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26 Nov 2009 : Column 251W—continued
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he made of the amount of remittances sent (a) in total, (b) to Pakistan and (c) to Nigeria in the latest year for which figures are available. [301314]
Mr. Thomas: Total global remittances are estimated at $444 billion in 2008, of which $338 billion flowed to developing countries.
Remittances to Pakistan totalled $7.0 billion in 2008.
Remittances to Nigeria totalled $10.0 billion in 2008.
Data Source:
The World Bank
UNESCO: Prizes
Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations he has received on UNESCO's decision to establish the UNESCO-Obiang Nguema Mbasogo International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences; and if he will make a statement. [300240]
Mr. Thomas: The UK Delegation to UNESCO has received one e-mail expressing concern at the creation of this prize, from the Open Society Institute in November 2009.
Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what role his Department played in the processes leading to UNESCO's decision to establish the UNESCO-Obiang Nguema Mbasogo International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences; and if he will make a statement. [300241]
Mr. Thomas: The proposal to establish this prize was put forward by the Republic of Equatorial Guinea to UNESCO's Executive Board on 29 September 2008; and it was approved by the Executive Board on 17 October 2008. The UK was not a member of the Board and therefore took no part in the decision.
World Food Programme: Somalia
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what involvement the UK has in the World Food Programme's activities in Somalia; what actions the World Food Programme took in Somalia in the last 12 months; and what actions are planned in the next 12 months. [301469]
Mr. Thomas: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has received $335 million so far in 2009 from various donors for its emergency food aid operations in Somalia, against stated requirements of $475 million. It expects by the end of 2009 to have delivered 304,000 metric tonnes of emergency food aid to 3.1 million Somalis.
WFP expects to appeal for $309 million to continue its emergency food aid and $40 million for its emergency nutrition operations in 2010. This will include Special Operations to improve the security of staff operating in Somalia, finance a humanitarian air support operation, and improve key port and road infrastructure to facilitate its food aid operations.
In 2008 the Department for International Development (DFID) provided $23.8 million to the WFP Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation for Somalia, which was spent by WFP from June 2008 to March 2009.
DFID contributed $102 million in 2009 to the cost of WFP's global operations, and plays an active role in the WFP Board in discussion of its programmes and policies.
Church Commissioners
Farm Land Management
9. Mr. Bellingham: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what the policy of the Church Commissioners is on the management of their holdings of farm land. [301673]
Sir Stuart Bell: The Church Commissioners seek the best possible total return from all their assets (not just farm holdings) within an acceptable level of risk and their ethical investment policy.
Church of England: Finance
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what formula each diocese uses for calculating parish share. [301363]
Sir Stuart Bell: The Commissioners do not collect individual dioceses' parish share formulae. However, I will shortly place in the Library a document entitled "Parish Share Systems by Diocese" which summarises dioceses' approach to the calculation and allocation of parish share. More detailed information would have to be obtained from each diocese.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners with reference to the answer of 15 October 2009, Official Report, column 996W, on the Church of England: finance, how the number of church members is calculated; what the average parish share per church member in each (a) parochial church council (PCC) area and (b) diocese is; what the parish share in each PCC in England in 2009 was; what revenue each diocese received (i) in total and (ii) per Church member from the (A) parish share and (B) other sources in the last 12 months; and how much each diocese spent in that period. [301531]
Sir Stuart Bell: Church membership is estimated as an average of electoral roll, average Sunday attendance and average weekly attendance numbers.
Parish share per church 'member' requested in each diocese was given in my answer of 15 October 2009, Official Report, columns 995-96W. Parish share and other income per church 'member' received in each diocese in 2007 (the latest year for which such figures are available), using figures from diocesan accounts, is shown in the table.
The Commissioners do not collect the other information requested by the hon. Gentleman.
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