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13 Oct 2010 : Column 345W—continued
Social Security Benefits: Scotland
Margaret Curran:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made a recent estimate of the number of households in (a) Scotland, (b) Glasgow and (c) Glasgow East constituency
which receive more than £500 a week in (i) all benefits and (ii) all benefits excluding disability living allowance. [16981]
Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available, as sample sizes are too small to yield reliable results for Scotland, and is not available at a parliamentary constituency level.
The information is available for Great Britain. Latest estimates show that in 2010-11 there are:
(i) around 100,000 working age households in receipt of more than £500 a week in all benefits and tax credits, including disability living allowance, and
(ii) around 50,000 working age households in receipt of more than £500 a week in all benefits and tax credits, excluding disability living allowance.
The Chancellor's announcement of a benefit cap was informed by high-level consideration of the broad impacts. We are now working up the more detailed design of the caps as part of the spending review. When we introduce legislation for the implementation of the caps, we shall publish an impact assessment.
Note:
All figures are rounded to the nearest 50,000.
Source:
DWP Policy Simulation Model, based on the 2008-09 Family Resources Survey data.
Temporary Employment
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what effect his decision to grant contract extensions to some customer-facing, fixed-term employees whose positions were due to end over summer 2010 has had on his Department's expenditure for 2010-11; and what account has been taken of this effect in his Department's budget. [14132]
Chris Grayling: The Department has used fixed-term appointments (FTA) to manage the temporary increase in workloads caused by the recession. Extensions to approximately 600 FTA contracts have been made in customer-facing areas during the summer months at a cost of around £3 million. The decision to extend these contracts was made due to higher than anticipated staff attrition rate so with less staff in the Department they were contained within original budgets.
Winter Fuel Payments
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made an estimate of the number of (a) men and (b) women who received winter fuel allowance payments in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10. [17134]
Steve Webb: The information for 2008-09 is available on page 1 of the document Winter Fuel Payments 2008-09, Final Individual Payments by GOR/LA and Parliamentary Constituency. This is available in the House of Commons Library.
The information for 2009-10 is available on page 1 of the document "Winter Fuel Payment recipients 2009-2010 by Parliamentary Constituencies and Gender (All)". I am today placing a copy in the House of Commons
Library together with other documents in the Winter Fuel Payments 2009-10 series. They are also available on the internet at:
Work Capability Assessment
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 6 September 2010, Official Report, column 104W, on work capability assessment, if he will place in the Library a copy of the contract between his Department and Atos Healthcare which contains details of the quality targets relating to audit of work capability assessments. [15164]
Chris Grayling: An updated copy of the Medical Services Contract between Atos Healthcare and the Department for Work and Pensions has been placed in the Library:
Work Capability Assessment: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the agency contracted to provide medical examinations as part of the Work Capability Assessment has been issued with specific guidance on the assessment of persons presenting a diagnosis of myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome. [14304]
Chris Grayling: All health care professionals working for Atos Healthcare are required to read an evidence- based protocol on chronic fatigue syndrome as part of their induction training. This was last updated in January 2010. In addition, all health care professionals are required to engage in a programme of continuing medical education which includes two modules on chronic fatigue syndrome. These were last updated in April 2009 and March 2010 respectively.
International Development
Pakistan
12. Mr Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in Pakistan; and if he will make a statement. [16526]
14. Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in Pakistan; and if he will make a statement. [16528]
15. Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his latest assessment is of the humanitarian situation in Pakistan; and if he will make a statement. [16529]
Mr Andrew Mitchell:
The situation in Pakistan is still evolving. In some areas of the country early recovery is beginning, while in other areas emergency relief is still needed, particularly in Sindh province. My Department
continues to closely monitor the situation to identify and deliver aid appropriately.
For further details I refer my hon. Friends to my written statement of 12 October 2010, Official Report, column 12WS.
Cameroon: Forced Marriage
13. Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will take steps to ensure that aid provided to Cameroon by his Department does not support circumstances whereby young women may be forced into marriage. [16527]
Mr O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) has a small programme in Cameroon focused solely on the forestry sector. We are confident that our activities do not support an environment that encourages the forced marriage of young women.
Departmental Carbon Emissions
Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he has made an estimate of the change in the level of carbon dioxide emissions from his Department since May 2010; and what steps he plans to take to meet his Department's target of reducing such emissions by 10 per cent. by May 2011. [16813]
Mr Duncan: Carbon emissions arising from energy consumption by the Department for International Development's (DFID's) two UK offices during the first half of financial year 2010-11 were 8% lower than the corresponding period of 2009-10.
DFID is implementing a number of measures to reduce our energy consumption, including: replacing some internal lighting with energy efficient LED fittings; rationalising the number of IT servers; reorganising our London office to reduce our space requirement; reviewing and reducing the number of hours heating and cooling system are in operation; and installing a Green Roof at our East Kilbride office to improve thermal insulation.
Departmental Contracts
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the monetary value is of contracts his Department has awarded to each (a) management consultancy and (b) IT company since 7 May 2010. [16178]
Mr Duncan: All ICT contracts issued by the Department for International Development (DFID) with a contract award value of £10,000 or above have been published on the DFID website since July 2010. Details are available at:
DFID consultancy contracts are categorised in line with the Office of Government Commerce's (OGC) definition of consultancy. DFID has introduced a new 'Business Case Process' to manage the use of consultancy in line with the central Government freeze. Since May 2010 there has been a significant drop in the number of
contracts awarded within the consultancy category and therefore we expect to see a significant reduction in consultancy spend for the financial year 2010-11.
Departmental Manpower
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people his Department employs to check whether overseas authorities are correctly appropriating their aid receipts. [16115]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) requires all grant recipients to provide audited financial statements confirming the use of funds. In addition, our programme staff conduct annual monitoring reviews to assess the use of funds.
The Department does not, however, record the amount of time that individual staff members allocate to these responsibilities, and it is not therefore possible to estimate the total number of full time equivalent staff assigned to this role.
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many (a) officials of his Department and (b) external advisers are working on his Department's review of the Government's overseas aid spending. [16958]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) is conducting two reviews: the Bilateral Aid Review (BAR) and the Multilateral Aid Review (MAR). It has also commissioned a third independent review of the UK's humanitarian emergency response capability and is providing the Secretariat for this review. The teams co-ordinating the BAR and MAR both consist of four officials. Two external reviewers will also act as peer reviewers during the course of the MAR. The Humanitarian and Emergency Response Review (HERR) team is made up of six officials, one consultant and one secondee from the Development Assistance Research Associates. In addition to these teams, staff across DFID are providing inputs into all three reviews and it is therefore not possible to determine the total number of officials working on these reviews without incurring disproportionate cost.
Overseas Aid
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many meetings he has had with (a) the President of the World Bank, (b) the Head of the Global Fund and (c) the UN Relief Co-ordinator on organisational reform and future funding from his Department since 7 May 2010; and on what dates. [8889]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: I met with Robert Zoellick, President of the World Bank, on 2 June in London, 25 June in Washington, 20 September in the margins of the Millennium Development Goal summit in New York, and on 8 and 9 October at the annual meetings in Washington. Aspects of organisational reform and future funding were covered during these meetings.
Michel Kazatchkine, Head of the Global Fund, and I discussed organizational reform and future funding during a meeting on 17 August. We also met in New York in the margins of the MDG summit.
I met with the former UN Under-Secretary General Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Sir John Holmes, on 19 August and 9 September. Aspects of organisational reform and future funding were covered in the discussion. I also met with Baroness Valerie Amos before she took up the post, on 7 July, and then on 5 October, and will meet her again on 19 October.
I speak to them all on a regular basis in the ordinary course of business.
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to require the Government to spend 0.7 per cent. of gross national income on overseas aid in each year from 2013. [16842]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The coalition Government have made a very clear pledge to meet the target of spending 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) as Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 2013. We will enshrine this spending commitment in law as soon as the parliamentary timetable allows.
Pakistan: Floods
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contribution his Department has made to humanitarian relief efforts following the recent floods in Pakistan. [16116]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: I refer the hon. Member to my oral statement of 7 September 2010, Official Report , column 187, and my written statement of 12 October 2010, Official Report , column 12WS.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
BBC External Services
Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent research his Department has (a) evaluated and (b) commissioned on the effects on each receiving country of the BBC World Service (i) broadcast radio and (ii) foreign language websites. [17150]
Mr Jeremy Browne: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not commissioned any recent research on the effects of the BBC World Service.
The BBC World Service itself recently conducted independent research into the audiences of four of its major markets: Pakistan, Egypt, Kenya and Turkey, in addition to its on-going programme of audience measurement and evaluation.
BBC Russian Service
Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the feasibility of the BBC World Service Russian Service resuming broadcasts to Russia in circumstances in which the frequencies currently used by that service are relinquished. [17148]
Mr Jeremy Browne: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not carried out any such feasibility study.
Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the level of influence of (a) the BBC Russian Service on Russian society and (b) the English-language Russian channel on the UK since 1989. [17149]
Mr Jeremy Browne: The BBC World Service carried out an extensive survey of the audience for their Russian language service in November 2009. This survey included audience perceptions of the BBC World Service Russian service. It found that the BBC is a clearly recognised brand, and evidence shows that the audience for the BBC Russian service grows in times of crisis.
Neither the Foreign and Commonwealth Office nor the BBC World Service has carried out a specific survey of the level of influence of 'Russia Today' in the UK.
Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss with the BBC Trust the retention of BBC broadcasting services to Russia. [17151]
Mr Jeremy Browne: As part of the Government's Spending Review, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is in discussion with Her Majesty's Treasury about all aspects of the FCO's future budget, including the FCO's grant in aid to the BBC World Service. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has made clear the need for all parts of the FCO family, including BBC World Service, to contribute to efforts to boost efficiency and cut public spending.
Ministers and senior FCO officials have regularly discussed the Spending Review with the director of the BBC Worldwide Service since the review was announced.
Its outcome will be announced to Parliament on 20 October.
Cambodia: Politics and Government
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made a recent assessment of the extent of democratic freedoms in Cambodia; and if he will make a statement. [16963]
Mr Jeremy Browne: Cambodia's constitution provides for the protection of democratic freedoms and human rights, but these are not always fully adhered to in practice.
A recent independent assessment of democratic freedoms in Cambodia can be found in the annual report of the Office of the UN high commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia. We share the concerns expressed in that report about the use of charges of criminal defamation and disinformation to discourage public debate, and the effect on political pluralism of criminal charges brought against members of opposition parties. The UK raised these concerns at the Human Rights Council during the debate on renewal of the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur for Cambodia on 28 September.
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to his Cambodian counterpart on the Cambodian government's treatment of the opposition leader Sam Rainsy. [16964]
Mr Jeremy Browne: The UK, with EU partners, has raised concerns with the Government of Cambodia about treatment of Opposition members of the National Assembly including Sam Rainsy on a number of occasions. The local EU Presidency raised the democratic rights of opposition parliamentarians at a meeting with the Minister of Interior, Deputy Prime Minister Sar Kheng, on 15 June. EU and Cambodian representatives also discussed this issue during the Cambodia-EC Joint Committee held in Brussels on 7-8 October. The UK raised concerns about the use of criminal defamation and disinformation charges at the Human Rights Council during the debate on renewal of the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur for Cambodia on 28 September.
Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office met with Sam Rainsy during his visit to the UK on 22 September.
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the independence of the judiciary in Cambodia. [16965]
Mr Jeremy Browne: In his report of 16 September UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Cambodia, Professor Surya Subedi made a series of recommendations with the aim of improving the human rights situation through strengthening the independence and capacity of the judiciary.
On 9 September officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office met Professor Surya Subedi to discuss the contents of his report. The UK shares the concerns expressed in Professor Subedi's report and made this clear in our statement to the Human Rights Council on 28 September.
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports his Department has received on the criminal charges against Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy. [16966]
Mr Jeremy Browne: We are aware that Sam Rainsy was found guilty of disinformation and falsifying public documents and was sentenced in absentia to 10 years imprisonment and to a fine. The charges relate to documents he published in 2009 to support his allegation that the ongoing process of border demarcation with Vietnam is encroaching on Cambodian territory. This follows a sentence passed in January 2010 of two years imprisonment on separate charges of damage to public property and racial incitement.
The UK, with EU partners, has raised concerns with the Government of Cambodia about the treatment of Opposition members of the National Assembly, including Sam Rainsy, on a number of occasions. The UK shares the concerns of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia on the effect on political pluralism of criminal charges brought against members of the opposition parties.
Colombia: Human Rights
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made recent representations to the Colombian government on its human rights record. [16575]
Mr Jeremy Browne: I represented the UK at the inauguration of President Juan Manuel Santos in August. I took the opportunity of a private meeting with the President and several of his Ministers on 9 August to urge more progress on human rights. I was encouraged by the President's commitment to make human rights a "non-issue" in Colombia. We welcome this renewed commitment and we will work with his administration towards this common end.
Ilois: Resettlement
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the return of Chagos Islanders to the Chagos Islands; and if he will make a statement. [17402]
Mr Bellingham: The Government have looked into policy on the British Indian Ocean Territory and have decided to defend the claims for resettlement and compensation which the Chagos Islanders have brought to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. This is because we believe the arguments against allowing resettlement on the grounds of feasibility and defence security are clear and compelling. Nor do we see the case for compensation as this has already been paid in full and final settlement of all claims. Both of these issues have already been decided by the UK courts.
However, we do want to keep channels of communication open to the Chagossian communities and explore new ideas for their engagement with the Territory, short of resettlement. We plan to continue our support for islanders wishing to visit to tend family graves, engage in heritage conservation and contribute to environmental work, including the implementation of the Marine Protected Area.
Libya: Repatriation
Damian Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library copies of all documents held by his Department on the negotiation of the Prisoner Transfer Agreement with Libya which have not previously been released. [16948]
Alistair Burt: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister asked the Cabinet Secretary on 20 July to review papers held by the Government surrounding the decision to release Mr Al-Megrahi. The purpose of the review is to see if more documentation needs to be published to ensure the fullest possible explanation of the circumstances surrounding the decision. This review includes papers covering the negotiation of the Prisoner Transfer Agreement with Libya. The review is ongoing and the Cabinet Secretary aims to conclude this work as soon as possible.
North Korea: Asylum
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has had discussions with his Chinese counterpart on the forced repatriation of North Korean refugees. [16845]
Mr Jeremy Browne: We monitor this issue closely and last raised it with the Chinese Government during the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in March. Following representations made by our embassy officials and the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Beijing, in May, a family of four North Korean citizens were granted exit visas and allowed to leave China for their destination choice.
Russia and China: Broadcasting
Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the resources allocated by the Government of (a) Russia and (b) China to the creation of broadcasting services which target western audiences. [17152]
Mr Jeremy Browne: We do not have official figures for these services. However, according to news reports, Russia Today cost in the region of $30 million to set up, had an operating budget of $60 million in its first year (2004-05) rising to a reported Rub3.6 billion (approx $150 million at the time) in 2008. Press reports estimate that the Chinese Government spend about $2.2 billion on CCTV, their international channel, which targets western and Chinese audiences.
Saudi Arabia: Exports
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he plans to take together with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to increase British exports to Saudi Arabia. [14845]
Alistair Burt: The Government are strongly committed to improving commercial relations through the Gulf Initiative.
Our exports to Saudi Arabia were £4.8 billion last year and we want this to go on rising.
I will chair the next Two Kingdoms' Dialogue, which will focus on maximising co-operation in the education, healthcare and tourism sectors.
Shaiboub Arsal
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he (a) has made recent representations to the government of Egypt on the detention of Shaiboub William Arsal and (b) plans to make such representations. [16956]
Alistair Burt: The UK regularly raises human rights matters of concern with the Egyptian Government. Mr Arsal is one of over 10,000 prisoners in Egypt who is reported to be detained without a final sentence. In our view it is fairer and ultimately more effective, to address the common human rights concerns behind each of these cases, rather than to raise each case individually. For example, the UK supports the EU's €10 million project on the 'Support and Modernisation of Administration of Justice and Enhancement of Security' which is expected to reduce the backlog of cases in Egyptian courts. Given our overall approach, the Government currently have no plans to raise Mr Arsal's case with the Egyptian Government.
Tibet: Human Rights
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made recent representations to the (a) Central Tibetan Administration and (b) Chinese government on human rights in Tibet. [16574]
Mr Jeremy Browne: The British Government remain concerned about the human rights situation in Tibet. The Foreign Secretary raised the issue of Tibet and human rights with Foreign Minister Yang during his visit to China on 14 July. I also raised Tibet when I visited China last month.
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