Driving Offences: Fines
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many fixed penalty notices were issued for vehicle insurance offences in each police authority area in each of the last five years; [65494]
(2) how many fixed penalty notices were issued for vehicle registration and excise offences in each police authority area in each of the last five years. [65495]
James Brokenshire: Available data from 2005 to 2009 (latest published data) are provided in the table.
Data for 2010 are scheduled for publication April 2012.
| Number of substantive fixed penalty notices issued for various offences, by police force area, England and Wales 2005-09 | ||||||||||
| Offence description | Vehicle insurance offences | Vehicle registration and excise licence offences | ||||||||
| Police force area | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
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18 July 2011 : Column 658W
| (1) Figure for vehicle insurance offences for 2008 to be reviewed. (2) Figure for vehicle insurance offences for 2008 revised since original publication. | ||||||||||
Entry Clearances: Indian Subcontinent
Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long on average the British high commission in (a) India, (b) Pakistan, (c) Bangladesh and (d) Sri Lanka took to process a visit visa application in the latest period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement. [66208]
Damian Green: The information requested is shown in the following table:
| Average days to process | |||
| Location | Family visit | Other visitor | All visits |
| Notes: 1. Figures are for the period April 2010 to March 2011. 2. The data are based on management information. They are provisional and subject to change. | |||
Entry Clearances: Mongolia
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many (a) student and (b) tourist visas her Department has issued to Mongolian nationals in each of the last five years; [66660]
18 July 2011 : Column 659W
(2) how many visa applications made by Mongolian nationals were refused in each of the last five years. [66643]
Damian Green: The information requested by my hon. Friend about visa applications from Mongolian nationals in each of the last five years is shown in the following table:
| Visa applications from Mongolian nationals 2006-10 | |||
|
|
Visa applications refused | Tourist visas issued (1) | Student visas issued (2) |
18 July 2011 : Column 660W
| (1 )General visitors only, excluding family and special types of visitors. (2) Includes visas issued under PBS Tier 4 which was introduced in 2008. Note: This information is based on management information. It is provisional and subject to change. |
Fixed Penalties: Noise
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fixed penalty notices for noise offences were issued in each police authority area in each of the last 10 years. [65759]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 12 July 2011]: Available data from 2000 to 2009 (latest published data) are provided in the table.
Data for 2010 are scheduled for publication in April 2012.
| Number of substantive fixed penalty notices issued for noise offences, by police force area, England and Wales 2000 - 09 | ||||||||||
| Police force area | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
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Hillsborough Independent Panel
Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the budget is for the Hillsborough Independent Panel; how much expenditure has been incurred; and when she expects the work of the panel to be completed. [60387]
James Brokenshire: As at the end of the financial year 2010-11, expenditure of £2.07 million has been incurred. I understand that the Bishop of Liverpool, the chairman of the Hillsborough Independent Panel, expects to be able to complete the work of the panel in spring 2012 and within the initial budget estimate of £4 million to £6 million.
Human Trafficking: Domestic Service
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases accepted for consideration as victims of trafficking by the national referral mechanism were trafficked into domestic servitude in the latest period for which figures are available. [66478]
Damian Green: Between 1 April 2009 and 13 July 2011, 290 cases were referred to the national referral mechanism (NRM) as potential victims of trafficking for domestic servitude.
Of the 290 referrals that have had a decision, 167 cases have a positive reasonable grounds decision, of which 79 have a positive conclusive grounds decision.
Khat
Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will estimate the number of reported criminal offences that have been linked to the use of khat in the last three years. [64755]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 11 July 2011]: The Home Office has not made an estimate of the number of reported criminal offences that have been linked to the use of khat. Although the Home Office collects data on the number of recorded criminal offences, it is not possible to link these data to the use of khat.
National Public Order Intelligence Unit
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will instruct Her Majesty’s inspectorate of constabulary, as part of its inquiry into how intelligence that supports the policing of protest involving criminal activity is prioritised, gathered, assessed and managed by the National Public Order Intelligence Unit (NPOIU), (1) to examine and report on (a) the role of the NPOIU in the disclosure of evidence critical to a defence, (b) the time at which evidence critical to a defence was received by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and (c) the nature of discussions between the NPOIU and the CPS on the (i) timing and (ii) appropriateness of such disclosure; [64410]
(2) to examine and report on the policy of supervising officers on (a) sexual activity and (b) illegal drug use by undercover officers; [64411]
(3) to examine and report on the policy of the NPOIU on the use of undercover officers in relation to groups which do not espouse or practise violence; and if she will make a statement on her policy on such matters. [64412]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 7 July 2011]: In January 2011, Her Majesty’s inspectorate of constabulary (HMIC) announced that it would carry out a review of the work conducted by the National Domestic Extremism Units, including consideration of how they manage intelligence. The terms of reference for the review have been published on their website. The Home Office will consider conclusions of the review in due course.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is carrying out a separate independent investigation into disclosure issues around specific cases. The Director of Public Prosecution has also commissioned a separate review of the Crown Prosecution Service decisions on this specific case.
North Yorkshire Police Authority: Finance
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the North Yorkshire Police Authority spent in (a) cash and (b) real terms in (i) 2005-06 and (ii) each subsequent year. [65930]
James Brokenshire: While the Government provides core police funding, spending decisions are made locally by the chief constables and police authorities. Data on expenditure are not collected centrally. However, these data are published annually by The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA).
North Yorkshire Police: Manpower
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time equivalent (a) police officers, (b) police community support officers and (c) police civilian staff were employed by North Yorkshire police force in (i) May 2010 and (ii) the latest period for which figures are available. [65602]
James Brokenshire: Figures are not collected for May 2010. As at 31 March 2010, there were 1,486 police officers, 198 police community support officers and 1,158 police civilian staff employed in the North Yorkshire police force.
The latest published figures show that as at 30 September 2010, there were 1,452 police officers, 187 police community support officers and 1,153 police civilian staff employed in the North Yorkshire police force.
These figures are full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number.
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Police
Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the average daily proportion of time spent on patrol by police officers in each of the last 10 years. [53455]
James Brokenshire: The measure of patrol refers only to time when an officer is patrolling but engaged in no other duty. Activity (such as advice to a member of the public) carried out while on patrol is recorded separately. The percentage of time spent on patrol therefore appears low and it is misleading to look at this element in isolation from other activities. Under this measure, officers spent 13.8% of their time on patrol in 2007-08 (the last year for which data are available) compared with between 13.6% and 15.3% in the four preceding years.
Data were not collected before 2003 and have not been collected since 2007-08.
The estimated proportion of time spent on patrol by officers over the course of a two week period police are given in the following table.
| Year (1) | Time spent on patrol (2) (percentage) |
| (1) Data were not collected before 2003. The information is taken from activity analysis, which is collected by all forces over a two-week period in each year and provides a snapshot of how officers are deployed. (2) Includes officers on foot/car/beat patrol, CID and traffic officers. (3) Data were not collected before 2003. (4 )Excluding Staffordshire. | |
Police: Accountability
Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to publish the proposals for secondary legislation governing the procedures for election of police commissioners. [65520]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 14 July 2011]:The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill is currently before Parliament. Secondary legislation will follow Royal Assent.
Police: Bureaucracy
Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made on the standardisation of forms used by police forces in England and Wales. [58279]
James Brokenshire: The Government are working closely with the Reducing Bureaucracy Programme Board, chaired by Chief Constable Chris Sims, to cut police bureaucracy. As part of this work, where bureaucracy can be reduced through the standardisation of police forms the Board will take action.
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Police: Conditions of Employment
Mr Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on serving police officers being authorised to undertake other paid employment in their own time. [66219]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 14 July 2011]: It is for chief officers to approve or refuse applications by serving police officers for business interests or additional employment. The Police Regulations 2003 place restrictions on the private lives of police officers designed to secure the proper exercise of the functions of a constable. Guidance on the management of business interests and additional occupations for police officers has been issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers.
Probation: Information and Communications Technology
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to the public purse was, at current prices, of the Probation Office's IT systems upgrade and case records and management system (Crams). [65630]
Mr Blunt: I have been asked to reply.
Rollout of the National Probation Service Information Systems Strategy (NPSISS), for a common high quality information technology infrastructure and a case recording and management system (CRAMS) across probation services in England and Wales, commenced in 1995. Costs for NPSISS and CRAMS were reported in a National Audit Office Report on “The Implementation of the National Probation Service Information Systems Strategy”, published on 23 April 2001. This stated full anticipated economic costs of NPSISS infrastructure, support and CRAMS, together with expenditure by individual probation services on supplementary equipment and software, as £125 million by the end of 2001. This figure is at 2001 prices: a more precise calculation of the monetary value of CRAMS at current prices could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Terrorism: Greater London
Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to publish her response to Lady Justice Hallett's report under rule 43 of the Coroner's Rules 1984 relating to the coroner's inquests into the London bombings of 7 July 2005; and if she will make a statement. [66463]
James Brokenshire: Under the coroners Rules 1984, it is for the coroner to provide a copy of the Government response to the Lord Chancellor and to any person she has designated an Interested Person in the inquests' proceedings. It is also for her to provide it to anyone who she believes may find it useful or of interest. It is then for the Lord Chancellor to consider publishing the responses to the inquests report, including the Government response.
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Under these rules, I cannot make any substantive statement on the response until publication, but once this has taken place my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department will make a statement to the House.
Travel Requirements
Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussion she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on changes to limits on travel within the EU and the implications of any such change for travel to and from the Irish Republic. [63385]
Damian Green: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department has not had any discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on this issue.
UK Border Agency: Redundancy
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the potential effects of proposed job reductions at the UK Border Agency on (a) levels of illegal immigration and (b) other security threats at UK borders. [65591]
Damian Green: The priority of the UK Border Agency (UKBA) remains to secure the border and to control migration while it plays its part in reducing the public deficit. The Agency will be smaller, but more efficient, and we believe it will still be able to deliver its commitments. This is set out in the Agency's Business Plan, UKBA Business Plan 2011-15.
Violent and Sex Offender Register: Offences Against Children
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on the inclusion on the sex offender register of those convicted of offences related to the sexual abuse of children. [65153]
Lynne Featherstone: Schedule 3 to the Sexual Offences Act 2003 clearly sets out the offences that will make an individual subject to the notification requirements (commonly referred to as the Sex Offenders' register). This schedule includes a number of offences which relate to sexually harmful behaviour towards children.
Cabinet Office
Deaths: Cancer
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the mortality rate of cancer patients in (a) Barnsley Central, (b) South Cambridgeshire and (c) Witney constituency in the latest period for which figures are available. [66174]
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 July 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what estimate has been made of the mortality rate of cancer patients in (a) Barnsley Central, (b) South Cambridgeshire and (c) Witney constituency in the latest period for which figures are available. (66174)
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The table following provides the age-standardised mortality rate per 100,000 population, where the underlying cause of death was cancer, for persons in (a) Barnsley Central parliamentary constituency, (b) South Cambridgeshire parliamentary constituency and (c) Witney parliamentary constituency, for 2009 (the latest year available).
It is not possible from the information given at death registration to state whether the deceased was a patient at the time of death.
| Table 1: Age-standardised mortality rate per 100,000 population, where cancer was the underlying cause of death, Barnsley Central, South Cambridgeshire, and Witney parliamentary constituencies, 2009 (1, 2, 3, 4) | |||
| Rate per 100,000 population | |||
| 95% Confidence interval | |||
| Parliamentary constituency | Rate | Lower limit | Upper limit |
| (1) Age-standardised mortality rates per 100,000 population, standardised to the European Standard Population. Age-standardised rates are used to allow comparison between populations which may contain different proportions of people of different ages. (2) Confidence intervals are a measure of the statistical precision of an estimate and show the range of uncertainty around the estimated figure. Calculations based on small numbers of events are often subject to random fluctuations. As a general rule, if the confidence interval around one figure overlaps with the interval around another, we cannot say with certainty that there is more than a chance difference between the two figures. (3) Cause of death for cancer was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes C00-C97 (malignant neoplasms). (4) Figures are for deaths registered in 2009. | |||
Departmental Manpower
Mr Redwood: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people have been (a) recruited and (b) made redundant from (i) his Department and (ii) each non-departmental body for which he is responsible since May 2010. [66331]
Mr Maude: All Departments and their non-departmental bodies are subject to the civil service-wide freeze on external recruitment. By exception only, after ministerial approval is given, Departments may recruit externally to fill high priority, business critical vacancies. The numbers of staff recruited externally by the Cabinet Office and its non-departmental bodies during 2010-11 are as follows:
Cabinet Office: 33
The Boundary Commission: 0
National School of Government: 2
The Civil Service Commission: 0.
Both the Commission for the Compact and Capacitybuilders ceased operations on 31 March 2011. Information on recruitment is no longer available for these organisations.
The Cabinet Office's other NDPBs during 2010-11 are advisory bodies whose work is supported by Cabinet Office staff. Information is therefore included in figures for the Cabinet Office overall:
Advisory Committee on Business Appointments
Civil Service Appeal Board
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Committee on Standards in Public Life
House of Lords Appointments Commission
Main Honours Advisory Committee
Office of the Third Sector Advisory Board
Security Commission
Security Vetting Appeals Panel
Senior Salaries Review Body.
Individual Departments and agencies are responsible for making civil servants redundant, and the information requested is not currently recorded centrally. However, Departments will be reporting information about the numbers and costs of their redundancies and other early exits in their Resource Accounts this year.
New compensation terms were introduced in December 2010. Severance pay is now calculated on the basis of one month's pay per year of service to a maximum of 21 months' pay on voluntary exits and a maximum of 12 months' pay on compulsory redundancy. Additional capping and tapering apply where individuals are over, or very close to, pension age. The changes were introduced to make the scheme more affordable.
Departmental Redundancy
Mr Redwood: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much (a) his Department and (b) each non-departmental body for which he is responsible has spent on redundancies since May 2010. [66348]
Mr Maude: Individual Departments and agencies are responsible for making civil servants redundant, and the information requested is not currently recorded centrally. However, Departments will be reporting information about the numbers and costs of their redundancies and other early exits in their Resource Accounts this year.
New compensation terms were introduced in December 2010. Severance pay is now calculated on the basis of one month's pay per year of service to a maximum of 21 months' pay on voluntary exits and a maximum of 12 months' pay on compulsory redundancy. Additional capping and tapering apply where individuals are over, or very close to, pension age. The changes were introduced to make the scheme more affordable.
Employment: Romania
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Romanian nationals are in employment in the UK. [66833]
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 July 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many Romanian nationals are employed in the UK. 66833
According to the Labour Force Survey (LFS), the number of Romanian nationals employed in the UK was estimated to be 57,000 for the period January to March 2011.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
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Government Departments: Carbon Emissions
Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the carbon dioxide emissions from the Government estate in (a) June 2010 and (b) June 2011. [66652]
Mr Maude: Between 14 May 2010 and 13 May 2011 Government delivered a reduction of 13.8% in carbon dioxide emissions from its office estate. Under the Green Government commitments it is now committed to deliver a 25% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2014-15.
It is estimated that from the office estate for June 2010 Government non-weather corrected emissions amounted to some 52,907 tonnes carbon dioxide. Departments are yet to fully report their emissions for June 2011.
Government Departments: Solar Power
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will discuss with ministerial colleagues the potential to fit solar panels to the roofs of buildings for which they are responsible; and if he will make a statement. [66461]
Mr Maude: Government reduced its carbon emissions from the office estate by 13.8% in the 12 months to May 2011. Departments have deployed a wide range of technologies, including solar panels, to reduce their demand on energy. It is for each department to decide on the most cost effective measures to achieve their ongoing carbon reduction commitments.
Hewlett Packard
Mrs Glindon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent discussions he has had with representatives of (a) Hewlett Packard, (b) trade unions and (c) the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the application by Hewlett Packard to transfer offshore elements of its Adams 2 contract with central Government; and if he will make a statement. [65836]
Mr Maude: I have had no recent discussions with Hewlett Packard Enterprise Services (HPES) or trade unions on the application to transfer offshore elements of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Adams 2 contract. I have discussed this application with ministerial colleagues and officials in DWP. DWP has an existing contract for IT services with HPES which already makes provision for delivery of services from non-UK locations. DWP is currently in discussion with HPES regarding future Adams 2 plans. These discussions have not yet been concluded and specific proposals are not yet complete.
Hewlett Packard: Department for Work and Pensions
Mrs Glindon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether he has had discussions with representatives of (a) Hewlett Packard and (b) trade unions on the company's applications to transfer offshore elements of the Adams 2 contract with the Department for Work and Pensions; and when he expects a decision to be taken on this application. [66987]
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Mr Maude: I have had no recent discussions with Hewlett Packard Enterprise Services (HPES) or trade unions on the application to transfer offshore elements of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Adams 2 contract. The DWP has an existing contract for IT services with HPES which already makes provision for delivery of services from non-UK locations. DWP is currently in discussion with HPES regarding future Adams 2 plans. These discussions have not yet been concluded and specific proposals are not yet complete.
New Businesses: Redditch
Karen Lumley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many business start-ups there have been in Redditch constituency in each of the last three years. [67494]
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 July 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many business start-ups there have been in Redditch constituency in each of the last three years. [67494]
Annual statistics on the number of enterprise births are available from 2002 onwards in the ONS release on Business Demography at:
www.statistics.gov.uk
The table below contains the latest statistics available, which give the number of enterprise births there have been in Redditch constituency in each year since 2007.
| Count of enterprise births in the constituency of Redditch from 2007-09 | |
| Redditch | |
Non-departmental Public Bodies
Margot James: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many non-departmental public bodies (a) are operational and (b) were operational in May 2010; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of bodies in each such category in the latest period for which figures are available; [66268]
(2) how many non-departmental public bodies have been established in each of the last three financial years. [66270]
Mr Maude: Summary information on the size and spend of the non-departmental public body (NDPB) sector published by the Cabinet Office shows that on 31 March 2009 there were 766 NDPBs and that executive NDPBs received over £38 billion directly from the Government. Information for 2010 and 2011 will be published in due course.
Margot James: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many non-departmental public bodies have been (a) abolished since May 2010 and (b) earmarked for abolition in 2011-12. [66269]
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Mr Maude: To date Departments have reported that 45 public bodies from within the scope of the public bodies review are now no longer an NDPB, or where appropriate a non-ministerial department or public corporation. The next status check is due at the end of July 2011.
Police: Business Interests
Helen Goodman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether former senior police officers are required to clear with the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments in the Cabinet Office any contractual arrangements with external organisations contemplated within a specified period of leaving office. [66095]
Mr Maude: The business appointment rules, operated by the Cabinet Office and the independent Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, apply to former Ministers, civil servants, and members of the diplomatic service, intelligence agencies, and the armed forces. Police officers are not subject to these rules.
Leader of the House
Electronic Government: Petitions
Annette Brooke: To ask the Leader of the House when he expects his proposed online petitions system to be operational. [66819]
Sir George Young: The Government e-petitions system will be launched shortly. Petitions which reach 100,000 signatures will be communicated to the relevant departmental Select Committee, and to the Backbench Business Committee who will want to consider such petitions for debate.
International Development
Africa: Marriage
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make representations to the Government of (a) Mali, (b) Benin, (c) Burkino Faso and (d) Niger on (i) raising the minimum legal age of marriage for women and (ii) setting equal minimum ages of marriage for men and women. [66125]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: Investing in adolescent girls, including raising the age of marriage and first pregnancy, is at the heart of DFID’s strategic vision for girls and women.
Whilst DFID does not have bilateral programmes or representation in these countries, we do provide support through multilateral programming. Together with the FCO and Home Office Joint Marriage Unit, we work with UN and EU partners, and bilaterally, to implement the UN convention on the rights of the child and its two optional protocols, and encourage countries to fulfill their obligations.
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Departmental Manpower
Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people have been (a) recruited and (b) made redundant from (i) his Department and (ii) each non-departmental body for which he is responsible since May 2010. [66329]
Mr Duncan: Since May 2010, DFID has recruited 80 home civil servants.
Since May 2010, DFID has not made any member of staff compulsorily redundant. There have been 24 voluntary redundancies during this period. These exits were made in line with the terms of the Civil Service Compensation scheme applicable at the time.
DFID has two non-departmental public bodies, i.e. the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and the newly formed Independent Commission for Aid Impact. Seven staff were recruited to DFID's non-departmental public bodies since May 2010 and no staff were made redundant.
Departmental Redundancy
Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much (a) his Department and (b) each non-departmental body for which he is responsible has spent on redundancies since May 2010. [66346]
Mr Duncan: Since May 2010, the Department for International Development DFID has spent £1,831,185 on voluntary redundancies in line with the terms of the Civil Service Compensation scheme applicable at the time of departure.
There have been no redundancies in the non-departmental bodies since May 2010.
Departmental Travel
Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on transport in each category of spending in the latest period for which figures are available. [65039]
Mr Duncan: As a Government Department delivering results in developing countries, the Department for International Development (DFID) has a number of offices abroad. This is in addition to DFID's headquarters being split between two locations, East Kilbride and London.
DFID minimises travel costs as much as possible, for example by using video conferences wherever possible, and has this year reviewed its ministerial car service, opting for a more cost-effective alternative.
In financial year 2010-11, the Department for International Development spent £5.2 million on travel. The Department introduced a new travel policy in 2010-11 which reduced costs by £3.2 million (38%) from the previous financial year 2009-10, where the total figure was £8.4 million.
DFID's spending for the last two years for air, rail, mileage, taxis and the Government Car Scheme are detailed in the following table:
18 July 2011 : Column 672W
| £000 | ||
| Category spend | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
Developing Countries: Agriculture
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much and what proportion of its funding for climate change adaptation and mitigation measures his Department has provided to smallholder farmers in the latest period for which figures are available. [65886]
Mr O'Brien: Our central recording systems do not capture such detail for project expenditure. The UK Government have committed to providing £1.5 billion in Fast Start finance over the period 2010-12, to help the developing world carry out the urgent work needed to adapt to climate change, adopt clean technology and reduce emissions from deforestation. 50% of this will help developing countries adapt to climate change, a significant share of which is designed to benefit smallholder farmers.
The Department for International Development (DFID) recognises that smallholder farmers are particularly vulnerable to climate change. For example, DFID-funded researchers in Ethiopia are working with farmers to make better decisions in the face of risks from drought. In Kenya, DFID supports research on improved early warning so that farmers can adjust their cropping strategies to increase production.
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will consider the merits of allocating a proportion of the sum retained for allocation in the later years of the comprehensive spending review period to pro-poor, anti-hunger agricultural growth measures through his Department’s bilateral programmes. [65888]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: At least 16 of the Department for International Development’s (DFID) bilateral programmes are currently planning programmes which will deliver improvements in the food security and nutritional status of poor people in the countries concerned. DFID also provides significant support for food security through our investments in agricultural research and our contributions to the work of relevant multilateral institutions such as the World Food Programme. Over the next four years, DFID’s support will stop 10 million more children going hungry and ensure another 4 million people have enough food throughout the year.
The Department for International Development (DFID) has further allocation decisions to make in the later years of the current spending review period. These decisions will be informed by the need to meet the conditions of DFID’s spending review settlement and to ensure that the Department’s business plan objectives are delivered.
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Developing Countries: Energy
Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is on the recommendation of the UN Secretary General's High Level Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change that the international community should commit to ensuring universal access to basic energy services by the year 2030; and if he will make a statement. [65959]
Mr O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) recognises that energy is crucial to achieving the millennium development goals (MDGs), both in helping to meet basic needs and in powering economic growth. With the MDGs expiring in 2015, the international community is thinking about what will come next. Clearly, climate change and energy are likely to be on the agenda. DFID is starting to engage in this process.
DFID is at the forefront of supporting the shift to renewable energy sources and of ensuring that poor people can have access to the energy that will change their lives for the better. Together with the Department of Energy and Climate Change, DFID has provided funding to the clean technology fund (CTF) and the Scaling-up Renewable Energy programme (SREP). These investments are expected to provide enough electricity to supply the equivalent of almost 16 million households in both middle and low income countries.
Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to improve access to modern energy services for people living in poverty in developing countries. [65960]
Mr O'Brien: The Department for International Development recognises that energy is crucial to achieving the millennium development goals (MDGs), both in helping to meet basic needs and in powering economic growth.
DFID is at the forefront of supporting the shift to renewable energy sources and of ensuring that poor people can have access to the energy that will change their lives for the better. Our support is through both multilateral and bilateral programmes. For example, together with the Department of Energy and Climate Change, DFID has provided funding to the multilateral clean technology fund (CTF) and the Scaling-up Renewable Energy programme (SREP). These investments are expected to provide enough electricity to supply the equivalent of almost 16 million households in both middle and low income countries. Bilaterally, in Bangladesh the Rural Electrification Development Project aims to provide increased access to affordable, sustainable electricity services in poor rural areas. Facilities for 337,000 new connections in the nine poorest areas of the country have been established.