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17 Jun 2010 : Column 553W—continued
The National Wildlife Crime Unit's priorities are tackling badger baiting; CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora); Bird of prey persecution; Poaching;
protecting nesting bats; and protecting freshwater pearl mussels. The Unit has a police officer dedicated to supporting the police forces of England and Wales in tackling poaching.
There are already strict controls in force on the export from the UK of endangered animals and plants. These controls are based on EU legislation that implements the 1973 Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and requires all EU member states to impose CITES controls both at import and export. Any illegal CITES protected animals or plants intercepted at UK ports and airports are liable to seizure by Officers of the UK Border Agency.
Police: Manpower
Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the likely change to the number of police officer posts following the changes to her Department's budget announced on 24 May 2010. [2432]
Mrs May [holding answer 15 June 2010]: Decisions about the number of police officers, police community support officers and other police staff engaged by each force are matters for the relevant chief constable and police authority.
The Home Office has protected the front line by finding most of the savings needed from its own budgets and those of its non-departmental public bodies. As I said in my written ministerial statement on 27 May 2010, Official Report, columns 12-16WS, we are confident that the savings which amount to less than 1% of expected spending in 2010-11 can be made while maintaining a front line policing service. It is for each chief constable to use their expertise and decide what makes most sense for their force, but we are clear that the savings can be achieved by driving out wasteful spending on support functions, reducing bureaucracy and increasing efficiency in key functions; leaving the front line strong and secure.
South Africa: Football
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Crown Prosecution Service staff are being funded by her Department to attend the football World Cup final in South Africa; how much has been spent on (a) travel, (b) accommodation and (c) other expenses for staff; and if she will make a statement. [2925]
James Brokenshire:
A senior Crown Prosecutor, expert in UK football legislation, has been deployed in South Africa, with the English police delegation, for the duration of the England football team's involvement in the tournament. Their role is to liaise with South African authorities in accordance with an agreement with the South African Ministry of Justice. This has become standard practice since Euro 2004 when uncertainty regarding fast track judicial arrangements put in place for that tournament led to criticism, both in the media and courts here, about court verdicts on England fans convicted of violent disorder. As a result the European Union Handbook on International Police Co-operation for Football Matches recommends that participating countries should consider deploying prosecutors in host
countries to assist liaison and clarity. The South African authorities have put in place comparable fast track criminal justice arrangements for dealing with foreign offenders during the 2010 World Cup.
A key role of the Crown Prosecutor in South Africa will be to provide authoritative witness statements regarding the judicial process and the strength of any evidence presented against any England fan convicted in a South African court. This will assist the police and courts here to determine whether or not football banning orders should be sought against the individuals convicted on their return. The Home Office is funding the prosecutor's travel, accommodation and expense costs. I will write to the hon. Member once the final costs are known.
International Development
British Overseas Territories: Overseas Aid
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid he plans to provide to each UK Overseas Territory in 2010-11. [2294]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The following funding allocations are those agreed under the previous Government for each UK Overseas Territory in 2010-11:
| £ | |
As with all Government spending plans, these are subject to review.
Departmental Internet
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the URL is of each website managed by (a) his Department and (b) each non-departmental public body and agency for which his Department is responsible. [2370]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: We are currently working to consolidate websites managed by the Department for International Development (DFID).
DFID manages one corporate site
In addition we own research for development (R4D)
and the website for the Developments magazine
both of which are managed under contract and will converge on the main site in due course.
DFID also has responsibility for the Independent Advisory Committee on Development Impact
The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the United Kingdom (CSC)
is DFID's only non-departmental public body (NDPB).
Departmental Official Cars
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is on the use by Ministers in his Department of cars allocated from (a) his Department's pool and (b) the Government car pool which are manufactured in the UK; whether Ministers in his Department are entitled to request the use of a car manufactured in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [2418]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning) on 14 June 2010, O fficial Report, column 291W, on departmental official cars.
Developing Countries: Children
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he plans to continue the previous Administration's work to publish and disseminate a toolkit on inclusive education for children with disabilities in developing countries. [2260]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: In "The Coalition: our programme for government", the Government committed to
"focus on the rights of women, children and disabled people to access services"
in developing countries. We are taking that agenda forward.
We will shortly be issuing a Guidance Note on inclusive education for children with disabilities in developing countries, developed with practitioners and experts in this field. This will be disseminated to country offices, development partners and international non-governmental organisations and will be available on the DFID website.
Developing Countries: Climate Change
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress his Department has made on developing guidance with the multilateral development banks to screen development expenditure for climate risks; and if he will make a statement. [2341]
Mr Andrew Mitchell:
The Department for International Development (DFID) is working closely with the multilateral development banks (MDBs) to ensure their development expenditure takes account of the risks posed by climate change. We use our financial resources, policy expertise and position as a shareholder to achieve this. For example, DFID has provided technical assistance to the MDBs to support research on the risks of climate change in developing countries, and to help governments factor these into national strategies and programmes. The Government have also been a strong voice in calling
for each MDB to have a climate change strategy, agreed with their shareholders. We are working to ensure that the targets and commitments in these strategies are met, including through regular discussions with MDB staff and at the executive board of the MDBs. We are also working to ensure that projects supported by the MDBs can deliver sustainable development gains in the context of a changing climate. For example, DFID funds the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience, which aims to generate lessons to improve MDBs approach to adaptation and sustainable development in poor countries.
Developing Countries: Fossil Fuels
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on overseas projects for the extraction and transport of fossil fuels through (a) the World Bank Group, (b) the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, (c) the European Investment Bank and (d) other Government-funded financial institutions in the last five years. [2340]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: In the past five years, the Department for International Development (DFID) has not given earmarked funds to the multilateral development banks (MDBs) expressly for investments in projects for the extraction and transportation of fossil fuels.
DFID has provided capital and funding for the MDBs work which have been pooled with resources from other shareholders and donors. The banks have supported some fossil fuel extraction and transport projects using these common resources and have provided the following information on the value of commitments to such projects made in the years 2005-09:
| US$ million | |
| (1) World Bank Group includes International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, International Development Association and International Finance Corporation (2) Other includes the African, Asian, InterAmerican and Caribbean Development Bank Groups, CDC and the Private Infrastructure Development Group. | |
EU Aid
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of his Department's budget is spent through direct payments to the European Union; and what steps he is taking to ensure the value for money of such expenditure. [2255]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: In 2008-09 20% of Department for International Development (DFID) expenditure was spent in direct payments to the European Union (EU). These funds were managed by the European Commission (EC). I have recently set out details of DFID's review of all funding of international agencies including the EC. This review will test each organisation to ensure the UK is getting maximum value from its aid money. This will include an assessment of the relevance of each body to the UK's objectives on poverty reduction and their ability to deliver results on the ground.
Museums and Galleries: Finance
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding programmes for galleries and museums in the UK he plans to reduce in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12. [2296]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) has no programmes that provide funding for galleries or museums.
St Helena: Airports
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he plans to provide funding for an airport on St Helena. [2293]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: We are currently considering the question of access to St Helena. I will inform the House of any decision that is made.
Transport
HGV Charging
13. Nigel Mills: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the merits of revising the system for heavy goods vehicle road user charging. [2722]
Mr Philip Hammond: The Coalition Programme for Government, commits us to the introduction of a new system of HGV road user charging to ensure that foreign heavy goods vehicles contribute to the upkeep of UK roads that they use and ensure a more level playing field with UK hauliers.
Heathrow Airport
14. Gavin Barwell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the merits of expanding capacity at Heathrow airport; and if he will make a statement. [2723]
Mrs Villiers: We recognise the importance of Heathrow as the country's international hub airport and a vital part of our national transport infrastructure. Our vision for Heathrow is to make it better, not bigger, and I shall be pursuing this through the South East airports taskforce announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State in his written ministerial statement on 15 June 2010, Official Report, column 48WS.
18. Miss Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to ensure that slots at Heathrow for flights from UK regional airports are retained. [2727]
Mrs Villiers: We recognise the importance of air services from UK regional airports and the role they play in local economies. However, there are difficult questions here that need careful consideration since airlines face competitive pressure to use their slots for routes which are the most commercial.
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