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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 28 November 2011
Northern Ireland
Aviation
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what assessment he has made of the implications for the aviation sector in Northern Ireland of the proposed sale by Lufthansa of British Midland to International Airlines Group; [83369]
(2) what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the implications for the aviation sector in Northern Ireland of the proposed sale by Lufthansa of British Midland to International Airlines Group. [83370]
Mr Paterson: I met Mr Willie Walsh, the chief executive of International Airlines Group (IAG) on 16 November and spoke to him again on 25 November. We discussed the opportunities that Northern Ireland airports can offer airlines and the needs of Northern Ireland business and leisure passengers. IAG is still deciding whether to proceed and other offers may also be made, after which regulatory approvals may be required. If IAG purchased the airline it would have to make decisions on routes. Mr Walsh explained that the BA business model involved a mix of short-haul and long-haul flights, and in particular the maintenance of a short-haul network into Heathrow.
The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), has been in contact with the Minister for Aviation and Northern Ireland Ministers over the past few weeks and the matter has been brought to the attention of the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening).
Corporation Tax
Mr Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) other Ministerial colleagues on the devolution of powers over the rate of corporation tax to the Northern Ireland Assembly. [82759]
Mr Swire: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), and I have had a number of discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for South West Hertfordshire (Mr Gauke), and other colleagues on the rebalancing of the Northern Ireland economy, including around the potential benefits of the devolution of powers over the rate of corporation tax to the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury and I will meet regularly with Northern Ireland ministerial colleagues on a Working Group on rebalancing the Northern Ireland economy, with their first meeting on 15 December.
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Departmental Audit
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many internal audits have taken place (a) in his Department and (b) in the non-departmental bodies for which his Department is responsible in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [82539]
Mr Paterson: During the 2010-11 financial year, four internal audits took place in my Department and two took place in the non-departmental public bodies for which my Department is responsible.
The 2011-12 internal audit plan includes four audits within my Department and two in the non-departmental public bodies for which my Department is responsible.
Official Photographs
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many official photographs have been taken of (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials in his Department for use in Government publications since May 2010; how many staff of his Department are expected to undertake photography of the Ministerial and senior leadership team as part of their duties; and if he will make a statement. [82568]
Mr Paterson: One set of photographs has been taken of (a) myself and (b) the Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), for official use at a cost of £204.
No official photographs have been taken of senior officials for use in Government publications.
No staff are expected to undertake photography of the ministerial and senior leadership team as part of their duties. Staff with photography skills have occasionally volunteered to do so when a need has arisen.
Departmental Publications
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) leaflets, (b) posters and (c) reports his Department has published since May 2010; how much each cost; and which company (i) published and (ii) designed each. [83010]
Mr Paterson: Since 12 April 2010, my Department has produced 10,000 leaflets at a total cost of £700 to advertise House and Garden tours of Hillsborough Castle as part of the Department's commitment to maximise the use of Hillsborough Castle for the benefit of the wider community. These costs included design costs to Lynne Bennington (£195) and publishing costs to The Northern Whig (£505). The Department also published the departmental resource accounts through The Stationery Office at a cost of £1,745.
HMP Maghaberry
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prisoners in HMP Maghaberry are being held on terrorist-related offences; and what proportion are identified as (a) Republican and (b) Loyalist. [82609]
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Mr Swire: There are currently a total of 34 prisoners housed in separated republican accommodation in Roe House at HMP Maghaberry, and a total of 14 prisoners housed in separated loyalist accommodation in Bush House.
Scotland
Departmental Audit
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many internal audits have taken place in his Department in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [82538]
David Mundell: During the last 12 months, three internal audits have taken place in the Scotland Office.
Income Tax
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with (a) HM Treasury and (b) the Scottish Government on the inclusion of a “no detriment” mechanism in the proposed Scottish income tax. [83065]
David Mundell: The Command Paper, published alongside the Scotland Bill, set out a principle of “no detriment” for operating a shared income tax base.
This means that the Scottish budget will be compensated for changes to the UK tax base which impact (either positively or negatively) the Scottish tax base.
I have ongoing discussions with HMT and the Scottish Government on a range of issues affecting the respective Governments, including financial powers.
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when officials from his Department (a) last met and (b) next plans to meet with representatives of (i) HM Treasury and (ii) the Scottish Government to discuss the implementation of the Government's proposals for a Scottish income tax. [83067]
David Mundell: Under the terms of the Scotland Bill, the Scottish Parliament—not the Chancellor of the Exchequer—will set the new Scottish rate of income tax. The main UK rates of income tax will be reduced by 10p for those defined as Scottish taxpayers, and the Scottish Parliament will be able to set a new Scottish rate. The Command Paper published alongside the Scotland Bill set out that this change will take effect from April 2016.
Scotland Office officials have regular meetings with officials from the HM Treasury and the Scottish Government on a range of issues affecting our respective Governments, including financial powers.
Wales
Departmental Audit
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many internal audits have taken place in her Department in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement. [82535]
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Mr David Jones: In the financial year 2010-11 there were five internal audits undertaken by the Ministry of Justice's internal audit division. Each year an internal audit programme is agreed with the Accounting Officer and findings are reported to the Audit and Risk Committee. The audits seek to provide assurance to the Accounting Officer on governance, and control and risk management arrangements within the Wales Office.
Food Procurement
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what steps she is taking to ensure that the same standards of animal welfare for whole eggs apply to imported liquefied eggs procured by her Department; [83757]
(2) what proportion of food sourced by her Department was procured from UK food producers in the latest period for which figures are available; [83758]
(3) what steps her Department is taking to ensure that it meets the Government's buying standards for food and catering. [83759]
Mr David Jones: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Glasgow East (Margaret Curran) on 8 March 2011, Official Report, column 909W.
Official Photographs
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many official photographs have been taken of (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials in her Department for use in Government publications since May 2010; how many staff of her Department are expected to undertake photography of the Ministerial and senior leadership team as part of their duties; and if she will make a statement. [82564]
Mr David Jones: No official photographs of Ministers or senior officials in the Wales Office were taken since May 2010. Press office staff routinely take photographs of ministerial visits and events.
Devolution
Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) when she expects to publish a revised version of the devolution guidance note on post-devolution primary legislation affecting Wales; [82919]
(2) when she plans to publish a devolution guidance note setting out the process for modifying the legislative competence of the National Assembly for Wales under section 109 of the Government of Wales Act 2006. [82933]
Mrs Gillan: Updated guidance will be published shortly.
Attorney-General
Departmental Audit
Mr Thomas: To ask the Attorney-General how many internal audits have taken place in the Law Officer's Departments in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [82553]
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The Solicitor-General: Since 1 November 2010, the Crown Prosecution Service's (CPS) internal audit service has completed 33 and commenced a further 26 audit engagements.
The Serious Fraud Office has completed 11 internal audits in the past 12-month period from November 2010 to October 2011.
The Treasury Solicitor's Department, Attorney-General's Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate have together undertaken and reported 15 internal audits in the 12 months ended 22 November 2011.
Official Photographs
Mr Thomas: To ask the Attorney-General how many official photographs have been taken of (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials in the Law Officers' Departments for use in Government publications since May 2010; how many staff of the Law Officers' Departments are expected to undertake photography of the ministerial and senior leadership teams as part of their duties; and if he will make a statement. [82583]
The Attorney-General: The Attorney-General's Office (AGO) arranged one photo shoot for me soon after my appointment in May 2010, the photos taken have been used on the Department's website and in third party publications. There has been no expenditure on official photographs since, although on occasion photos of staff and Ministers have been taken for use in internal and external communications. There are no staff within the AGO who have an official role in taking photographs, this task is instead undertaken by any staff member on an ad hoc basis.
Since May 2010 the Treasury Solicitor's Department (TSol) have taken no official photographs of senior officials in TSol for use in Government publications. One executive officer at TSol takes occasional photographs of senior officials as part of his duties on communications and engagement work.
Since May 2010, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) have taken no official photographs of senior officials in HMCPSI for use in Government publications. One higher executive officer at HMCPSI takes photographs when required of senior officials as part of his publication duties.
The SFO has engaged the use of a photographer once since May 2010. This was to take official photographs of the director, chief executive and seven senior team members. These photographs are used extensively for both internet and hard copy publications for internal and external purposes.
There are no staff within the SFO who have official duties to take photographs.
In August 2010, a set of photographs were taken of both the DPP and the CEO by a professional photographer. From this set, 12 photographs of the DPP and four photographs of the CEO were selected for official use externally or internally, including within the CPS and other Government publications.
As part of their duties, two members of staff from within the Communication Division have responsibility for taking photographs of CPS staff and events as required.
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Procurement
David Simpson: To ask the Attorney-General what procedures the Law Officers' Departments have put in place to ensure value for money on purchases; and what savings have been identified using those procedures in the last year. [82317]
The Attorney-General: The Treasury Solicitor's Department, Attorney-General's Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate to Government central guidance which requires key commodities to be purchased utilising framework arrangements, and other purchases with a Whole Life Value exceeding £10,000 to be advertised through the Contracts Finder website. All Departments are committed to securing value for money from purchasing and its policy is to award contracts to those suppliers that offer the most economically advantageous tender.
Where practical, purchasing is transferred to framework arrangements negotiated by the Government Procurement Service (or lead Departments appointed by it).
TSol retains limited information on the level of savings generated from purchasing by all three Departments but agreements made in the last year are expected to generate savings of at least £850,000.
TSol also manages the Government's panels of external counsel. Fee rates paid to panel counsel have been maintained at 1998 levels and represent very good value for the Government.
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) continually looks at ways to increase their efficiency and improve their results while reducing their spending in order to meet the aims of the cost spending review. These include investment in technology to increase efficiency in processing digital material; recruitment controls; the use of pan government procurement frameworks; reduction and changes of their accommodation; improved authorisation processes for all expenditure over £5,000 and improved processes to manage travel expenditure.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has implemented a number of procedures to ensure value for money on purchases. These include: the adoption of pan government contracts for the supply of general goods and services; regularly reviewing and renegotiating contract pricing with suppliers; and collaborating with other Departments when tendering for new contracts to maximise buying power.
As a result of these measures the following savings were made in 2010-11:
a 17% price reduction in the cost of copying paper achieving estimated savings of £100,000 and future year savings of £211,000 per annum;
renegotiated pricing for printer toner cartridges resulting in savings of £70,000 and future year savings of £145,000 per annum;
a 25% reduction in in-house advocate assessment costs savings of approximately £200,000 and future year savings of £400,000 per annum;
estimated savings of £175,000 as a result of a new contract for the appointment of receivers to act in cases involving the recovery of criminal assets, with estimated future year savings of £300,000 per annum;
a new discount price structure was negotiated and agreed with the Department's supplier of legal publications. Savings of £72,000 per annum have been achieved; and
fuel price increases were absorbed into existing contract prices resulting in no price increase in remote file storage costs.
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Prisons: Crimes of Violence
Ian Lavery: To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions the Crown Prosecution Service has (a) charged a person with a criminal offence and (b) decided not to charge a person with a criminal offence following an accusation of assault on a member of prison staff in each of the last five years. [83407]
The Attorney-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains no central record of victims' professions and they are unable to identify, from their central database, those assault cases involving prison staff. The data could be obtained only by examining all of the CPS's files, which would incur disproportionate cost.
Serious Fraud Office: Manpower
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Attorney-General how many support staff were employed in the Serious Fraud Office in each of the last five years. [83509]
The Attorney-General: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to his question 81943 on 23 November 2011, Official Report, column 421W.
Transport
Airlines: Heathrow Airport
Mr David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on competition issues following the sale of BMI; [80520]
(2) what recent assessment she has made of levels of competition in air services between Scotland and London Heathrow; [80522]
(3) what recent assessment she has made of the effect of one airline group owning a majority of slots at Heathrow Airport. [80523]
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what recent assessment she has made of the level of competition in air services between Scotland and Heathrow airport; [81206]
(2) what recent assessment she has made of the potential effects on the level of competition of one airline group owning a majority of slots at Heathrow airport. [81208]
Mrs Villiers: Proposals for the sale of BMI are a commercial matter for its owner, Lufthansa. Any competition issues arising from the proposed sale of BMI would be subject to consideration by the appropriate UK and/or EU competition authorities. The allocation, transfer and exchange of slots at Heathrow are governed by EU law. Decisions on how airlines utilise airport slots are commercial matters for the airlines concerned. The UK Government and Civil Aviation Authority have no role in this.
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Aviation: Business
Mr Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with (a) business representatives and (b) aviation groups on improving aviation in order to support businesses. [82331]
Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with (a) business representatives and (b) aviation groups on improving aviation for the purposes of supporting businesses. [82411]
Mrs Villiers: The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening) and I regularly engage with business and aviation representatives on a range of aviation issues. The Government want to see a successful aviation sector which facilitates economic growth and addresses its environmental impacts. We are committed to issuing a Sustainable Framework for UK Aviation for public consultation in spring 2012.
Aviation: Working Hours
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she is taking to ensure the European Aviation Safety Agency's flight time limitation scheme provides adequate protection from fatigue. [83427]
Mrs Villiers: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has responded to the European Aviation Safety Agency's (EASA) consultation on flight time limitations setting out our concerns. We have highlighted three of these concerns as being “major objections” for the purposes of the rulemaking process. A representative of the CAA participated in the group which assisted EASA in their review of the responses to consultation. We expect that EASA's consultation response document for its proposals on flight time limitations will be published in mid January next year.
Cycling: Training
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the effect on the number of children taking part in Bikeability training of the decision by Cambridgeshire county council to charge those participating. [81651]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has not made any assessment, though in general terms the level charge levied is likely to have an impact on the take-up of the scheme. The Department provides a contribution of up to £40 per Bikeability training place to local highway authorities and School Games Organiser host schools. Any costs above the grant need to be sourced locally and it is at the council's discretion whether or not to charge.
Departmental Flags
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many flags her Department (a) owns and (b) maintains; and at what cost in the last 12 months. [82960]
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Norman Baker: There are six flags owned and maintained at the Department for Transport headquarters building. Maintenance costs are not separately recorded as they form part of the on-site facilities management contract price. During the last 12 months £250 was spent on the purchase of a new flag.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) owns and maintains 32 flags for its buildings. The MCA has spent £67 on new flags in the last 12 months.
Electric Vehicles
Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many plugged-in recharging points for electric vehicles have been installed in the UK to date. [78565]
Norman Baker: The Office for Low Emission Vehicles is currently working to establish a National Chargepoint Register that will make it much easier to locate chargepoints and track the growth in the national charging network. This will be operational early next year. Our assessment is that the number of installed chargepoints in the UK is more than 2,500, of which 765 have been delivered (to 14 October 2011) through the Government's Plugged-In Places trials and the remainder through investment by private sector organisations.
Private sector organisations have commitments to deliver approximately a further 4,000 points across the UK by the end of 2012.
European Union Fuel Quality Directive
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings (a) she and (b) her officials have had on the European Union fuel quality directive with representatives of (i) the Canadian Government and (ii) oil companies. [82077]
Norman Baker: The Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening), has not held any meetings with the representatives of the Canadian Government or oil companies regarding the fuel quality directive since joining the Department in October.
Department for Transport Ministers and officials have had numerous meetings with various stakeholders including representatives of oil companies, biofuel producers, trade associations representing the transport fuels industry, UK and international non-governmental organisations (including those representing environmental and social issues), the European Commission, European member states and the Canadian Government to discuss all aspects of the fuel quality directive and will continue to do so as necessary.
Mayors
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the Government's consultation on mayoral powers, entitled What can a mayor do for your city? A consultation, and the Open Public Services White Paper, what assessment she has made of powers of (a) her Department, (b) non-departmental bodies and (c) passenger transport executives for which her Department is responsible which could be devolved to elected mayors. [82593]
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Norman Baker: As the consultation paper makes clear, the approach we are proposing is to look to the cities themselves to come forward with their own proposals for decentralising services and power to the city mayor.
Parking: Westminster City Council
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what discussions she has had with Westminster City Council on the issue of parking charges; [83596]
(2) what representations she has received on Westminster City Council's parking policy in the last three months; [83597]
(3) whether officials from her Department have met with Westminster City Council to discuss its proposals to extend charges for parking during the evenings and on Sundays; and if she will make a statement; [83598]
(4) what her Department's policy is on Westminster City Council's proposals to extend charges for parking during the evenings and on Sundays. [83599]
Norman Baker: The Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening), spoke with Councillor Colin Barrow about this matter on 24 November 2011. Officials at the Department for Transport have not had recent discussions or met with Westminster city council on the issue of parking charges.
The Department's officials have received two representations from members of the public regarding Westminster city council's parking policy in the last three months.
Councillor Colin Barrow of Westminster city council wrote to Ministers at the Department on 15 November explaining why the council has taken the decision to extend parking controls in the West End.
The setting of parking charges in local authority car parks and in on-street parking bays and all decisions relating to the operations of such parking are a matter for the local authority, in accordance with powers available to it in the Road Traffic Regulation Act (RTRA) 1984, and taking into account the interests of local residents, businesses and visitors. The Department's operational guidance to local authorities, Parking Policy and Enforcement, makes clear that it is for each local authority to decide what to charge for parking and the decision should reflect the objectives of their Local Transport Plan. The revenue that local authorities raise from on-street parking charges must be used in accordance with section 55 (as amended) of the RTRA 1984, which limits the use of surplus funds to transport related objectives or for environmental purposes.
Passenger Transport Executives: Finance
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the budgets are for the passenger transport executives covering (a) Birmingham, (b) Newcastle, (c) Wakefield, (d) Manchester, (e) Leeds, (f) Liverpool, (g) Coventry, (h) Bristol, (i) Sheffield, (j) Bradford, (k) Leicester and (l) Nottingham in each of the last five years. [82730]
Norman Baker:
The Department for Transport does not set the budgets for passenger transport executives (PTEs) and so does not hold the information requested.
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The annual accounts of the PTEs are, however, publicly available on the relevant websites.
Additionally, Bristol, Nottingham and Leicester do not have PTEs.
Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock
Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the net effect on jobs of her Department's decision to award the Thameslink train contract to Siemens; and if she will make a statement. [83319]
Mrs Villiers: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 3 November 2011, Official Report, column 771W.
Transport: Snow and Ice
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what meetings (a) she and (b) Ministers in her Department have had with representatives of Transport for London on preparations for severe winter weather; [81220]
(2) what steps her Department has taken to co-ordinate its response to severe winter weather with that of Transport for London. [81221]
Norman Baker: Officials meet regularly with representatives from Transport for London, as well as the rail industry and other organisations to ensure preparedness for any severe weather this winter and to ensure that Transport for London is co-ordinating its plans effectively with those of other transport operators.
Both London Underground and London Rail have reviewed their winter preparations and performance and have taken on board lessons learnt from last winter. Steps that have been taken include the overhaul of equipment on track, trains and signals, service control management, station service and appropriate operational instructions to train operators reminding them of appropriate driving technique in snow and ice. In addition, special modifications to London Overground trains have since been implemented to improve traction performance, and drivers of London Overground and tram rolling stock will be given reminders relating to defensive driving techniques during adverse weather. The Docklands Light Railway traction current equipment leaves it better protected than other systems, making it comparatively reliable in snow and ice conditions.
Transport for London is also represented on the Winter Road Salt Network Group chaired by officials
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in the Department for Transport. This group has met on numerous occasions throughout this year.
In addition, the Winter Resilience Network (WRN), facilitated by the Cabinet Office, brings together representatives from all relevant UK Government Departments, the devolved Administrations, Transport for London and the Local Government Association. It has overseen cross-government preparations to ensure that lessons from the past have been identified and addressed where possible for the coming winter. Ministers have been regularly briefed on progress, consulting colleagues where necessary.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Beekeeping: EC Law
Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effects of the European Court of Justice ruling on genetically modified pollen in honey on beekeepers and small businesses. [82387]
Mr Paice: This matter is being discussed at EU level. We are arguing that beekeepers and the honey industry should not be faced with unreasonable costs because of the ruling made by the Court, and want the European Commission to propose a pragmatic solution. DEFRA and the Food Standards Agency are working together on this, and to help make the case for action the UK honey sector has recently been asked for evidence on the potential effects of the ruling.
Biofuels: Air Pollution
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the contribution of pollutants covered by the Air Quality Strategy from the combustion of biomass in biomass generating plants to air quality in the latest year for which figures are available. [82622]
Richard Benyon: The UK National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI) estimates emissions of air quality pollutants from a range of emission sources on an annual basis. The following table sets out emissions for 2009 from the different sectors that contribute to biomass power generation, it does not include domestic emissions. Some fuels may include non-biomass fractions. There are no recorded emissions of 1,3 butadiene from biomass power generation in the NAEI. Ozone is not included in the NAEI because it is not directly emitted but formed by reactions in the atmosphere between precursor gases.
We have not made any estimates of the impact of current biomass generating plants on ambient air quality.
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Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the (a) level and (b) carcinogenicity of titanium dioxide released by biomass generating plants. [82635]
Richard Benyon: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has not carried out an assessment of the level and carcinogenicity of titanium dioxide released by biomass generating plants. From analyses carried out by the Environment Agency, it has been reported as a trace component of wood chips (approximately 0.3% by weight) and palm oil kernels (approximately 0.12% of ash weight). It has also been measured at low concentrations (0.6%-0.85%) in pulverised fuel ash from trial burns of wood chip and heavy fuel oil.
Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has received representations from Ministers or officials in the Home Department not to hold the proposed badger cull in the same year as the London 2012 Olympics. [74558]
Mr Paice: We have received no such representations. However DEFRA officials are working closely with officials in the Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers on the proposed badger control policy. Their advice relates to public order and safety, domestic extremism, wildlife crime and firearms licensing.
Common Agricultural Policy
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average sum was received by farmers (a) in each constituent part of the UK and (b) at the smallest geographical level for which figures are available directly and indirectly from the common agricultural policy in the latest year for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement. [82386]
Mr Paice: The average sum received by beneficiaries of the CAP for the financial year 2010 within each of the constituent parts of the UK, the only geographical level for which such data are readily available, is as follows:
| Paying agency | Average sum per beneficiary (€) |
| Note: 1. The sums above refer to all funding under CAP provisions, including UK co-financing where appropriate. 2. The financial year in question ran from 16 October 2009 to 15 October 2010. | |
Commons Act 2006
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many officials in her Department are working on monitoring and implementing the provisions of the Commons Act 2006. [82380]
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Richard Benyon: DEFRA currently has 1.5 staff working on monitoring and implementing the provisions in the Commons Act 2006 and support is provided by DEFRA legal advisers. Casework consents relating to common land under the 2006 Act and other enactments are managed on behalf of the Secretary of State by a team of five staff in the Planning Inspectorate.
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to extend the provisions of part 1 of the Commons Act 2006 beyond the seven pilot areas. [82381]
Richard Benyon: I have provisionally agreed a further implementation of provisions in part 1 of the Commons Act 2006, subject to further analysis of costs and benefits. Our provisional intention is two-fold: firstly, to fully implement part 1 in a further small number of volunteer local authorities from April 2013; secondly, to commence throughout England those provisions that allow for the correction of wrongly registered land. This second element would bring into force section 19 of the Commons Act 2006 and paragraphs 5-9 of schedule 2 to the Act, and would commence in April or October 2013. I expect to formally announce our plans early next year, in light of the further work on costs and benefits.
Legal: Costs
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost was of (a) internal and (b) external legal advice commissioned by her Department in the first six months of 2011. [78472]
Richard Benyon: The Department's records do not separate out the cost of legal advice from other expenditure on legal services, but the full net cost of the Department's in-house legal team in the first six calendar months of 2011 was £3,565,412.
The total cost of all payments to external solicitors and counsel in the first six months of 2011 was £496,451. This includes costs relating to representation in court and not legal advice alone. It would be disproportionately costly to identify these types of costs separately.
The figures include the cost of internal and external legal advice to DEFRA's executive agencies, but exclude the cost of any external legal advice commissioned directly by executive agencies, records of which are not held centrally. It would be disproportionately costly to disaggregate the figures.
Eco-towns
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the potential contribution of eco- towns to (a) rural housing, (b) sustainable rural communities and (c) growth in the rural economy. [80778]
Richard Benyon: To date, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), has made no separate assessment of the potential contribution of eco-towns to rural housing, sustainable rural communities, and to growth in the rural economy.
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Eco-towns are just one option for achieving sustainable development and can play a key role in testing and demonstrating, through their scale, greater levels of innovation in sustainability and meeting local housing need. Learning from these locally-led developments as they progress will be of interest to the Government.
Waste: Norfolk
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to announce her decision on the proposed energy-from-waste plant in Norfolk; and if she will publish the criteria on which she made her judgement. [82254]
Richard Benyon: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), wrote to Norfolk county council seeking further evidence in support of its application for waste infrastructure credits. Norfolk county council has now responded by providing further information to the Secretary of State, which she is currently considering. The timing of an announcement on her decision depends on the outcome of her current consideration of the evidence provided.
DEFRA's waste infrastructure criteria were laid down by the previous Government and have been in the public domain for a number of years.
Inland Waterways: Dredging
David Heyes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the backlog of dredging on British Waterways’ canals and rivers to be cleared. [82333]
Richard Benyon: Dredging is an operational matter for British Waterways (BW) and it applies risk-based prioritisation to its maintenance expenditure. The Government require BW to operate and maintain waterways to standards that reflect use and prospects of use.
BW estimate that the cost of clearing the current backlog of dredging would be approximately £40 million. BW has not set a time scale for dealing with the dredging backlog because it is subject to BW’s need to prioritise expenditure on its major infrastructure assets. However, it prioritises dredging at locations that cause particular boating constraints.
Future prioritisation of expenditure on the operation and maintenance of the waterways will be a matter for the Canal and River Trust, once BW’s functions and assets in England and Wales are transferred to the charity.
Marine Conservation Zones
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the written ministerial statement of 15 November 2011, on marine conservation zones: update, what additional resources will be provided by (a) her Department and (b) Natural England for carrying out seabed and habitat monitoring. [82253]
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Richard Benyon: DEFRA will provide approximately £3.5 million over the next three years for seabed and habitat monitoring and there are ongoing discussions between DEFRA and Natural England (NE) on funding by NE from 1 April 2012 for work related to Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs). The monitoring work will directly support the MCZ designation process and will also support work in other areas, such as the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding she has allocated for seabed and habitat monitoring to support the designation of marine conservation zones. [82468]
Richard Benyon: DEFRA will provide approximately £3.5 million over the next three years for seabed and habitat monitoring. The monitoring work will directly support the marine conservation zones designation process and will also support work in other areas, such as the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding she has allocated for work to support (a) the review of the evidence base for regional projects' recommendations for marine conservation zone (MCZ) sites and (b) other work associated with MCZ designation. [82470]
Richard Benyon: The information is as follows.
(a) Funds have been set aside to support the review of the evidence base for the regional projects' recommendations but decisions on the final allocation will be made once the contracts for the work have been let.
(b) In addition to existing funding for work to support MCZ designation, DEFRA will provide approximately £3.5 million over the next three years for seabed and habitat monitoring. This will also support work in other areas, such as the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
Nitrogen Dioxide: Pollution
Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to commission an equality impact assessment for her policies on air quality and levels of nitrogen dioxide. [83081]
Richard Benyon: The need for an equality impact assessment is considered as part of the wider impact assessment process for new policies in accordance with Cabinet Office guidelines. This will remain the case for any new air quality policies we take forward to help meet air quality limits for nitrogen dioxide.
Poultry: Animal Welfare
Penny Mordaunt:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions her Department has had with (a) food industry bodies and (b) the egg industry on the implementation of a production-method labelling scheme for multi-ingredient food products containing eggs to mitigate the potential effects on the industry of the import of (i) food products
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manufactured from shell eggs produced in non-compliant systems in the EU and (ii) egg product manufactured from conventional cage production systems outside the EU; and what estimate her Department has made of the cost of introducing such a system. [82489]
Mr Paice: We have not discussed this specific idea with either the food or egg industries. As an allergen, egg is required to be labelled on all products. However, I have had a number of meetings to discuss how to protect UK producers from non-compliant product.
In giving evidence to the EFRA Committee inquiry into the implications for the egg industry in March this year, the British Retail Consortium argued that there has been a strong move by retailers to enhance own brand products by labelling premium products used as the main ingredient, such as free-range egg in quiches. There would be little marketing value for retailers to promote enriched caged egg by labelling products which contain small amounts of egg as a component.
Reed
Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department spent on cutting and burning of reed in each year since 2006. [82720]
Richard Benyon: There are 313 higher level stewardship agreements within the Rural Development Programme for England which have reedbed options. These cover 2,303 hectares of reedbed, of which, 264 hectares are newly created. The management options include cutting as part of sustainable management of reedbeds. There is no support for burning reedbeds. The amount spent on these options since higher level stewardship opened is set out in the following table:
|
|
Spend (£) |
In addition, there are just over 8,000 hectares of reedbed managed on national nature reserves, for which management costs are included in the general running costs of the reserves.
Rights of Way
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress she is making on recording historic rights of way. [82379]
Richard Benyon: It is local authorities that are responsible for recording rights of way on the definitive map and statement (the local authority's legal record of public rights of way). There are no centrally held records on the progress that individual local authorities are making on recording rights of way.
In the Government White Paper ‘The Natural Choice: securing the value of Nature’, DEFRA announced that it will consult on simplifying and streamlining the processes
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for recording and making changes to public rights of way, based on proposals made by Natural England's working group on unrecorded rights of way. I am currently considering the options for this consultation and expect to make an announcement shortly.
Waste Disposal: Private Finance Initiative
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to review the provision of private finance initiative credits for incinerator and waste projects. [82382]
Richard Benyon: There are currently no plans to review the provision of waste infrastructure credits (formerly PFI credits) for waste projects. At the 2010 spending review, the number of waste infrastructure projects supported by DEFRA was reduced from 39 to 32, with a financial allocation of £2 billion in waste infrastructure credits.
Waste Policy Review
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has identified any factual errors in its Waste Review. [82497]
Richard Benyon: No factual inaccuracies were found which were sufficient to require us to publish an updated version of the main Waste Review document and action plan. DEFRA aims only to publish updated versions of documents if there is a need to correct significant inaccuracies.
Rainwater Harvesting
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department's Water White Paper will include proposals on the use of rainwater harvesting; and if she will make a statement. [82076]
Richard Benyon: The Water White Paper will be published in December. We recognise that when used appropriately rainwater harvesting can make a positive contribution to minimising potable water use, particularly when used alongside other water efficiency measures.
Energy and Climate Change
Electricity: Tariffs
Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the number of tariffs available to electricity customers in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2010. [82431]
Charles Hendry: The Department does not hold the data requested.
Ofgem, as part of their retail market review have found that the number of tariffs available has increased from around 200 in January 2007 to almost 400 by January 2011(1).
Details of Ofgem's findings are available online at:
http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Markets/RetMkts/rmr/Documents1/RMR_FINAL.pdf
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The Government support Ofgem's proposals to simplify tariffs, so that consumers can compare prices between suppliers more easily.
Ofgem is due to publish its detailed proposals for tariff simplification in a consultation document by the end of this month.
(1 )The Ofgem figures combine information on gas-only, electricity-only and dual fuel tariffs and does not include payment type options, only the number of offers available.
Fuel Poverty: Rural Areas
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of households were living in fuel poverty in (a) rural-50, (b) rural-80 and (c) significant rural communities in England in each of the last five years. [83321]
Gregory Barker: Fuel poverty data is not routinely produced by these classifications. The following data has been produced by matching DECC's local area fuel poverty data with DEFRA rural classifications at local authority level. DECC published data for 2006, 2008 and 2009 at local authority level, and the proportions of households in fuel poverty in England are shown in the following table.
| Percentage | |||
| Proportion of households in fuel poverty | |||
|
|
2006 | 2008 | 2009 |
Data for each of the last five years can be found in the table 'Trends in Fuel Poverty: 2003 to 2009' on this web page, although this is split simply by 'urban' and ‘rural':
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/fuelpov_stats/fuelpov_stats.aspx
Data is also available for 2003 from:
www.fuelpovertyindicator.org.uk
but this has not been produced on a consistent basis with that for the more recent years.
Heating: Oil
Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to encourage households that use oil for heating to switch to a lower carbon intensive fuel. [83527]
Charles Hendry: The Renewable Heat Premium Payment, launched earlier this year, is focusing on households living off the gas grid. The Renewable Heat Premium Payment is delivered by the Energy Saving Trust. All households in Great Britain which do not use gas from the mains for their heating supply, including those that use oil for heating, can apply for vouchers which provide cash back towards the installation of air to water heat pumps, ground or water source heat pumps, biomass boilers or solar thermal technologies.
Information gathered under the Renewable Heat Premium Payment will inform our proposals for supporting renewable heat by extending support to the domestic
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sector, in Phase 2 of the RHI. This will include consideration of measures for households off the gas grid and we will consult on proposals in due course.
Nuclear Installations: Safety
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to appoint a nuclear security specialist to the board of the Office for Nuclear Regulation. [82308]
Chris Grayling: I have been asked to reply.
Such an appointment, which is the responsibility of the Health and Safety Executive, will shortly be advertised on the Cabinet Office website.
Ofgem: Telephone Numbers
Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with Ofgem on the use of premium rate telephone numbers by energy companies; and if he will make a statement. [82523]
Charles Hendry: DECC Ministers meet with Ofgem officials on a regular basis to discuss energy issues, including issues relating to the protection of energy consumers.
Decisions relating to the charges for telephone calls are a commercial matter for the energy company to decide. The majority of the major energy suppliers provide either a freephone or a local call rate number for customer services.
Bedfordshire Pipeline
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department holds on the ownership of the gas pipeline that runs adjacent to the village of Billington, south of Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire. [83342]
Charles Hendry: The Department holds no such information.
Warm Home Discount Scheme
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the potential effect of extending the warm home discount scheme to households which are in fuel poverty but not eligible for that discount. [83585]
Gregory Barker: The warm home discount scheme will assist around 2 million households in each year of its operation to 2014-15. The total cost of the scheme was set in the spending review at a maximum of £1.13 billion. The scheme has been designed to use the available funding to provide support with energy costs to more the most vulnerable and low income consumers.
The eligibility criteria used within the scheme were considered in the warm home discount consultation and accompanying impact assessment. These documents, together with the Government's response are available via:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/warmhome/warmhome.aspx
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Deputy Prime Minister
Official Photographs
Mr Thomas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many official photographs have been taken of (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials for use in Government publications since May 2010; how many of his staff are expected to undertake photography of the ministerial and senior leadership team as part of their duties; and if he will make a statement. [82589]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him today by the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office, the hon. Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (Mr Hurd).
Mental Health Act 1983
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he has established a timetable for the passage of the proposed legislation to remove section 141 of the Mental Health Act 1983. [83055]
Mr Harper: Lord Stevenson of Coddenham's private Member's Bill, the Mental Health (Discrimination) Bill, had its first reading in the House of Lords on 6 April 2011. It had its second reading on 25 November 2011. The Bill will now proceed to Committee. The Bill aims to repeal various pieces of legislation that discriminate against the participation of those with mental health conditions in public life including section 141 of the Mental Health Act 1983.
The Government have already committed to repealing section 141 of the Mental Health Act 1983 in a statement to the House on 3 February 2011 and, at its second reading, the Government indicated their support for this Bill as an appropriate opportunity to make this change. However, given the timing of the second reading, it will be extremely difficult for this Bill to gain Royal Assent in this Session. Should Lord Stevenson wish to reintroduce his Bill in the next session, the Government would be pleased to support it.
International Development
Afghanistan: Politics and Government
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to improve standards of governance in Afghanistan. [83419]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) is working hard to help the Government of Afghanistan build their capacity to deliver services as well as improve transparency and accountability.
For example, DFID's contribution to the Government-led Civilian Technical Assistance Programme is helping to reform and build the capacity of 17 Ministries by providing technical experts to share their skills with the Afghan civil service. This will help strengthen the Government's ability to deliver better public services to the Afghan people. Through support for the Afghan
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Ministry of Interior, DFID is also helping to improve the asset management and procurement systems of the Afghan National Police.
DFID is also helping Afghan civil society hold the Government to account on a range of issues, including corruption and human rights. During my recent visit to Afghanistan, I launched a new civil society project ‘Tawanmandi’ (‘strengthening’ in Dari). Tawanmandi will provide grants to civil society organisations across Afghanistan to help them to engage more effectively with the Government and encourage them to be more responsive to their citizens, particularly women, youth and vulnerable groups.
Burma: Overseas Aid
Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that humanitarian assistance is provided to refugees and internally displaced peoples along the Thailand-Burma border. [82680]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: During my visit to Burma from 15 to 17 November 2011, I pressed the Burmese President and his Ministers to move urgently towards a resolution to the ethnic conflicts in Burma and to increase humanitarian access in border areas.
Through its project “Assistance to Conflict Affected People, Eastern Burma” the Department for International Development (DFID) is contributing towards the provision of food, shelter, other necessities and improved access to legal assistance to nearly 150,000 Burmese refugees in camps in Thailand. The project also finances the purchase of pharmaceuticals and other medical supplies which benefit people affected by conflict in eastern Burma, supports TB treatment for Burmese people on the border with Thailand, and provides aid for basic health care, food security, improved sanitation, and grants to help with the costs of schooling for internally displaced people in eastern Burma. The total cost of the project over three years from 2009 to 2012 will be more than £8 million.
DFID is in the process of reviewing the effectiveness of this project, which is due to end in 2012. Decisions on future funding for refugees and internally displaced people along the Thailand-Burma border will be taken in the first half of 2012.
Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to assist internally displaced Kachin people along the China-Burma border. [82707]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: During my visit to Burma on 15-17 November, I pressed President Thein Sein and senior Burmese Ministers to move urgently towards a resolution to the ethnic conflicts and for improved humanitarian access in border areas.
The Department for International Development is in contact with a number of organisations working in the conflict-affected areas of Kachin State both from inside Burma and from across the border in China. I have agreed that funding through the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and a humanitarian non-governmental organisation delivering aid to Kachin State from China may be used to assist
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people who have been displaced by the recent outbreak in fighting. Humanitarian assistance provided cross-border from China has now reached an estimated 10,000 IDPs in Kachin State, and more than 5,000 Kachin IDPs have received assistance from inside Burma.
Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government has taken to help internally-displaced peoples in (a) Karen, (b) Shan and (c) Kachin states, Burma in the last six months. [82708]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: During my visit to Burma from 15 to 17 November 2011, I pressed the Burmese President and his Ministers to move urgently towards a resolution to the ethnic conflicts in Burma and to increase humanitarian access in border areas—including in Karen, Shan and Kachin States.
In Karen State, the Department for International Development (DFID) is helping internally displaced people (IDPs) through programmes which provide funding for the purchase of food by IDP families, basic health care, pharmaceuticals, other medical supplies, and improved food security and sanitation.
In Shan State DFID is supporting the work of the Shan Women's Action Network, including grants to help with the costs of schooling for IDPs.
DFID's aid for IDPs in Karen and Shan States forms part of a three year programme of support for people affected by conflict in eastern Burma at a cost of more than £8 million from 2009 to 2012. DFID is in the process of reviewing the effectiveness of this project. Decisions on future funding for refugees and internally displaced people along the Thailand-Burma border will be taken in the first half of 2012.
In Kachin State I have agreed that funding through the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and a humanitarian non-governmental organisation delivering aid to Kachin State from China may be used to assist people who have been displaced by the recent outbreak in fighting. Humanitarian assistance provided cross-border from China has now reached an estimated 10,000 IDPs in Kachin State, and a further 5,000 Kachin IDPs have received assistance from inside Burma.
Central African Republic
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he plans to visit the Central African Republic. [83160]
Departmental Audit
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many internal audits have taken place (a) in his Department and (b) in the non-departmental bodies for which his Department is responsible in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [82541]
Mr Duncan: There have been 16 internal audits within the Department for International Development (DFID) in the last 12 months.
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DFID is responsible for two non-departmental public bodies—the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, which was subject to an internal audit in 2010, and the Independent Commission for Aid Impact, which is being audited within the current financial year.
Carbon Emissions
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether there is a cap on the proportion of his Department's budget that is spent on carbon reduction projects. [83417]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The share of UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) devoted to climate finance (including carbon reduction projects) will increase to 7.5% by 2014-15, within the 10% proposed by the previous Government. All climate finance will be spent in line with the guidelines set out by the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD.
Official Photographs
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many official photographs have been taken of (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials in his Department for use in Government publications since May 2010; how many staff of his Department are expected to undertake photography of the ministerial and senior leadership team as part of their duties; and if he will make a statement. [82570]
Mr Duncan: Since May 2010, eight ‘official’ photographs of Ministers and senior officials—for use both internally and externally—have been taken in-house by staff members at zero incurred cost. Taking photographs of Ministers or senior officials is not the responsibility of any one member of staff.
In addition to this, photographs of Ministers and senior officials are occasionally taken by various members of DFID staff on an ad-hoc, informal basis, for example, on regional or overseas visits (again at no cost). Some of these images are occasionally used to illustrate the work of the Department, for instance, on the DFID website.
Developing Countries: Education
Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what definition of support his Department used in the pledge to support 11 million children in school by 2015. [82668]
Mr Duncan: The definition used in the pledge to support 11 million children in school by 2015, relates only to bilateral country programme support. Support is defined as funding through various modalities to enable children to be enrolled in and attend school.
Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with other donor nations on the replenishment of the Global Partnership for Education; and whether he plans to encourage other nations to contribute. [82669]
Mr Duncan:
The Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), wrote to 21 other donor
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countries in March 2011 to encourage them to contribute to the Global Partnership for Education. The Secretary of State continued to advocate for replenishment of the Global Partnership ahead of the pledging event held in Copenhagen on 8 November, at which the UK was represented by the Under-Secretary of State for International Development, my hon. Friend the Member for Eddisbury (Mr O'Brien).
Following the successful replenishment of the Global Partnership for Education, the UK will continue to work closely with the partnership and other donor countries to ensure a continued focus on delivering the key results: improved access to a quality education for more of the world's poorest children.
Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is on support through (a) multilateral and (b) bilateral channels for systematic measurement of learning outcomes for girls and boys in low-income countries. [82670]
Mr Duncan: In multilateral agencies, we are working towards systematic measurement of learning outcomes. This is already an agreed component of the new monitoring and evaluation system of the Global Partnership for Education and we are working in partnership with the World Bank to develop international benchmarking tools for learning outcomes. For this work to succeed it will be essential to work closely with developing countries to agree it as a priority.
We are monitoring learning outcomes in all our bilateral education focus countries except Afghanistan. In 13 countries we are also monitoring (and, where appropriate, supporting) other forms of learning assessments, including Early Grade Reading Assessments (EGRA) and community based testing of children's reading and mathematics at the household level. All data will be gender disaggregated.
Developing Countries: Teachers
Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will require his Department's country offices delivering support to teacher training to ensure that gender awareness and inclusive training methods are prioritised. [82671]
Mr Duncan: The UK Government's pledge to train 190,000 teachers by 2014 will be delivered through multilateral organisations. In addition, DFID is supporting teacher training through our bilateral education programme and has issued guidance on inclusive education. All UK bilateral education programmes also have a specific focus on girls' education as part of their wider programme of education sector support.
In addition, DFID has recently announced a new Girls' Education Challenge over four years to help get up to 1 million more girls in school. This is likely to include supporting programmes that recruit, train, and support female teachers.
Developing Countries: Water
Mr David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he plans to lead the UK delegation to the High Level Meeting of the Sanitation and Water for All partnership in April 2012. [82712]
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Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development strongly supports the work of the Sanitation and Water for All partnership to increase accountability of both developing countries and donors for delivering results on the ground.
DFID recognises that it will be important to have a strong UK presence at the next High Level Meeting in April 2012. The Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), has not as yet planned his detailed involvement at the spring meetings. DFID will give this important meeting the due consideration that it deserves and will ensure that the UK is appropriately represented.
Diaspora Communities
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which Minister in his Department is responsible for its relations with diaspora communities. [83082]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: All Ministers are responsible for engaging with diaspora communities, each with a particular emphasis on our respective policy areas.
East Africa: Overseas Aid
Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to press other countries to assist in providing emergency relief to areas of East Africa affected by famine. [81725]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK has been at the forefront of the world's response to the crisis in the horn of Africa. While UK lobbying has helped to attract significant financial support to humanitarian appeals, there remains a significant shortfall.
Over the summer I have spoken with a number of my international counterparts about the crisis in the horn; a central message I have pushed is the need for generous and sustained support to relief and recovery efforts. Specifically I have held meetings with:
Raj Shah from the United States Agency for International Development;
Ben Knapen, the Netherlands' Development Minster;
Dirk Niebel, Germany's Minister for Economic Co-operation and Development;
Gunilla Carlsson, Minister for International Development Co-operation of Sweden;
Henri de Raincourt, France's Development Minister; and
Franco Frattini, Italy's Foreign Minister.
In July I also pressed development Ministers and officials including:
Denmark's State Secretary for development policy, lb Petersen;
European Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs;
Deputy Director General and Minister of Foreign affairs for France, George Serre;
Minister of the Environment and International Development of Norway, Erik Solheim;
Japanese President, Sadako Ogata;
Deputy Administrator of USAID, Donald Steinberg;
Chair of Development Assistance Committee France, Brian Atwood;
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Director-General of Ausaid Australia, Peter Baxter;
President of CIDA Canada, Margaret Briggs;
Director General of International Cooperation the Netherlands, Yoka Brandt;
Vice Minister for Development Policy and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation Korea, Tae-Yul Cho;
Director General Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation Switzerland, Martin Dahinden;
State Secretary for International Development Co-operation Sweden, Anna Helquist;
Political Director Ministry of Foreign Affairs Norway, Hege Hertzberg;
Parliamentary State Secretary, Federal Ministry for Eco-Cooperation Development Germany, Gudrun Kopp;
Managing Director of Public Policy Bill Gates Foundation, Geoff Lamb;
Managing Director of World Bank, Mahmoud Mohieldin;
Kenyan Prime Minister, Raila Odinga; and
Foreign Minister, George Saitoti.
The Prime Minister and his Deputy, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and the Under-Secretary of State for International Development, my hon. Friend the Member for Eddisbury (Mr O'Brien), have also discussed the crisis affecting the horn of Africa with a number of their counterparts.
Ethiopia
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he plans to visit Ethiopia. [83210]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: I routinely publish details of visits through press releases unless there are security issues which preclude such disclosure. Where external bodies are involved, the information would be provided when available unless, once again, there are security issues which would restrict the timing and extent of disclosure.
Ethiopia: Overseas Aid
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what mechanism he has in place to monitor the effectiveness of the UK's aid contribution to Ethiopia. [83194]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: DFID has a range of mechanisms in place to monitor the effectiveness of UK aid to Ethiopia, and to make sure that we get maximum impact from every pound of taxpayers' money. These monitoring mechanisms include financial and performance reports, field visits, audits and evaluation.
UK aid supports millions of very poor and vulnerable people across Ethiopia, giving access to health care, education, safe drinking water and a safety net that prevents extreme hunger. In the last five years, with support from the UK, Ethiopia has:
halved the incidence of malaria;
deployed 32,000 more health extension workers;
vaccinated 1.3 million children under five;
rolled out an innovative social safety net to protect eight million of the most vulnerable people; and
put four million more children in primary school.
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Famine: International Co-operation
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will consider implementing the provisions of the Charter to End Extreme Hunger; and if he will make a statement. [82418]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Government support the Charter to End Extreme Hunger's aim to reduce the likelihood of crises such as that currently affecting the Horn of Africa taking place in the future. In at-risk areas such as the Horn, we are already supporting the strengthened warning systems, resilience to disasters and stability that the charter calls for. In Ethiopia, for example, we are helping 7.8 million people to break their need for emergency aid by providing support before food insecurity reaches famine levels.
I have written recently to the non-governmental organisations behind the charter to express the Government's appreciation for their vital work and to note that I will take appropriate opportunities to express publicly my support for the charter's aims.
Iraq: Politics and Government
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to improve standards of governance in Iraq. [83420]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK has played a role in supporting improved standards of governance in Iraq since 2004. The UK Department for International Development (DFID), including through the UK Conflict Pool and the UK Arab Partnership, currently:
Provides technical experts working with the Iraqi Council of Ministers' Secretariat, the Iraqi equivalent of Cabinet Office, to strengthen the Government of Iraq's ability to develop and implement their key national priorities in order to better meet public needs and expectations;
Funds an International Monetary Fund (IMF) adviser working with the Ministry of Finance until 2013 to improve macro-economic governance in Iraq;
Provides technical assistance to five committees at the Iraqi Council of Representatives, strengthening their ability to hold Government accountable for their performance;
Helps Iraqi civil society organizations promote good governance of Iraq's extractive industry sector and hold the Government accountable in their management of associated revenues.
The UK also provides core contributions to and works closely with the European Union (EU) and the World Bank, both of which support improved standards of governance in Iraq. The EU co-operation strategy with Iraq for 2011-13 has good governance as its key focus in 2012.
Offences Against Children
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department includes the (a) sexual exploitation of children, (b) trafficking of children and (c) abuse of children by travelling sex offenders within the definition of violent crime in its Building Stability Overseas strategy. [82312]
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Mr Duncan: The Building Stability Overseas Strategy was published jointly by the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development in July, and all three Secretaries of State share responsibility for its implementation.
The strategy acknowledges that conflict and violence can have a particularly devastating impact on the lives of children. It does not attempt to define what constitutes a violent crime. The strategy focuses more on conflict prevention than crime prevention: the latter is dealt with by other Government strategies, for example the Organised Crime Strategy and the Human Trafficking Strategy.
The UK Government are fully committed to the implementation of the UN convention on the rights of the child and takes their obligations under the convention very seriously. We want to continue to make progress in areas that will bring about real improvements to children's lives, including in fragile and conflict affected countries.
Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department includes the rights of children in its long-term research programme on social protection, conflict and fragility. [82352]
Mr Duncan: The Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium is a six-year, DFID-supported programme which includes research on key elements of child rights. The programme, currently in its inception phase, will generate evidence on livelihoods, social protection and basic services in fragile and conflict-affected situations in order to support better policies and programming. At present the evidence on children's access to social protection and to other basic services including water, health and education in conflict-affected parts of those countries is weak. These limitations result from the challenges associated with conducting research in situations of conflict. The programme is operating in:
Afghanistan;
Democratic Republic of Congo;
Nepal;
Pakistan;
South Sudan;
Sri Lanka; and
Uganda.
The Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium is a partnership of research organisations, all of which are either based in conflict-affected countries, or have extensive experience of conducting research in conflict situations.
From 2011 to 2016, the research consortium will carry out high quality research that focuses in the first instance on people's experiences of access to livelihoods support, social protection and basic services. It will disaggregate findings based on gender and age and this will allow an improved understanding of how access to social protection differs by age group or household composition. By gathering evidence overtime, the programme will also generate evidence about the impacts of different social protection programmes on key elements of child rights such as income, consumption, nutrition and health. The programme has a highly innovative research uptake strategy through which evidence on the specific experiences of children, in particular their access to social protection and to water, health and education
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services, can be used to influence those in governments, donor agencies and NGOs and ensure that these issues are dealt with adequately in policy and programme development.
Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he plans to take to ensure the rights and protection of children are considered when implementing the Building Stability Overseas Strategy. [82353]
Mr Bellingham: I have been asked to reply.
The Building Stability Overseas Strategy (BSOS) sets out how conflict and violence can have a particularly devastating impact on the lives of children. And implementing the BSOS strategy requires a consolidated effort, using all our diplomatic, development and defence capabilities.
The British Government provide £21 million per year in core funding to UNICEF and support a number of other projects to support children. For example the Department for International Development (DFID) funded a £2 million project to help discharge and rehabilitate members of the Maoist Army in Nepal, approximately 3,000 of whom had been recruited as children. The Government are also making efforts to get young children affected by conflict into education. In Pakistan, for example, our support will help 5 million more children attend primary school and ensure 500,000 young people benefit from better technical and vocational training by 2013. Also by 2015 we will help get an additional 800,000 children into education in northern Nigeria. Britain is a member of the United Nations Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, which leads the international effort in this important area. This group focuses on pressing offending states to enter into concrete action plans to verify and release child soldiers, and on monitoring and reporting of violations.
The British Government are fully committed to the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and take their obligations under the convention very seriously. Its aim is to continue to make progress in areas that will bring about real improvements to children's lives. We are also involved in UN discussions about the possible creation of a third Optional Protocol to the CRC, under which children would be able to bring allegations of violations directly to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is the lead Department on Children and Armed Conflict within Whitehall and works closely with the DFID and the Ministry of Defence.
Pakistan: Politics and Government
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to improve standards of governance in Pakistan. [83418]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) is working hard to improve government systems and institutions so that people receive the services they need and can hold Government to account for their delivery.
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For example, DFID's sub-national governance programmes in Pakistan are helping to reform and build the capacity of the governments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. The work focuses on helping the authorities to improve systems for public financial management, human resource management, policy planning and co-ordination, and monitoring and evaluation. This work will help strengthen the Government's ability to deliver better public services for the Pakistan people.
DFID is also working to help support people to demand better services from their Government, including education and health care, and strengthen democratic processes and women's political participation. DFID will help to get another two million people (almost half women) to vote at the next general election.
Pitcairn Island: Overseas Aid
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department has given to Pitcairn Island in each of the last 10 years. [83153]
Mr Duncan: The UK has provided bilateral aid to Pitcairn since 2002-03. Annual aid totals provided since then are set out in the following table.
| Financial year | Bilateral aid (£000) |
Full details of the Department for International Development’s (DFID) aid expenditure, including in the British Overseas Territories, are published in “Statistics on International Development”, which is available in the Library of the House and on DFID’s website at:
www.dfid.gov.uk
South Sudan: Overseas Aid
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding his Department plans to allocate to south Sudan. [83421]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: Following the secession of south Sudan on 9 July, the UK is providing over £90 million a year for the next four years to help the people of south Sudan. This funding will support international efforts to promote peace and stability in south Sudan. Specifically, our assistance will help: build more accountable, inclusive and transparent government; deliver basic services (such as education, clean water and health care); support economic growth; provide humanitarian relief; and improve security and access to justice.
This aid aims to achieve ambitious results including:
1 million people get enough food to eat
240,000 more children complete primary school
750,000 people to be treated for or prevented from getting malaria
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4 million people receive life-saving health care and nutrition
Print and distribute 12 million textbooks to almost 2 million children
Increased private sector investment and trade by reducing cross border transport costs up by 15%.
Women and Equalities
Departmental Audit
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many internal audits have taken place in her Department in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement. [82554]
Lynne Featherstone: From 1 April 2011, the Government Equalities Office became part of the Home Office. Information relating to the Government Equalities Office will be included in the reply of the Minister for Immigration, the hon. Member for Ashford (Damian Green).
Official Photographs
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many official photographs have been taken of (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials in her Department for use in Government publications since May 2010; how many staff of her Department are expected to undertake photography of the ministerial and senior leadership team as part of their duties; and if she will make a statement. [82573]
Lynne Featherstone: From 1 April 2011, the Government Equalities Office became part of the Home Office. Information relating to the Government Equalities Office will be included in the reply of the Minister for Immigration, the hon. Member for Ashford (Damian Green).
Departmental Publications
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many (a) leaflets, (b) posters and (c) reports her Department has published since May 2010; how much each cost; and which company (i) published and (ii) designed each. [83008]
Lynne Featherstone: From 1 April 2011, the Government Equalities Office became part of the Home Office. Information relating to the Government Equalities Office will be included in the reply of the Minister for Immigration, the hon. Member for Ashford (Damian Green).
Departmental Responsibilities
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many applications from employees to run services for which the Government Equalities Office is directly responsible she has received since May 2010; and if she will make a statement. [77605]
Lynne Featherstone: I have not received any applications from public sector employees to run services for which the Government Equalities Office is directly responsible.
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Culture, Media and Sport
Departmental Audit
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many internal audits have taken place (a) in his Department and (b) in the non-departmental bodies for which his Department is responsible in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [82548]
John Penrose: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has undertaken 20 internal audits in the last twelve months (to the end of October 2011).
DCMS do not hold this information for our arm's length bodies. I have therefore asked their chief executives to consider the question raised by the hon. Member and to write to him direct. Copies of the replies will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Official Photographs
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many official photographs have been taken of (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials in his Department for use in Government publications since May 2010; how many staff of his Department are expected to undertake photography of the ministerial and senior leadership team as part of their duties; and if he will make a statement. [82578]
John Penrose: One official photograph of each Minister has been taken since May 2010. We have also taken an official photograph of three senior officials since May 2010.
Members of staff in the Department's Press Office and Strategic Communications Directorate are all able to take photos as necessary.
Departmental Publications
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many (a) leaflets, (b) posters and (c) reports his Department has published since May 2010; how much each cost; and which company (i) published and (ii) designed each. [83009]
John Penrose: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has published:
(a) One leaflet entitled “Consultation on the Regulations on Advertising Activity and Trading around London 2012” at a total cost of £4,500 plus VAT.
http://www.culture.gov.uk/consultations/7760.aspx
(i) and (ii) COI.
One 'world press briefing' flyer produced at a total cost of £1,275 plus VAT.
(i) and (ii) COI.
Two booklets for the Government Art Collection (GAC) exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery at a total cost of £21,579.34 (design, copyright and printing).
(i) Trade Winds, (ii) Park Studio
(b) None.
(c) The GAC's annual report, which was published online only and designed in house at no cost to the Department.
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Report entitled “Consultation on the Regulations on Advertising Activity and Trading around London 2012” at a total cost of £12,579 plus VAT.
http://www.culture.gov.uk/consultations/7760.aspx
(i) Park Communications, (ii) Typetechnique.
Report entitled “The Department for Culture, Media and Sport/Wolfson report” at a total cost of £8,508 plus VAT.
(i) Park Communications, (ii) Adfield.
Report entitled “Reviewing Committee of the Export of Objects of Cultural Interest Annual Report” at a total cost of £6,700 plus VAT.
(i) and (ii) Redstone.
The Government Olympic Executive (GOE) Quarterly Report May 2010 (online publication) at a total cost of £3,280 plus VAT.
(i) and (ii) Redstone.
The GOE Quarterly Report July 2010 (online publication) at a total cost of £2,412.50 plus VAT.
(i) and (ii) Redstone.
The GOE Quarterly Report November 2010 (online publication) at a total cost of 2,840 plus VAT.
(i) and (ii) Redstone.
The GOE Annual Report 2010-11 (online publication) at a total cost of £8,769 plus VAT.
(i) and (ii) Redstone.
The GOE Quarterly Report May 2011 (online publication) at a total cost of £3,039 plus VAT.
(i) and (ii) Redstone.
The GOE Quarterly Report July 2011 (online publication) at a total cost of £2,989 plus VAT.
(i) and (ii) Redstone.
Each of these reports can be found on the DCMS website, or by using the link:
http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/8086.aspx
Mayors: Powers
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport with reference to the Government's consultation on mayoral powers, entitled What can a mayor do for your city? A consultation, and the Open Public Services White Paper, what assessment he has made of powers of (a) his Department and (b) non-departmental bodies for which his Department is responsible which could be devolved to elected mayors. [82588]
John Penrose: The Department is committed to the decentralisation of power wherever possible. We have already devolved greater control over the Royal Parks to the people of London, and we look forward to seeing the results from the current consultation on mayoral power and will be working closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government to carefully consider any ideas which are put forward in areas for which the Department is responsible.