Mutual Pathfinder Fund
Chris Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the potential monetary value of bids to the mutual pathfinder fund. [44892]
Mr Hurd: The mutuals pathfinder programme has no Government funding attached. The pathfinder organisations receive support through expert mentors. All the mentors have offered their support for free and are working with staff in the pathfinder projects to help them develop a range of sustainable, efficient and pioneering employee-led services.
Government will invest over £10 million to fund a programme of support for some of the most promising and innovative mutuals so that they reach the point of investment readiness. This programme is currently being developed.
Office for Civil Society: Operating Costs
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the operational costs of the Office for Civil Society at the end of (a) March 2011 and (b) each subsequent financial year in the comprehensive spending review period. [46548]
Mr Hurd: Expenditure by the Office for Civil Society in 2010-11 is reported in the Cabinet Office annual report and accounts and includes information on administrative expenditure.
Office for Civil Society: Secondment
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many civil servants have been engaged in work of the Office for Civil Society (a) through secondment and (b) in addition to their usual duties from (i) the Department for Communities and Local Government and (ii) the office of the Deputy Prime Minister. [46549]
Mr Hurd: Since the creation of the Office for Civil Society (May 2011) there has been one official on secondment from the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Office for Civil Society: TimeBank
Hazel Blears: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much the Office for Civil Society paid to TimeBank in each year since 2007. [46948]
Mr Hurd: Since the beginning of the financial year 2007-08 the Office for Civil Society has provided TimeBank with grants of the following value:
| £ | |
Older People: Voluntary Work
Jonathan Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent assessment he has made of the contribution to the economy of older volunteers. [45488]
Mr Hurd:
The Cabinet Office has not made a recent assessment of the contribution to the economy of older volunteers. However, a research report, “Gold age pensioners—valuing the socio-economic contribution
17 Mar 2011 : Column 645W
of older people in the UK”, was published on the subject in March 2011 by the charity, WRVS. This can be downloaded from:
www.goldagepensioners.com
Public Sector: Mutual Societies
Tessa Jowell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many organisations have tendered to deliver the programme of support for public sector mutuals. [46425]
Mr Hurd: Government will invest over £10 million to fund a programme of support for some of the most promising and innovative mutuals so that they reach the point of investment readiness. This programme is currently being developed. Therefore, no tender process has been undertaken to date.
Third Sector
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many civil servants have been engaged in the work of the big society ministerial group (a) through either secondment and (b) in addition to their usual duties; and how many such people are employed by (i) his Department, (ii) the Department for Communities and Local Government and (iii) the office of the Deputy Prime Minister. [46545]
Mr Hurd: The Cabinet Office estimates that providing secretariat to the IMG on big society and localism requires approximately 0.1 FTE at grade 5, 0.2 at Band A, and 0.15 at B2, along with minimal time at administration grades and within Minsters’ private offices. In addition, we estimate that preparation of a typical paper for the group requires approximately three working days at either Band A or B2 level; the Cabinet Office typically presents two papers at each IMG meeting. Secretariat and most papers for the IMG are provided by the Office for Civil Society; while OCS works closely on common issues with the ODPM, it has not so far commissioned papers from this unit for a meeting of the IMG.
DCLG estimate that the IMG requires less than 0.1 FTE at Grade 7, and less than 0.1 FTE at HEO. Time to prepare papers is similar to OCS estimates; DCLG typically presents one paper to each meeting of the IMG.
The IMG on big society and localism meets for the third time on 16 March 2011.
Third Sector: Finance
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what mechanisms he has put in place to evaluate the performance of his Department's Transition Fund for civil society organisations. [46543]
Mr Hurd: The Transition Fund is being monitored and evaluated by Big Fund, the delivery partner, against the programme outcome that:
“civil society organisations, which deliver high quality public services, are more resilient, agile and able to take opportunities presented by a changing funding environment”.
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Hazel Blears: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the potential effects of reductions in Government funding to the charities and voluntary sector on the level of employment in that sector. [47325]
Mr Hurd: The Government’s programme of reform will create significant new opportunities for the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector as we open up public service markets and make these markets more accessible to the sector.
Data are not available to enable the Department to forecast future levels of employment in the sector. However we continue to work closely with partners in the sector and across Government to assess and support the capacity of the sector.
Third Sector: Manpower
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of people he expects to be employed in the charitable and voluntary sector at the end of (a) March 2011 and (b) each subsequent financial year of the comprehensive spending review period. [46546]
Mr Hurd: The Government's programme of reform will create significant new opportunities for the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector as we open up public service markets and make these markets more accessible to the sector.
Data are not available to enable the Department to forecast future levels of employment in the sector. However we continue to work closely with partners in the sector and across Government to assess and support the capacity of the sector.
Third Sector: Redundancy Pay
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the proportion of the Transition Fund which will be spent on redundancy payments. [46544]
Mr Hurd: The Transition Fund is intended to help organisations make the necessary changes in order to thrive in the long term, for example by restructuring, developing a social enterprise arm and preparing for changes such as personal budgets. There have been over 1,700 applications to the Transition Fund and these are still being assessed by Big Fund, our delivery partner. It is not possible to say what proportion of the Transition Fund will be spent on redundancy payments but, given the focus of the fund, we do not expect it to be a significant amount.
Voluntary Organisations: Business
Esther McVey: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2011, Official Report, column 370W, on voluntary organisations, what recent assessment his Department has made of the progress made in establishing Business Connectors; and if he will make a statement. [44463]
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Mr Hurd: Business Connectors is a business-led initiative. Last autumn, Business in the Community (BITC) consulted with senior business leaders on what business sees as its role in supporting the Government’s vision of a big society. The clear response was that business can and wants to do more to engage and support local communities, and that the most successful business/community partnerships are based on individuals from business working with local civil society organisations.
In December, the Prime Minister challenged business to increase the number of these brokers or “business connectors”. BITC will shortly announce 20 pilot areas.
More information about Business Connectors can be found through Business in the Community:
www.bitc.org.uk
Esther McVey: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2011, Official Report, column 370W, on voluntary organisations, what recent assessment his Department has made of the progress made on the Every Business Counts initiative; and if he will make a statement. [44464]
Mr Hurd: The Prime Minister launched Every Business Commits in a speech on 2 December 2010, calling on businesses to help create a more sustainable and community-centred approach to doing business. Work on this initiative is being led by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), and the responsible Minister is the hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey).
BIS is working with networks of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to identify ways in which the Government can make it easier for business to respond to Every Business Commits. This includes identifying businesses' priorities for success and determining where barriers, such as regulation, can be removed. BIS is also talking to large businesses about how they can support SMEs through their own activity and supply chains.
Voluntary Organisations: Labour Turnover
Alun Michael: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the likely change in the number of jobs in the voluntary sector in the next three years. [43275]
Mr Hurd: The Government's programme of reform will create significant new opportunities for the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector as we open up public service markets and make these markets more accessible to the sector.
Data are not available to enable the Department to forecast future levels of employment in the sector. However, we continue to work closely with partners in the sector and across Government to assess and support the capacity of the sector.
Voluntary Work
Hazel Blears: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of trends in the level of volunteering in the last 10 years. [47326]
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Mr Hurd: The information requested is available in the Government’s Citizenship Survey. The survey shows the following levels of formal and informal volunteering once a month.
| Percentage of people participating in formal and informal volunteering (at least once a month) in England, by year | ||||||
| Percentage | ||||||
| 2001 | 2003 | 2005 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
Voluntary Work and Charitable Donations
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether his Department has a policy to encourage its employees to (a) volunteer and (b) donate via payroll giving. [43231]
Mr Hurd: Cabinet Office encourages all employees to (a) volunteer and (b) donate via payroll giving. Cabinet Office staff are eligible for up to five days special paid leave per year for volunteering activity. Staff are encouraged to donate via payroll giving through regular promotion, including as part of the induction of new staff.
Voluntary Work: Young People
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many young people he expects to participate in the National Citizen Service programme following its initial pilot scheme. [46547]
Mr Hurd: No decisions have been taken about the roll-out of National Citizen Service beyond the two-year pilot stage. Over 11,000 young people will have the opportunity to take part in pilot schemes in summer 2011, and a further 30,000 in summer 2012. An external evaluation of the pilots will inform decisions about the nature and scale of future roll-out. If the pilots are successful, we hope that over time NCS can be made available to all 16-year-olds who want to take part.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Armed Forces: Children
Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to help prevent the recruitment and deployment of child soldiers. [47310]
Mr Bellingham: We are committed to ending the recruitment and deployment of child soldiers. We apply diplomatic pressure to offending Governments and armed groups, as well as funding projects to help protect and rehabilitate vulnerable children. The UK is also a member of the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), which helps to lead the international response to the issue of child soldiers. This includes pressing armed groups to work with the UN to verify and release any child soldiers associated with them.
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British Overseas Territories: Official Visits
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to make an official visit to British Overseas Territories. [47442]
Mr Bellingham: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has no immediate plans to visit British Overseas Territories.
Since my appointment as Minister for the Overseas Territories, I have visited the Turks and Caicos Islands and Anguilla. I am keen to continue to visit Overseas Territories and plan to make further visits later this year, but it is not practice to announce these visits until they are confirmed.
China: Politics and Government
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise with his Chinese counterpart reports of unauthorised access by state officials to personal and business e-mail accounts operated by British news organisations in that country. [47240]
Mr Jeremy Browne: We have consistently raised the treatment of foreign media working in China with the Chinese authorities both bilaterally in London and Beijing and in conjunction with EU partners.
We are aware of reports of unauthorised access of e-mail accounts of representatives of the international media.
We oppose any form of pressure on or intimidation towards foreign media by Chinese authorities to influence their reporting. We have consistently called on Chinese authorities to observe their obligations on human rights under international law, including on freedom of speech, and will continue to do so.
Council of Europe
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK has participated in the Council of Europe's project on “Living together in 21st century Europe”; and what discussions Ministers have had with (a) the Council of Europe and (b) their member state counterparts on the project. [46847]
Mr Lidington: “Living Together in 21st Century Europe” is a report being prepared for the Council of Europe (CoE) by the CoE Group of Eminent Persons. This group consists of independent experts. Ministers have not discussed the forthcoming report (due for publication in May) within the CoE or with member state counterparts.
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Democratic Republic of Congo: Elections
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss with his counterpart in the Democratic Republic of Congo steps to ensure that (a) parliamentary and (b) presidential elections are held in that country in 2011. [47342]
Mr Bellingham: The Independent Election Commission in the Democratic Republic of Congo recently informed donor countries that technical delays in voter registration mean that one or both elections may now have to take place in early 2012. We continue to urge the authorities of the Democratic Republic of Congo to ensure that parliamentary and presidential elections are held in a timely, transparent manner, and that any changes to the electoral calendar are made constitutionally and in consultation with all parties.
Our ambassador recently met the President of the National Assembly and the Vice-Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo to express our concern over any delays to the electoral process, and will continue to raise the issue at the most senior levels.
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss with the Secretary General of the United Nations an extension to the UN mandate in the Democratic Republic of Congo until after free and fair parliamentary and presidential elections have taken place. [47343]
Mr Bellingham: The UN Organisation Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) mandate expires in June 2011 and its renewal is due to be discussed by the UN Security Council shortly. Under UN Security Council Resolution 1925, MONUSCO is mandated to provide logistical and technical support for the elections. The UK is clear that the priority for MONUSCO must be protection of civilians. Any decision related to drawdown of MONUSCO forces must be made by the UN Security Council on the basis of the situation on the ground.
Departmental Expenditure
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what expenditure (a) his Department and (b) each public body sponsored by his Department incurred on engaging external audit services in each of the last three years; and to which service providers such payments were made in each year. [43747]
Alistair Burt: Expenditure by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on engaging external audit services for the last three financial years was as follows:
| £000 | ||||
| Auditor | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
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| (1) Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Wilton Park; audit fee is a non-cash charge and therefore notional (2007-10). (2) FCO Services; notional cost only in 2007-08. | ||||
Departmental Leaseback Arrangements
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assets his Department has sold and leased back over the last 12 months; what the sale price was of each asset so sold; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of leasing back each such asset over the period of the lease. [45068]
Alistair Burt: Over the last 12 months the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not sold and leased back any assets in the UK.
Departmental Procurement
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many procurement projects with a monetary value greater than (a) £10 million, (b) £50 million and (c) £100 million (i) his Department and (ii) each non-departmental public body and agency for which he is responsible was engaged upon in the latest period for which figures are available. [45561]
Alistair Burt: The number of procurement projects within the three monetary value thresholds for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) are:
(a) £10 million: 12
(b) £50 million: 0
(c) £100 million: 0.
These projects cover the time period 2009-10 and 2010 to date. Their objectives were to improve the FCO's global operations and provide better value for money for the taxpayer. For example, the Echo project will deliver cheaper and better IT services to the FCO and other Government Departments and save up to £90 million, and will reduce flights, travel and carbon emissions through increased use of video conferencing. Other contracts include security guarding, close protection and police mentoring to help ensure the safety of our staff. All projects are subject to strict value for money criteria. There are no procurement projects that fall within the above criteria for Wilton Park and the non-departmental public bodies.
Regulation
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what regulations his Department revoked between 9 and 28 February 2011. [47058]
Alistair Burt: Regulations are a specific type of statutory instrument. They are very rarely sponsored by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office did not revoke any secondary legislation between 9 and 28 February 2011.
Egypt: Politics and Government
Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the plans of the Government of Egypt for a democratic settlement in that country. [47181]
Alistair Burt: We welcome the appointment of the new Egyptian Prime Minister and his Government. The recent Cabinet re-shuffle has introduced many new faces into the Egyptian Government. The constitutional referendum due to take place this Saturday is another significant and important development. We encourage the Egyptian Government to continue to consider wider constitutional reform in due course.
During my visit to Egypt from 9 to 11 March 2011, I met the Prime Minister and other members of the Government, and encouraged them to work out a public timetable for elections to allow for the development of effective political parties. A key first step to this action will be a new law on political parties. We understand that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces will issue just such a law shortly after the referendum. We will continue to urge the Egyptian Government to engage in meaningful dialogue with opposition and activist groups to build trust with them so as to enable the aspirations of the people to be realised.
Human Rights
Jeremy Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on which occasions human rights issues have been raised with the Government
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of
(a)
Morocco,
(b)
Tunisia,
(c)
Algeria,
(d)
Libya,
(e)
Egypt,
(f)
Yemen,
(g)
Saudi Arabia and
(h)
Bahrain by staff of his Department since June 2010. [46960]
Alistair Burt [holding answer 16 March 2011]: As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has made clear, the Government are committed to promoting human rights around the world.
Our high commissions and embassies have a responsibility to monitor and raise human rights in their host countries. They routinely raise our concerns with other governments and where possible, take action on individual cases where persecution or discrimination has occurred and lobby for changes in discriminatory practices and laws. The Government are in close cooperation with our EU and international partners to improve human rights across the world.
In June 2010, we raised our concerns with the Libyan Government about reports of human rights abuses at migrant detention centres and the temporary closure of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees office in Tripoli. We also raised on numerous occasions during last year a number of individual cases, including that of a British national who was held in incommunicado detention in Libya for five months until August 2010.
On 21 February 2011, the Permanent Under-Secretary, Simon Fraser, summoned the Libyan ambassador to underline the Government's grave concerns about the recent violence in Libya and Britain's clear condemnation of the unacceptable use of force against protestors in Libya. On 16 March 2011, the Permanent Under-Secretary called the ambassador to the Foreign Office to emphasise the UK's profound concern about the Libyan regime's ongoing attacks on civilians stating that perpetrators of such violence will be held to account. He also expressed concern about the continued harassment and detention of journalists in Libya.
We have also raised our concerns about human rights in Libya in international fora. In November 2010, we made a statement at Libya's Universal Periodic Review in which we raised a number of concerns, including freedom of expression, arbitrary detention and the incidence of torture. In response to serious human rights violations in Libya in February 2011, the UK drove through a UN Security Council resolution, which was passed with unanimous support and, as well as imposing sanctions, referred Libya to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. We also led on Human Rights Council resolution 15/2 that mandated a Commission of Inquiry to investigate alleged violations of international human rights law in Libya and played a key role in Libya's suspension from the Council on 1 March 2011.
In Egypt, we have raised human rights issues on a number of occasions, including during the UK-Egypt Strategic Dialogue in January 2011, with the Egyptian Assistant Minister for Human Rights in June and September 2010, during the electoral period in November and December 2010, and throughout the recent revolution.
Discussions on human rights form part of the Annual Strategic Dialogue between the UK and Algeria as well as a core component of the EU Association Agreement and discussions within the UN.
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The issue of human rights formed a core component of both the EU Association Agreement and Advanced Status negotiations with the previous Tunisian Government. The issue has been an integral part of discussions with the present Government, both here in London and in Tunisia, as they implement a series of reforms in their move towards an open democratic society.
Discussions on human rights form a core component of the EU Association Agreement with Morocco. Senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have also raised human rights issues regularly with our Moroccan counterparts.
In Bahrain our ambassador has raised repeatedly with the Government of Bahrain since June 2010 the need to investigate transparently allegations of abuse of detainees; the need to respect freedom of expression; and the dismissal of the Board of the Bahrain Human Rights Society.
Embassy officials in Riyadh met the President of the Saudi Human Rights Commission in June 2010 and January 2011 to discuss human rights. The UK supported EU officials in November 2010 in raising the case of a Sri Lankan national sentenced to death. Our embassy raises human rights as part of their regular meetings with the Saudi Government.
Our ambassador in Sana'a and senior visiting officials raised concerns about media restrictions with the Yemeni Government in February this year. In September and December 2010 the UK participated in EU demarches concerning freedom of expression and the death penalty. Human rights form part of the agreed deliverables for the Friends of Yemen group in New York on 27 September 2010. With reports of human rights violations during recent protests we have voiced our concerns directly to senior Yemeni Ministers.
Indonesia: Foreign Relations
Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the state of relations between the UK and Indonesia; and if he will make a statement. [47334]
Mr Jeremy Browne: Relations between the UK and Indonesia continue to strengthen as Indonesia consolidates its economic and political development. Our co-operation with Indonesia spans a wide range of activities including regional peace and security, trade and investment, the economy, climate change and counter-terrorism. The UK is the third largest investor in Indonesia and we are working hard to enhance our links in this area.
The Indonesian Government have made significant efforts in recent years to entrench democratic reforms and good governance. Challenges remain but we believe the best way to consolidate progress is through enhanced engagement.
Libya: British Nationals Abroad
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to request any payment from oil companies in respect of the cost of evacuating workers from oil fields in Libya. [44235]
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Alistair Burt: In an evacuation, the Government will pay for transport out of the affected country, if there are no commercial means available. In line with this policy, on 23 February 2011, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs agreed with the Chancellor of the Exchequer that there should be no charging for any aspect of our charter or evacuation operations from Libya.
Many oil companies operating in Libya rightly took responsibility for evacuating their own staff where they could. Some oil workers were able to leave Libya across land borders with neighbouring countries. We therefore focused our efforts on British nationals in places where self-evacuation was not an option and it was too dangerous for the oil companies to conduct their own operations.
Libya: Higher Education
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has (a) had any discussions with and (b) provided any assistance to British universities in securing (i) contracts and (ii) financial support from Libya in the last 10 years. [46074]
Alistair Burt: I refer my hon. Friend to the response given to him by the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the hon. Member for Hertford and Stortford (Mr Prisk) on 15 March 2011, Official Report, column 306W.
Middle East: Politics and Government
Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Iranian Government on measures to increase the level of stability in the middle east and the Gulf. [47180]
Alistair Burt: We have repeatedly urged Iran to work with the international community to build a stable and secure future for the region. Unfortunately Iran's current behaviour, including support for militant groups throughout the region, is at odds with its claim to support stability. We are deeply concerned by the latest evidence that Iran continues to supply the Taliban with weaponry.
We remain gravely concerned by Iran's nuclear programme, which is a serious source of instability in the middle east. We remain committed to a diplomatic solution but Iran must show it is serious about addressing international concerns or face increasing international isolation and pressure.
Overseas Aid
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the monetary value of all of his Department’s expenditure in each individual country in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12. [40310]
Mr Hague:
Foreign and Commonwealth Office administration costs for 2009-10 and 2010-11 is found in the following table. 2010-11 figures contain actual and forecast expenditure. 2011-12 details cannot be provided as we are still finalising budgets. Programme expenditure by country, some of which is paid directly
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from the UK but spent by project implementers in the countries where we run projects, is not held centrally and therefore could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
| £ | ||
| Country | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
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Patrol Craft: EU Grants and Loans
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to apply for funding for maritime patrol aircraft under the EU External Borders Fund. [46416]
Damian Green: I have been asked to reply.
The UK is excluded from the External Borders Fund as it builds on the part of the Schengen Agreement, in which the UK does not participate.
Peacekeeping Operations
Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the circumstances in which UK armed forces should be committed for the purpose of keeping internal order in another country. [47182]
Mr Lidington: The Strategic Defence and Security Review set out the Government's position on the use of the armed forces. We will deploy them where key UK interests are at stake, where we have a clear strategic aim, where the likely political, economic and human costs are in proportion to the likely benefits, where we have a viable exit strategy, and where justifiable under international law. Decisions on individual deployments will be a matter for discussion in the National Security Council.
Qatar: Trade Agreements
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to reach trade agreements with other countries following the model of the recent agreement with the Government of Qatar. [45377]
Mr Prisk: I have been asked to reply.
Following the signature of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Business, Trade and Technical Co-operation with Qatar in October 2010, we have signed a similar MOU with the Kuwaiti Government in February 2011. There are no other similar MOUs planned at this time.
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Somalia: Politics and Government
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Somalia; and what reports he has received of the (a) capture of Bulo Hawo and (b) recent deaths of African Union peacekeepers. [46415]
Mr Bellingham: The political situation in Somalia remains fragile and we continue to work with the Transitional Federal Government and our international and regional partners to take forward the UN-led Djibouti Peace Process. We have made clear to the Transitional Federal Institutions that there can be no extension of their mandate without reform to make them more legitimate and representative in the eyes of the Somali people. We are aware of the recent fighting in and around Bulo Hawo and are watching developments closely, particularly any impacts on the humanitarian situation in the area.
I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the professionalism, commitment and bravery of the African Union peacekeeping troops in Somalia. We regret the recent deaths of troops of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and have sent our condolences to the Governments of Burundi and Uganda. The UK fully supports AMISOM in its efforts to create secure space in Mogadishu. We have recently announced a £2 million contribution to the UN Trust Fund for AMISOM in support of its efforts.
Sri Lanka: Human Rights
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the level of independence of Sri Lanka’s Human Rights Commission. [44422]
Alistair Burt: The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights downgraded Sri Lanka’s Human Rights Commission status in 2007. This changed the status from one of full compliance with the Paris Principles:
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/parisprinciples.htm
to one of not full compliance and reflected concerns over its political and financial independence.
New Human Rights Commissioners have recently been appointed, in accordance with the 18(th) amendment to Sri Lanka’s constitution, which was passed in 2010. Upon the passing of the 18(th) amendment we expressed our concern that the new appointment procedures as outlined, including for the Human Rights Commission, risked further weakening public trust in the independence of key institutions.
We have raised with the Sri Lankan Government the importance of having an effective Human Rights Commission. We will monitor the work of the newly constituted Commission.
Women and Equalities
Equality
Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what steps she plans to take to introduce (a) the recommendations of the recent meeting of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council and (b) the European Pact for Gender Equality; and what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse in implementing each. [47005]
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Lynne Featherstone: The recent meeting of Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council considered two items of particular relevance. It took note of the annual report on progress towards equality between women and men 2010. This report acknowledges areas where progress has been made, both at national and European level. This report was for information only and no action is required.
The Council also adopted Council Conclusions on the European Pact for Gender Equality (2011-2020). This Pact reaffirmed the Council’s intention to make progress on gender equality, particularly with regard to closing the gender gaps in employment and social protection; promoting better work-life balance for women and men; and combating all forms of violence against women. The Government are already taking comprehensive action in these areas, such as voluntary pay reporting and our Violence Against Women Action Plan. We are therefore not required to take additional action to implement the Gender Pact, and the additional implementation costs arising from the pact are nil.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Apprentices
Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of apprenticeships which will be created in (a) Bedford constituency and (b) England in the next 12 months. [45393]
Mr Hayes: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Southend West (Mr Amess) on 16 March 2011, Official Report, column reference 432W.
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) apprenticeship and (b) advanced apprenticeship starts there were in (i) Southend West constituency, (ii) the Southend borough council area and (iii) the Essex county council area (A) in total and (B) in each sector in each of the last five years; and what proportion of each were (1) men and (2) women. [45514]
Mr Hayes: I will place the relevant data tables in the Libraries of the House.
We only hold information at region, local education authority and parliamentary constituency levels of geography. Information on the number of apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 27 January at:
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statistical firstrelease/sfr_current
Credit Cards: Fees and Charges
Mr David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects the Office of Fair Trading to complete its investigation into surcharges for credit and debit card purchases. [47117]
Mr Davey:
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is not currently investigating the surcharges for credit and debit card purchases. However it expects to receive a super-complaint on surcharges from Which? at the end of March. The OFT will consider the evidence submitted
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and undertake whatever work is necessary to establish the extent, if any, of the alleged problems. The OFT must then publish a response within 90 days from the day after which the super-complaint was received stating what action, if any, it proposes to take in response to the complaint and giving the reasons behind its decision. In some cases, it may be possible to resolve the concerns and propose remedies within the 90-day period but, in more complex cases, further work may be called for.
Departmental Rail Travel
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of civil servants in his Department are entitled to travel first class by rail within the UK. [46778]
Mr Davey: All staff are asked to give full consideration to the class of travel they use and the expectation is that staff will make official journeys at the lowest cost and using standard class of travel.
Under the current travel policy however for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) all staff in grades senior executive officer to senior civil service have a contractual entitlement to travel first class by rail within the UK. This represents 1,436 staff and equates to 53% of BIS staff.
Staff who have a contractual entitlement have been asked to reflect on whether they exercise this right before booking any travel at first class. First class rail travel from December 2010 to February 2011 represented 3% of the total journeys taken by the Department.
Regulation
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what regulations his Department has repealed between 4 February and 28 February 2011. [45982]
Mr Prisk: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Vale of Glamorgan (Alun Cairns) on 16 March 2011, Official Report, column 433W.
English Language: Education
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Brighton, Pavilion constituency, his assessment of the effects of his Department's policy of removing funding for English for Speakers of Other Languages learners for people on benefits other than jobseeker's allowance and employment and support allowance in the work-related activity group; [46346]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of English for Speakers of other Languages (ESOL) learners who receive benefits in the Brighton and Hove area who received ESOL funding during the current academic year who would not receive funding under the proposals in his Department's Further Education—New Horizon: Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth strategy; [46347]
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(3) what the definition is of the cohort referred to by the phrase “co-funding for those who are settled here” in the ESOL section of his Department's strategy document, Further Education—New Horizon: Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth; [46348]
(4) whether he has sought information from providers of courses of English for Speakers of Other Languages on (a) expected changes in the level of fees for their courses in the next academic year and (b) the reasons for such changes; and if he will make a statement. [46349]
Mr Hayes: The Equality Impact Assessment published alongside “Skills for Sustainable Growth” (November 2010) found that, at the aggregate level, there are unlikely to be disproportionate impacts on protected groups. A separate assessment of how the changes may affect English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) learners is currently being carried out by this Department, and I expect to be able to publish the assessment in due course. At the local level, colleges and training organisations are best placed to work with their communities to identify particularly vulnerable learners as a part of their business planning and local engagement.
In the 2009/10 academic year, 1,310 adult learners in Brighton and Hove local education authority participated in Government-funded ESOL courses; 700 were in receipt of full Government funding from the Adult Learner Responsive funding stream. From August, full Government funding will be provided for unemployed people in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance or in the employment and support allowance (work-related activity) group, and this will include ESOL courses where English language skills have been identified as a barrier to entering employment. We will continue to pay 50% of ESOL course fees for people who are settled here. We will no longer fund ESOL courses delivered in the workplace.
Eligibility for full or part public funded ESOL provision is set out in the Skills Funding Agency's learner eligibility criteria, which is based on a person's ordinary residence. For funding purposes, the agency regards an ordinarily resident any person who habitually, normally and lawfully resides from choice and for a settled purpose in England. Full learner eligibility guidance can be found on the Skills Funding Agency and YPLA website:
http://readingroom.ypla.gov.uk/ypla/agency-leg2010-11-version1aon12-04-2010.pdf
As autonomous bodies, further education (FE) colleges and training providers are responsible for their fees policies. We have introduced increased freedoms and flexibilities for FE colleges and providers providing them with increased flexibility to respond to the needs of their communities.
Further Education: Learner Support Fund
Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he proposes to permit further education colleges to distribute funds from the Learner Support Fund to students aged 19 and over. [47329]
Mr Hayes: Further education colleges currently distribute discretionary learner support funds to students aged 19 and over. The future arrangements for administering these funds are under consideration and announcements will be made in due course.
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Green Investment Bank: Interest Rates
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on the mechanism for setting the interest rates for the Green Investment Bank; and if he will make a statement. [46273]
Mr Prisk: In the course of setting up the bank we have received a number of representations as to its business and operating model. I will be making a detailed announcement in May.
Green Investment Bank: Scotland
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many meetings he has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland on the Green Investment Bank; and on which date each meeting took place. [46184]
Mr Prisk: To date the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has had one meeting with the Secretary of State for Scotland on the Green Investment Bank on the 26 January 2011.
Local Enterprise Partnerships: Internet
Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many local enterprise partnerships have websites. [47158]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 16 March 2011]: Currently nine local enterprise partnerships have bespoke websites. Other local enterprise partnerships are using local authority or existing partnership websites to share information.
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Northwest Regional Development Agency
Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has made an assessment of the (a) cost to the public purse and (b) effect on employment levels in the north-west of the transfer to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of responsibility for the Northwest Regional Development Agency's rural development programme. [45800]
Mr Paice: I have been asked to reply.
There are limited costs as a result of the transfer of responsibility to deliver elements of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) from regional development agencies to DEFRA, primarily as a result of some IT and accommodation moves. These will be met from DEFRA's existing administrative RDPE budget, including costs related to the transfer of responsibilities from the Northwest Regional Development Agency. Efficiencies arising from these transfers are expected to contribute towards the savings currently anticipated under that programme as part of the Department's spending review settlement.
Employees of the Northwest Regional Development Agency who currently administer the delivery of the rural development programme have the right to transfer into DEFRA under the terms of the Cabinet Office Statement of Practice on staff transfers. The RDPE delivery will continue to be focussed on improving agricultural competitiveness and supporting rural businesses, including those in the north-west.