction efforts. The UK will continue to press the Israeli Government for the provision of full, immediate and unhindered access for aid, aid workers and reconstruction materials, in line with fundamental humanitarian principles.
St. Helena: Airports
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 28 October 2009, Official Report, columns 16-17WS, on St. Helena, on what date he expects to respond to the consultation on options for access to the island; and if he will make a statement. [297241]
Mr. Michael Foster: The public consultation document, available on the Department for International Development's website, lays out the timings of the consultation process.
Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he expects to publish the responses to the consultation on access to St. Helena. [296903]
Mr. Michael Foster: The consultation report is available on the Department for International Development's website:
Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with commercial organisations on the provision of an airport on St. Helena. [296904]
Mr. Michael Foster: The Secretary of State has not had recent discussions with commercial organisations on the provision of an airport for St. Helena.
Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent representations he has received on access to St. Helena. [296905]
Mr. Michael Foster: The consultation report, available on the Department for International Development's website, contains an annex listing all recent representations made to the Secretary of State regarding access to St. Helena.
Transport
Bus Services: Crimes of Violence
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many bus drivers have been assaulted by passengers in (a) England, (b) the North East, (c) the Tees Valley and (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each of the last 10 years. [296346]
Mr. Khan: The Department for Transport does not hold this information.
Crossrail Line
Mr. Scott: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much his Department has spent to date on the Crossrail project. [295160]
Mr. Khan: In the period prior to the granting of Royal Assent for the Crossrail Act in July 2008, Crossrail Ltd. (CRL), formerly Cross London Rail Links (CLRL), and the Department for Transport (DFT) spent £166 million in preparation for Crossrail. This figure includes the costs incurred by CRL and DFT in support of the Crossrail Act 2008 and related agreements and DFT's financial, legal and technical consultancy fees in support of the parliamentary process and agreements.
From the establishment of CLRL in 2001 up to the granting of Royal Assent in July 2008, the combined expenditure by CLRL and CRL in relation to the costs of Crossrail works, including expenditure on design and land acquisition, was £227 million.
For the period after Royal Assent, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 15 October 2009, Official Report, columns 998-99W.
Departmental Pay
John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether there is a business plan for the flexible benefits project in his central Department. [297135]
Chris Mole: The strategy for introducing the flexible benefits programme is based on existing HMRC approved schemes in support of government policy and outcomes on, for example, wellbeing and the environment. A project plan is in place governing the delivery of the programme.
John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when the last equal pay review for each of his Department's bargaining units was conducted. [297136]
Chris Mole: The last equal pay review conducted for each of the Department for Transport's bargaining units is shown in the following table.
| Bargaining unit | Last equal pay review |
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr. Todd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what steps his Department is taking to implement the efficiency recommendations of the Operational Efficiency Programme relating to his Department; and what training is available to (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department in respect of the delivery of value for money savings. [296052]
Chris Mole: The Department for Transport is committed to participating fully in the work of the Government's Operational Efficiency Programme and we have recently taken part in the government-wide benchmarking exercise of several corporate functions.
To complement this, we have set in hand further work to review our corporate functions and to lead our transformation programme. In line with the recommendations of the Operational Efficiency Programme, I have assumed responsibility as the Minister responsible for overseeing delivery of value for money in the Department.
The Department offers a wide range of learning and development opportunities to support the delivery of value for money savings, and this ensures that appropriate training is available to all who require it.
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