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Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 26 November 2009

International Development

Afghanistan: Health Services

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many health clinics in Afghanistan have received funding from the Government in each year since 2001. [301524]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: The majority of UK support for health in Afghanistan occurs through contributions to the Afghan Government's budget. Since 2002, the Department for International Development (DFID) has contributed £360 million to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Fund (ARTF). The ARTF is managed by the World Bank and reimburses proven Government expenditure on operating costs including on health. DFID will provide a further £165 million to the ARTF to 2012-13 which will cover 14 per cent. of the Government's recurrent costs in health.

Since 2003 DFID has also invested £32 million in the National Solidarity Programme (NSP), which funds small-scale projects selected by communities all across Afghanistan. The NSP has funded the construction of over 100 health projects nationwide.

Construction of individual health clinics in Helmand is undertaken by the UK-led Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), to which DFID contributes staff and funding. In the last six months, the PRT has constructed or refurbished four health centres in Helmand province. Last year, the Bost hospital in Lashkar Gah received approximately £800,000 for a new maternity clinic and college. This would not have been possible under the Taliban.

Afghanistan: Overseas Aid

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department has provided for rehabilitation projects for (a) health clinics, (b) schools and (c) drinking wells in Afghanistan in each year since 2001. [301522]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: The majority of the Department for International Development's (DFID's) support for health and education in Afghanistan is not through direct construction projects, but rather support to the Afghan Government budget. Since 2002 DFID has contributed £360 million to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Fund (ARTF) which is managed by the World Bank and reimburses proven Government expenditure on operating costs including in health and education. We will provide a further £165 million to the ARTF to 2012-13. This will cover 14 per cent. of the Government's recurrent costs in health and education.

Since 2001 DFID has also contributed to a number of specific programmes involving the construction of health clinics, schools and drinking wells. Between 2006 and 2009, DFID contributed £30 million to various
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construction projects in Helmand through the Helmand Agriculture and Rural Development Programme (HARDP). This included almost £4.4 million for the construction of wells and latrines.

Through the UK-led Provincial Reconstruction Team, the Bost hospital in Lashkar Gah received approximately £800,000 last year for a new maternity clinic and college that would not have been possible under the Taliban.

Since 2003, DFID has also contributed £32 million to the Government of Afghanistan's National Solidarity Programme (NSP), which funds small-scale projects selected by communities all around Afghanistan.

Afghanistan: Roads

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many road projects in Afghanistan have been funded by the Government in each year since 2001. [301525]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: The majority of the Department for International Development's (DFID's) funding for construction projects in Afghanistan is through support to the Afghan Government's budget. Since 2003, DFID has contributed £32 million to the National Solidarity Programme (NSP). This funds small-scale projects selected by communities all around Afghanistan, and has funded the construction of almost 12,000 'transport' projects.

Since 2001 DFID has also funded the design, improvement or construction of almost 150 kilometres of roads in Helmand province. This includes:

Afghanistan: Schools

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many schools in Afghanistan have been funded by his Department in each year since 2001. [301523]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: The majority of UK support for education in Afghanistan occurs through contributions to the Afghan Government budget. Since 2002, the Department for International Development (DFID) has contributed £360 million to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Fund (ARTF). The ARTF is managed by the World Bank and reimburses proven Government expenditure on operating costs including on education. We will provide a further £165 million to the ARTF to 2012-13 which will cover 14 per cent. of the Government's recurrent costs in education.

Since 2003 DFID has also invested £32 million in the National Solidarity Programme (NSP). This funds small-scale projects selected by communities all across Afghanistan, including the construction of almost 6,000 education projects nationwide.

DFID funded the refurbishment of training infrastructure and a teacher training centre in Kandahar province in 2002. UK support to construct schools in
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Helmand is, however, normally undertaken by the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), to which DFID contributes staff and funding. In the last six months, the PRT has refurbished five schools in Helmand.

Departmental Disclosure of Information

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many allegations of victimisation for whistleblowing have been made to his Department by its staff since 6 June 2006. [301489]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: No formal allegations of victimisation for whistleblowing have been made to the Department of International Development (DFID) by current staff since 6 June 2006.

Departmental Meetings

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which (a) individuals other than ministerial colleagues and officials of his Department and (b) organisations he met in an official capacity in the week commencing 9 November 2009. [301166]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: In its response to a report by the Public Administration Select Committee-'Lobbying: Access and influence in Whitehall', the Government agreed to publish online, on a quarterly basis, information about ministerial meetings with outside interest groups. Information for the period 1 October to 31 December 2009 will be published by Departments as soon as the information is ready.

Departmental Rail Travel

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on what date he last travelled by train in the course of his official duties. [301205]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: I last travelled by train in the course of official duties on 20 November 2009.

Departmental Recruitment

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of jobs advertised by his Department in the last 12 months were online only applications; and what provision his Department makes for those wishing to apply for jobs in his Department who do not have access to the internet. [301538]

Mr. Michael Foster: All external vacancies in the Department for International Development (DFID) are advertised in the National press and on our website and we use an e-resourcing system to help us to manage applications.

Since November 2008, a total of 63 posts have been advertised. 58 posts (92 per cent.) were advertised through our e-resourcing system (using online applications) and five posts (8 per cent.) were advertised inviting word applications by e-mail and hard copy.

There is an expectation that applicants will apply online however alternative application methods for all of our posts are considered on request.


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Departmental Recycling

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what mass of paper his Department recycled in each of the last five years. [301565]

Mr. Michael Foster: All waste paper used by the Department for International Development (DFID) is recycled. The amount of paper in tonnes which has been recycled over the last five years by DFID is set out in the table. This information was provided by our waste contractors, based partly on estimates derived from waste audits which measured the proportion of paper waste out of the total recycled waste.

Tonnes

2004-05

208.5

2005-06

146.4

2006-07

140.2

2007-08

126.4

2008-09

110.2


Departmental Training

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what training sessions were attended by (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers in his Department at public expense in each of the last three years. [301373]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: Training is provided to Ministers and special advisers as part of their induction and continuing development in order to carry out their respective duties effectively under the 'Ministerial Code' and the 'Code of Conduct for Special Advisers'. Details of training provided to Government Ministers by the National School of Government are publicly available and can be found at:

Departmental Working Hours

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many and what proportion of staff of his Department and its non-departmental public bodies work flexibly or part-time; and what his Department's policy is on making jobs available on a job-share or flexible basis. [301328]

Mr. Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) provides a wide range of flexible working options.

Most staff work their contracted hours via the Flexible Working Hours Scheme. This offers flexibility on the hours worked and allows employees to work additional hours and convert them to leave, up to three days in every four-week period. Within this Flexible Working Hours Scheme, staff work alternative working patterns including reduced hours, compressed hours, job-sharing and term-time working. At July 2009, 144 Home Civil Servants worked part-time, equating to 8.6 per cent.

DFID's policy is that unless there is a clear business reason all jobs are available on a job-share or flexible basis.


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DFID does not have any responsibility for any executive agencies. Nor do we have any staff working in non-departmental public bodies.

Remittances

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate his Department has made of the value of remittances as a percentage of the gross domestic product of each country which receives support from his Department in each year since 2005. [301221]

Mr. Thomas: The World Bank is the leading source of reliable data on remittances. However, there is no information for the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Iraq. The available information for the years 2005-08 is as follows:

Remittances as a share of GDP
Percentage

2005 2006 2007 2008

Ethiopia

1.41

1.30

1.80

1.50

Ghana

0.90

0.80

0.80

0.80

Kenya

4.30

5.30

5.45

4.90

Malawi

0.03

0.04

0.03

0.00

Mozambique

0.90

1.10

1.25

1.20

Nigeria

2.96

2.90

6.66

4.70

Rwanda

0.90

0.80

1.86

1.20

Sierra Leone

0.16

2.40

9.44

7.70

Sudan

4.22

3.10

3.80

5.30

Tanzania

0.12

0.10

0.08

0.10

Uganda

4.60

8.70

7.23

3.40

Zambia

0.74

0.50

0.48

0.50

Bangladesh

7.20

8.80

9.55

11.40

India

2.60

2.80

3.09

4.20

Nepal

14.90

18.00

15.50

21.60

Pakistan

3.90

4.00

4.20

4.20

Cambodia

3.10

4.10

4.20

3.40

Vietnam

7.60

7.90

7.90

7.90

Yemen

7.60

6.70

6.08

5.30

Jamaica

16.00

18.50

19.30

14.50

Guyana

25.30

24.30

23.50

24.00


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