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23 Nov 2010 : Column 218W—continued
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Armed Forces: Training
Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2010, Official Report, columns 20-21W, on the Defence Technical College, what (a) estimate he has made of the cost to and (b) assessment he has made of the likely effects on the armed services of the opportunities arising from bringing services together which will be lost as a result of terminating the Defence Training Rationalisation programme. [24057]
Nick Harvey: The Defence Training Rationalisation (DTR) project was terminated because it became clear that Metrix could not deliver an affordable, commercially robust proposal within the prescribed period. Technical training collocated on as few sites as possible remains the best solution for our armed forces and we have a new programme in place to assess requirement and options.
Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2010, Official Report, columns 20-21W, on the Defence Technical College, what estimate he has made of (a) the cost to his Department in respect of efficiencies foregone and (b) direct cost to the Exchequer consequent on terminating the Defence Training Rationalisation programme. [24058]
Nick Harvey:
The Defence Training Rationalisation (DTR) project had already delivered some efficiencies in how tri-service training is managed. The project was
terminated because it became clear that Metrix could not deliver an affordable, commercially robust proposal within the prescribed period. However, technical training collocated on as few sites as possible remains the best solution for our armed forces and we are working on assessing other options which will seek to create similar efficiencies to DTR.
In terms of direct costs, Ministry of Defence officials are currently engaging with Metrix, the preferred bidder for the DTR contract, over the settlement of claims arising from pre-contract agreements. Therefore the extent of the costs have yet to be determined.
Army
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Army infantry have been recruited in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [25682]
Mr Robathan: 3,030 entrants undertook soldier training for the Infantry in the 12 month period up to 30 September 2010. As this figure is calculated on a rolling basis and many of these entrants are still in training, it is not possible to say how many will successfully complete training and enter the field army as infantry personnel.
Equivalent information is not held for officer entrants; apart from professionally qualified officers, such as doctors, officer entrants are not assigned a cap badge until they complete training at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.
Defence Support Group: Scotland
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people are employed by the Defence Support Group in each site in Scotland. [19729]
Peter Luff: The Defence Support Group currently employs 105 personnel at Stirling, which is its only site in Scotland.
Defence: Procurement
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the likely proportion of defence contracts to be awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises in each year of the Spending Review period. [22855]
Peter Luff: In the year to the end of March 2010, some 45% of the new contracts placed by the Ministry of Defence were awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Along with other Government Departments, we will be taking action to increase the amount of business placed with SMEs although no specific estimates have been made. The role of SMEs in the defence acquisition and supply chain will be fully explored in the forthcoming Defence and Security Industrial and Technology Green and White Papers.
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what project history documentation, as defined in Maintaining a Project History, v4.0, August 2007, was maintained in respect of the (a) Nimrod, (b) Future Integrated Soldier Technology, (c) aircraft carriers and (d) future rapid effect system projects; and if he will place a copy of each in the Library. [25920]
Peter Luff: A copy of the Project History documents maintained in respect of the Nimrod MRA4, Future Integrated Soldier Technology, Queen Elizabeth Class carriers and Future Rapid Effect System projects will be placed in the Library following a review to identify whether any information needs to be withheld.
Departmental Intellectual Property
Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in how many ongoing legal cases relating to intellectual property his Department is involved. [25756]
Mr Robathan: The are three pending legal actions concerning intellectual property rights involving the Secretary of State for Defence and the Ministry of Defence, all in the United Kingdom.
Departmental Pensions
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the likely effects on his Department's expenditure in the comprehensive spending review period of the indexation of pensions using the consumer price index. [25743]
Mr Robathan: Detailed calculations are being undertaken by the Ministry of Defence and the Government Actuary's Department to assess the impact on service pensions from the change to the Consumer Price Index. Civil service pensions are paid from a central Government fund. It will not be possible to identify separately those relating to former MOD employees.
France: Aircraft Carriers
Mr Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what assessment his Department has made of the likely availability for service of the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle between 2020 and 2035; [23999]
(2) what recent reports he has received on (a) the availability for service and (b) maintenance performed on the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle; and if he will make a statement. [24000]
Nick Harvey: The UK and France have agreed to develop the capability to deploy a UK-French integrated carrier strike group, incorporating assets owned by both countries, by the early 2020s. Work to achieve this is at an early stage and will take account, among other things, of the availability of each nation's naval assets.
Iraq: Military Aid
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what British military equipment has been transferred to the Iraqi Government in each of the last five years; [25070]
(2) what plans his Department has to transfer British military equipment to the Iraqi Government. [25072]
Nick Harvey: The following table lists the gifts of British military equipment above the value of £1,000 to the Government of Iraq which were authorised in the last five years. We currently have no plans to transfer further British military equipment to the Iraqi Government.
Members: Correspondence
Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to reply to the letter of 27 October 2010 from the hon. Member for North West Durham regarding a meeting with representatives of Astrum in North West Durham constituency. [25512]
Mr Gerald Howarth: I have responded to the hon. Member today.
Military Aircraft
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether (a) fleet air arm and (b) Royal Air Force (i) pilots and (ii) other personnel (A) have been trained and (B) will be trained on Rafale aircraft. [25059]
Nick Harvey: The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force do not have any pilots or other personnel who are trained to fly or operate the French Rafale aircraft.
As part of the future carrier strike capability announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review and the recent UK-France Defence Co-operation Treaty, a range of bilateral future training options with France is being considered. However, there are no plans at present to train Royal Navy and RAF pilots or personnel on the Rafale aircraft.
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to use Rafale aircraft as an interim measure until the joint strike fighter aircraft is available for use on the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. [25078]
Peter Luff:
As the Prime Minister made clear in his statement on the Strategic Defence and Security Review to the House on 19 October 2010, Official Report,
column 797, we plan to deliver a carrier strike capability from around 2020 using the carrier variant joint strike fighter and a Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier fitted with catapults and arrestor gear. We are not planning to use Rafale aircraft in the meantime.
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what language French aircraft crew will use when operating from and within the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. [25080]
Nick Harvey: The Queen Elizabeth-class carriers will be ships of the Royal Navy, so the working language aboard will be English.
Naval Emergency Monitoring Team
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to retain the (a) Clyde off-site centre and (b) Naval Emergency Monitoring Team (North) at their current location in Rhu. [20129]
Nick Harvey: There are no current plans to close the Clyde off-site centre or to move the Naval Emergency Monitoring Team (North) from their current location in Rhu.
Rescue Services
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions overseas in the last three years a foreign-requested aircraft has provided search and rescue assistance over UK territorial waters; what role each played; what the location of each incident was; and whether each occurrence was in response to obligations under Annex 12 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation. [21447]
Nick Harvey: Around the globe, Search and Rescue (SAR) services are co-ordinated by the Regional Co-ordination Centre whose area of responsibility the overseas territories lies within, with the exception of the British Indian Ocean Territory, British sovereign base areas on Cyprus and the Falkland Islands.
The information requested is not held for the British Indian Ocean Territory. There has been one occasion in territorial waters within the British sovereign base area in Cyprus near RAF Akrotiri on 12 December 2009, when Cyprus police helicopter assets provided SAR jointly with a helicopter from 84 Squadron. There have been no occasions when foreign aircraft have been requested to assist in the Falkland Islands.
For the remaining territories, the only available information concerns an incident in October 2008, when the MV Fedra ran aground off Europa Point in Gibraltar territorial waters. A Spanish coastguard helicopter winched some personnel off the ship as part of a joint UK-Spanish effort.
As a contracting state the UK Government adhere to annex 12 of the convention on international civil aviation; the incidents above follow the principle established in the annex that co-operation between the SAR services of neighbouring states is essential to the efficient conduct of SAR operations.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the cancellation of the Nimrod MR4A aircraft order on the ability of the UK to meet its obligations under section 2.1.9 of the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue; [24406]
(2) what assessment has he made of the likely effects of the cancellation of the Nimrod MR4A aircraft order on the ability of the Government to meet their obligations under section 4.7.1 of the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue. [24411]
Peter Luff: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 October 2010, Official Report, columns 450-51W, to the right hon. Member for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow (Mr McCann), for Coventry North East (Mr Ainsworth) and the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones).
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions the Government has received a request for assistance from a neighbouring state in accordance with section 3.1 of the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue in each of the last five years; and which search and rescue assets provided assistance on each such occasion. [24410]
Nick Harvey: A search of available records found 34 occasions between 1 January 2005 and 13 November 2010 when the Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre tasked Search and Rescue assets to provide assistance to neighbouring states. These are set out in the following tables:
| 2005 | |
| Date | |
| 2006 | |
| Date | |
| 2007 | |
| Date | |
| 2008 | |
| Date | |
| 2009 | |
| Date | |
| 2010 (1 January to 13 November) | |
| Date | |
| (1) MCA = Maritime and Coastguard Agency | |
The decision not to bring the Nimrod MRA4 into service was difficult. Since the withdrawal of the Nimrod MR2 in March 2010, the Ministry of Defence has sought to mitigate the gap in capability through the use of other military assets, including Type 23 Frigates, Merlin anti-submarine warfare helicopters and Hercules C-130 aircraft, and by relying, where appropriate, on assistance from allies and partners. Although it was originally assumed that such measures would only be required for a limited period of time, we are now developing a longer-term plan to mitigate the impact of cancellation.
Territorial Army
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the Territorial Army consists of infantry, excluding the University Officer Training Corps. [25679]
Mr Robathan: As at 1 October 2010, 23% of the Territorial Army consists of the Infantry. These figures are provisional while work continues to validate data held on the Joint Personnel Administration system.
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what roles the Territorial Army infantry will be trained for in addition to riflemen. [25681]
Mr Robathan: The Territorial Army Infantry will continue to operate Support Weapons, Signals, Mechanical Transport and a logistics capability (Quartermasters) all of which will be supported by specialist courses and qualifications.
International Development
Afghanistan: Mining
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he has had recent discussions on the Aynak mines in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement. [25879]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: I discussed the Aynak mine with the Afghan Minister for Mines during a meeting in June. The contract for the Aynak copper mine in Afghanistan was awarded to a Chinese company, the Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC) in 2008 following a tender process overseen by the World Bank on behalf of the Government of Afghanistan.
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with the Afghanistan NGO Safety Office on aid workers operating in Taliban-controlled areas; and if he will make a statement. [25875]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK supports the Afghanistan NGO Safety Office (ANSO) through our contributions to the Humanitarian Aid Department of the European Commission (ECHO). I have not had recent discussions with ANSO. However, UK Government officials based in Kabul are in regular contact and share relevant security information with ANSO.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the proportion of his Department's budget spent on programmes in Afghanistan in 2010-11. [25877]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: We currently estimate that the Department for International Development's (DFID's) bilateral programme spend in Afghanistan will constitute approximately 2.2% of DFID's total resource budget for 2010-11. DFID will also provide funding to Afghanistan through our contributions to multilateral agencies. These contributions are calculated retrospectively.
Departmental Press: Subscriptions
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much (a) his Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible spent on press cuttings services in each of the last 12 months. [25486]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) has spent the following on press cuttings services in each month between October 2009 and September 2010.
| £ | |
DFID's only non-departmental public body, the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, has spent no money on press cuttings services over the last year.
Developing Countries: Microfinance
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of microfinance programmes supported by his Department. [25286]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development's (DFID's) Business Plan 2011-15 commits to developing new projects on microfinance as part of the Government strategy to foster wealth creation and economic growth in developing countries.
All DFID programmes are currently being reviewed under the Bilateral and Multilateral Aid Reviews, to ensure UK aid is effective, represents value for money and brings real benefits to the world's poor. DFID has also commissioned a systematic review of the impact of microfinance on poor people. This report will be posted on the DFID website early next year. Both these exercises will inform DFID's future support in this area.
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which (a) charities and (b) other organisations have received funding from his Department to institute, develop or run microfinance programmes in each of the last five years. [25287]
Mr Duncan: Over the past five years, the Department for International Development (DFID) has worked directly and indirectly with a broad range of organisations, including non-governmental organisations, foundations, multilateral institutions, banks and financial institutions, in a number of countries to fund microfinance programmes and develop their capacity to provide microfinance services, such as:
Opportunity International Bank of Malawi
Care International in Uganda
Kashf Foundation (an NGO-Microfinance Institution) in Pakistan
State Bank of Pakistan in Pakistan
Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) in India
Palli Karma Sahayek Foundation, in Bangladesh
The Institute of Microfinance in Bangladesh
The Microcredit Regulatory Authority in Bangladesh
The Bangladesh Bank in Bangladesh
Financial Sector Deepening Trust in Kenya
Financial Sector Deepening Trust in Tanzania
Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access (Efina) in Nigeria
DFID is unable to provide a definitive list of all organisations funded in each of the last five without incurring disproportionate cost.
Overseas Aid
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid his Department plans to provide to each G20 country in each year of the comprehensive spending review period. [26067]
Mr Duncan:
The Department for International Development (DFID) is currently reviewing all spending through country and regional programmes to ensure we focus our resources where we can achieve the most
impact. We will close or reduce programmes in countries that no longer require substantial aid programmes. The Secretary of State has previously announced that UK bilateral aid programmes in China and Russia will close.
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the ability of his Department to cease payments for projects in (a) Russia and (b) China before their implementation; and if he will estimate the likely effects on his Department's budget of immediately ceasing such payments. [26069]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development's (DFID's) bilateral aid to Russia will end in April 2011. Following this decision two projects will be closed early, arrangements have been made with project partners to bring these to an orderly conclusion. All of DFID's projects in China will end by March 2011. The feasibility of terminating projects earlier was assessed on a case by case basis but not considered practicable given the relative imminence of their closure.
Savings as a result of these closures are being reallocated within DFID's wider development programme.
Pakistan: Overseas Aid
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid his Department is providing to refugees in Pakistan. [25876]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) provides aid to internally displaced people (IDPs) within Pakistan, including those who have been displaced by the recent flooding. Among other life saving aid, we have provided emergency shelter for over 230,000 people and safe drinking and hygiene kits for over 800,000 people. DFID's total contribution to the humanitarian response in Pakistan is £134 million.
In addition to aid provided in response to the floods, DFID has provided £54.5 million in humanitarian support to Pakistan since 2008. This includes significant support to people internally displaced as a result of the 2009 conflict in the border areas, such as protection and humanitarian assistance to 800,000 people and food aid for up to 1.4 million people.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had on the humanitarian situation in Pakistan. [25878]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: I discussed post-floods recovery and reconstruction with the Government of Pakistan and international partners when I attended the Pakistan Development Forum in Islamabad on 15 November 2010. I have had regular discussions on the humanitarian situation with the UN, European Commission, other bilateral donors and the Government of Pakistan to ensure there continues to be an adequate and effective response to the floods.
Thailand: Overseas Aid
Mr Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans his Department has for humanitarian aid programmes in response to take account of the recent increase in the number of refugees on the Thailand-Burma border. [25551]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) is providing £7.5 million between 2009 and 2012 for people affected by conflict in eastern Burma. This assistance is being delivered through a number of non-governmental organisations. It includes the provision of food, shelter and improved access to legal assistance for Burmese refugees in Thailand, as well as aid for health care, water, sanitation and food security for displaced people in eastern Burma. DFID has not been asked for additional funding in response to the most recent fighting.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Afghanistan: EU Aid
Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on financial contributions to Afghanistan from the EU. [25186]
Alistair Burt: I have regular conversations with my EU colleagues on Afghanistan through the Foreign Affairs Council which discusses the strategic direction of Afghanistan. The allocation of funding is made via the Development Cooperation Instrument and the UK has lobbied successfully for Afghanistan to get a greater share of EU financial assistance to Asia. At the recent mid-term review the allocation was increased from €150 million per year during 2001-10 to €200 million per year for 2011-2013. We are encouraging the EU to ensure its engagement in Afghanistan is co-ordinated and targeted, by following an accelerated EU action plan.
British Overseas Territories: Remembrance Day
Mrs Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason he lays a wreath at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday on behalf of the British Overseas Territories; and what recent consideration he has given to the merits of permitting representatives of each such territory to lay a wreath. [26010]
Mr Bellingham: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs lays a wreath on behalf of all the British Overseas Territories to recognise the contribution and sacrifice made by citizens of the Overseas Territories during times of conflict. We have received representations from the UK-based representatives of the Overseas Territories to allow them to lay a wreath, but have no plans to change the current arrangements.
Burma: Politics and Government
Mr Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications of the new constitution in Burma for (a) democracy, (b) human rights and (c) equal rights for the ethnic nationalities in that country. [25552]
Mr Lidington: The new Constitution was approved in a rigged referendum in May 2008. We believe it entrenches military rule, as demonstrated by the sham elections held on 7 November; permits the regime's continuing human rights abuses against the Burmese people, including the political, social and economic discrimination suffered by ethnic groups; and provides the military leadership with immunity from prosecution for past crimes and human rights abuses. In addition, the President can grant sweeping powers to the military if a state of emergency is declared, reinstating military control of the country and suspending the rights of its citizens.
The UK has worked to secure a UN General Assembly Resolution which calls on the Burmese authorities to undertake a transparent, inclusive and comprehensive review of the Constitution. This was adopted with a vote on 18 November.
Burma: Thailand
Mr Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking in response to the recent increased conflict on the Thailand-Burma border and the creation of a border guard force under the control of the Burma army. [25427]
Mr Lidington: The Government are concerned about the refugee situation on the Thai-Burma border and are monitoring developments closely. We are in touch with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and our ambassador to Thailand raised the issue with the Thai authorities on 18 November.
We understand that many of the ethnic ceasefire and non-ceasefire groups have refused to join the Border Guard Force proposed by the military regime and that this is a source of ongoing tension. We are clear that the regime's pursuit of military solutions rather than a political settlement with ethnic groups will not bring stability. Elections held on 7 November represent a missed opportunity to unite armed and non-armed ethnic groups in a just peace settlement. There is little prospect of national reconciliation without their involvement.
Cuba: EU External Relations
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the EU common position on Cuba; and if he will make a statement. [25300]
Mr Jeremy Browne:
UK and EU policy on Cuba is based on the 1996 EU Common Position. The UK and the EU follow the situation in Cuba closely and our policy is kept under constant review. There have been a number of changes in recent years such as the resumption of EU development co-operation and the start of an
EU-Cuba political dialogue. Given the ongoing release of political prisoners in Cuba the EU has, with UK support, begun a process of reflection about future options for the EU-Cuba relationship.
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received on UK policy on the EU common position on Cuba. [25301]
Mr Jeremy Browne: We have received no formal representations on the EU common position, which is the basis of UK policy on Cuba. We regularly reply to public inquiries, including from non-governmental organisations, trades unions and business groups, about the common position. EU policy on Cuba, including the common position, is kept under constant review.
Cyprus: Christianity
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Government of (a) Northern Cyprus and (b) Turkey on the destruction of Christian religious sites and buildings in Northern Cyprus. [25321]
Mr Lidington: The Government strongly believe that the respect for religious and cultural buildings is a key element in building trust between different communities. Therefore we support the need for greater preservation of churches and other buildings of religious and cultural heritage in northern Cyprus. British diplomats in Nicosia have raised these issues at various levels including with the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community.
We also support the work of the bi-communal Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage who have developed an action plan to protect vulnerable buildings. They have already started work on some projects and hope, with further funding, to soon be able to implement more of their plan.
Developing Countries: Departmental Coordination
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from which units in his Department staff participating in the cross-Government board to deal with conflict overseas will be drawn. [25607]
Mr Bellingham: The Strategic Defence and Security Review of October 2010 confirmed the Government's commitment to building stability overseas through preventing conflict and identifying and tackling emerging threats including from fragile and conflict-affected states. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, in partnership with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development, is leading work to develop a new Building Stability Overseas Strategy, to be published in spring 2011. This will set out an integrated approach to building stability overseas, bringing together diplomatic, development, military and other national security tools. The architecture, including the cross-Government board, to support the delivery of the strategy is currently being considered.
Government Hospitality Fund
Ms Bagshawe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the Government Hospitality Fund spent on the purchase of (a) champagne and (b) other wines in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10. [26099]
Mr Bellingham: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for West Suffolk (Matthew Hancock) on 6 September 2010, Official Report, column 228W. Of the amounts stated, £27,136 was spent on champagne in 2008-09, which was reduced to £9,070 in 2009-10. No champagne has been purchased this financial year.
Guatemala
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Minister of State with responsibilities for Latin America plans to meet (a) female representatives of indigenous communities and (b) representatives of human rights organisations during his visit to Guatemala. [26004]
Mr Bellingham: One of the UK's top priorities in Guatemala is to support good governance and human rights-key to improving the deteriorating security situation in the country. During the short visit of the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Taunton Deane (Mr Browne) to Guatemala he will meet civil society organisations and young leaders-including young indigenous women-during an event to promote a national campaign against domestic violence which the UK is actively supporting.
He will not have a separate meeting with representatives of human rights organisations on this occasion, but he will be raising human rights issues with the Guatemalan Government, and separately our embassy in Guatemala City and officials in London will continue to maintain good contacts with these groups.
Iraq: Asylum
Mr MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the proportion of Iraqi citizens from Christian or Mandaean communities who have become refugees in countries neighbouring Iraq since the start of the war in Iraq in 2003. [25933]
Alistair Burt: Figures released by the UN Refugee Agency, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, estimate that there are currently 23,373 Iraqi Christians living as refugees in the region surrounding Iraq. The number of Sabean/Mandean refugees currently stands at 5,460.
If Iraqi refugees are divided into their religious groups, the Christian minority is the third largest, at 12% of the total. Sunni and Shia Iraq refugees still constitute the most numerous groups.
Mr MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of Iraqi citizens who have become refugees in countries neighbouring Iraq since the start of the war in Iraq in 2003. [25934]
Alistair Burt: The total number of Iraqi refugees registered with the UN Refugee Agency, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), currently stands at 423,355 people, including 72,295 refugees who arrived in 2006 and before. There are approximately 195,428 Iraq refugees in the region, which covers the main countries of asylum: Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iran.
UNHCR figures indicate that there are currently 139,586 Iraq refugees living in Syria; 3,623 in Iran; 30,630 in Jordan; 7,955 in Lebanon; and 5,235 in Turkey.
Mr MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of Iraqi citizens who have become refugees in Syria since the start of the war in Iraq in 2003. [25935]
Alistair Burt: The UN Refugee Agency, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), has registered over 290,000 Iraqi refugees in Syria since the start of the Iraq War in 2003. Some have since been officially resettled. Others departed to third countries by other means and some have decided to return to Iraq.
As of the end October 2010, the population of registered Iraqi refugees in Syria stands at 139,586 following UNHCR Syria's revision of its figure for the number of registered Iraqi refugees in Syria. This is based on the verification of their physical presence in Syria throughout 2009 and 2010.
Mr MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the proportion of Iraqi citizens from Christian or Mandaean communities who have become refugees in Syria since the start of the war in Iraq in 2003. [25936]
Alistair Burt: Figures released by the UN Refugee Agency, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, estimate that there are currently 15,362 Iraqi Christians living as refugees in Syria. The number of Sabean/Mandean refugees in Syria currently stands at 5,113.
There are currently 139,586 Iraqi refugees registered in Syria.
Sergei Magnitsky
Mr MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he had discussions with the Russian Government on the case of Sergei Magnitsky during his recent visit to Moscow. [25266]
Mr Lidington: The Government continue to follow Mr Magnitsky's case closely. We have welcomed the official investigation into this case announced by President Medvedev in November 2009, and keenly await its conclusion. We believe it is important that this investigation is thorough and transparent. Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have also consistently made clear to the Russian Government our concerns about this case, as part of our continuing bilateral human rights dialogue with Russia.
In his recent meetings with the Russian government in Moscow, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary also raised issues relating to the rule of law and human rights more generally, stressing how important it is that
the law is applied fairly in all cases. He also held more specific discussions on this particular case during his meeting with Russian human rights non-governmental organisations.
Mr MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the Russian Government on the death in custody of Sergei Magnitsky. [25267]
Mr Lidington: The Government continue to follow Mr Magnitsky's case closely. We have welcomed the official investigation into this case announced by President Medvedev in November 2009, and keenly await its conclusion. We believe it is important that this investigation is thorough and transparent. Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have also consistently made clear to the Russian Government our concerns about this case, as part of our continuing bilateral human rights dialogue with Russia.
In his recent meetings with the Russian Government in Moscow, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary also raised issues relating to the rule of law and human rights more generally, stressing how important it is that the law is applied fairly in all cases. He also held more specific discussions on this particular case during his meeting with Russian human rights non-governmental organisations.
Taiwan: Carbon Emissions
Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department is having with the Government of Taiwan on the transition to low carbon emissions. [25302]
Mr Bellingham: We have regular exchanges with the Taiwanese authorities about low carbon development. In October 2010, Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials visited Taipei to discuss the UK policy framework. The British Trade and Cultural Office Taiwanese Ministry of Economic Affairs also co-hosted a renewable-energy seminar focusing on offshore wind power and marine energy. Taiwan's shift towards a greener economy is gaining momentum and we are actively supporting this transition.
Turkmenistan: Prisoners
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the BBC on the detention of journalists Annakurban Amanklychev and Sapardurdy Khadzhiev in Turkmenistan. [24805]
Mr Lidington: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no discussions with the British Broadcasting Corporation on the detention of Annakurban Amanklychev and Sapardurdy Khadzhiev in Turkmenistan.
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will hold discussions with the BBC Director General about the custodial conditions of journalists Annakurban Amanklychev and Sapardurdy Khadzhiev detained in Turkmenistan. [24806]
Mr Lidington: We have no plans to discuss this matter with the Director General of the British Broadcasting Corporation. We will, however, continue to raise these cases with the Turkmen authorities, including through the European Union.
Cabinet Office
Departmental Press
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how much his Department spent on press cuttings services in each of the last 12 months; [19659]
(2) how much was spent on press cuttings services for the Prime Minister's Office in each of the last 12 months. [25483]
Mr Maude: Cabinet Office spend on press cuttings and other related services in the last six months of the 2009-10 financial year was £120,863.10. The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the CO, and as such the figure provided also includes the amount spent by the Prime Minister's Office.
Figures for the current financial year will be available only when the Department's resource accounts have been fully audited and laid before Parliament. This is expected to be before the 2011 summer recess.
Unemployment
Brandon Lewis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many children in (a) England, (b) Norfolk and (c) Great Yarmouth constituency were living in families with no parent in employment between January 2005 and January 2010. [24686]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated November 2010:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking how many children in (a) England, (b) Norfolk and (c) Great Yarmouth constituency were living in families with no parent in employment between January 2005 and January 2010. 24686.
The figures requested come from the Annual Population Survey household datasets. These are currently available for 2004 to 2009. The attached table shows estimates for England and Norfolk. The table provides information for 2005 to 2009.
Due to the specific nature of your request it is not possible to provide reliable estimates for the Great Yarmouth constituency because of small sample sizes.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. This is captured in a confidence interval, defined by lower and upper bounds, such that the interval formed between the bounds would contain the true value for 95% of all possible samples.
Jake Berry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many children in (a) England, (b) Lancashire and (c) Rossendale and Darwen constituency were living in families with no parent in employment between January 2005 and January 2010. [25361]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated November 2010:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking how many children in (a) England, (b) Lancashire and (c) Rossendale and Darwen constituency were living in families with no parent in employment between January 2005 and January 2010. (25361)
The figures requested come from the Annual Population Survey (APS) household datasets. These are currently available for 2004 to 2009. The attached table shows estimates for England and Lancashire. The table provides information for 2005 to 2009.
Due to the specific nature of your request it is not possible to provide reliable estimates for Rossendale and Darwen constituency because of small sample sizes.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. This is captured in a confidence interval, defined by lower and upper bounds, such that the interval formed between the bounds would contain the true value for 95% of all possible samples.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Adult Education
Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans his Department has to increase the quality of provision for adult education. [25802]
Mr Hayes: The recently published skills strategy ('Skills for Sustainable Growth') sets out our intention to reform adult learning and skills over the remainder of this Parliament and point the way to growth in the longer term. High quality adult education is at the heart of this strategy.
An underpinning principle of the strategy is freedom. Our ambition is to abandon a culture of bureaucratic, central, regulatory burdens, as we believe that control should be devolved from central Government to citizens and communities. This includes giving them a greater role in shaping services and improving quality. Through a combination of increasing competition between training providers; empowering learners by giving them better information about quality of adult education; and by tackling poor performance quickly and robustly, we will drive up standards.
We are taking steps to improve the quality and range of information that is made available about adult education-including through the Next Step and development of sector led Further Education Public Information. This will ensure that learners and employers are better equipped to makes choices about where and what to learn. We are also improving opportunities for learners and employers to give feedback, which we expect providers themselves will use to improve the quality of the education and services they deliver. This user choice and influence will become a powerful mechanism for driving up quality.
Alongside our move towards greater empowerment, we will continue to take steps through the Department and the Skills Funding Agency to improve quality.
The Skills Funding Agency is committed to only contracting with high quality educational and vocational training providers. To this end, the Agency has recently introduced an Approved College and Training Organisation Register (ACTOR), which tests the capacity and capability of organisations to meet 'minimum levels of performance' that are set by this Department (in agreement with sector representative organisations). All providers that
wish to be considered for public funding from the agency, for the delivery of educational and vocational training, must be approved on ACTOR. Those organisations that fail to meet the required standards will not be registered and therefore will be ineligible for funding.
Where a provider is on ACTOR and has received funding and their performance subsequently drops, we will act decisively. If they fail to respond to opportunities to improve, we will withdraw a contract from any private training provider (and remove them from ACTOR) and we will close failing colleges. In order to protect the interests of the learners, we will ensure that alternative provision is secured through an excellent education provider. We will publish further details on this approach in spring 2011.
Ofsted will continue to inspect adult learning provision, although we are taking a more proportionate approach to inspections. Any provider who is deemed to be 'outstanding' will not be inspected (unless their performance drops). This will allow Ofsted to focus their attention on providers who cause concern, which improves our capacity to identify and tackle poor performance and quality.
We will also continue to support measures to ensure we have a professionally-qualified teaching workforce, which takes responsibility for keeping its skills up-to-date and relevant. We intend to work with the teaching profession to look at how to create the conditions to encourage flexible and innovative approaches to teaching and learning, which are cost-effective, responsive to employer and learner needs, and make full use of the potential of technology. In specialist areas of provision, employer-led National Skills Academies can help spread good practice. This will support our drive to improve the learning experience.
Finally, the Learning and Skills Improvement Service will from April 2011 be the single sector led body responsible for supporting FE colleges and training organisations to maintain high quality in areas such as leadership and management, teaching and learning, learner support and resource utilisation.
Apprentices
Mr McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to implement the pilots proposed in his Department's 2007 Apprenticeship strategy to encourage under-represented women apprentices into traditionally higher paid sectors. [25788]
Mr Hayes: The National Apprenticeship Service is currently finalising its negotiations to fund 16 Diversity in Apprenticeships pilots. It is hoped that the pilots will start early in 2011. We expect them to support approximately 5,000 apprenticeship opportunities for under-represented learners, including women in atypical sectors. The learning from these pilots will be used to influence the wider programme.
Digital Inclusion Task Force
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his most recent assessment is of progress made by the Digital Inclusion Task Force; and if he will make a statement. [23821]
Mr Maude: I have been asked to reply.
The Digital Inclusion Task Force was set up in 2009 to support Martha Lane Fox, the then Champion for Digital Inclusion.
The Digital Inclusion Taskforce was disbanded in February 2010 in order that Martha and her team could focus on their Race Online 2012 partnership campaign. However, several members of the Task Force are still involved in supporting Martha in her new role as UK Digital Champion.
Martha Lane Fox launched her Race Online 2012 partnership campaign which encourages business partners to train, educate and inspire people to use the web in April 2010. Race Online 2012 currently has over 880 partners who have pledged to help 1.7 million new people get online by the end of the Olympic year. More details of the partnership campaign can be found at:
Festivals and Special Occasions: Public Holidays
Karen Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will being forward proposals for a public holiday on the occasion of the marriage of HRH Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton. [25829]
Mr Davey: The royal wedding will take place on 29 April and the Prime Minister has already announced that it will be a bank holiday.
Higher Education: Coventry
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects on the local economy of the student population attending university in Coventry. [25526]
Mr Willetts [holding answer 19 November 2010]: No recent assessment has been made on the effects on the local economy of the student population attending university in Coventry.
However a report produced by Universities UK indicate that
"Total output generated by the 169 UK Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) was estimated as £59 billion in 2007/08 (£14 billion more than a similar study in 2003/04). HEIs create directly and indirectly around 670,000 jobs and create export earnings worth £5.3 billion".
Higher Education: Finance
Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding from the public purse was spent on higher education in (a) England, (b) Lancashire and (c) Rossendale and Darwen constituency in each year from January 2005 to January 2010. [25263]
Mr Willetts: The Department does not hold a consistent data set on which to give a global answer for the whole of higher education (HE) spend. We do have information covering the three main elements of Government funding to HE.
Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) grants
| Financial year | Total HEFCE grant (£000) |
| Source: HEFCE Annual Reports | |
The following institutions in Lancashire received direct HEFCE funding in the period concerned:
| FY 2010-11 (£) | |
HEFCE cannot identify funding for indirectly-funded further education colleges separately. The amount of funding they receive will depend on locally-negotiated agreements with partner higher education institutions (HEIs).
The following table gives spend on science and research spend through Research Councils to HEIs. Three HEIs in Lancashire are eligible for this funding. It does not include research spend by other Government Departments or research funding awarded by HEFCE which is included in the above figures. No expenditure can be identified as spent in Rossendale and Darwen constituency.
| £000 | |||||
| Financial year: | 2004-5 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 |
Student support paid( 1) England and Lancashire
| £ million | ||
| Academic year | England | Lancashire |
| ( 1) Loans, grants and allowances paid to students domiciled in England and studying in the UK. Excludes the tuition fee grants phased out after 2005/06 and part-time fee grants. Includes part-time course grants. Source: Student Loans Company | ||
Student support spend figures include the cash value of loans paid. This does not represent the long-term cost to public funds as loans will be repaid. Complete figures are not yet available after academic year 2008/09. Robust student support figures are not available at constituency level.
Local Enterprise Partnerships
John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the appropriate number of members of the board of a local enterprise partnership. [24306]
Mr Prisk: No Government expectations have been set out regarding the number of board members. The Government will normally expect to see business representatives form half the board, with a prominent business leader in the chair as explained in the White Paper on Local Growth.
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