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Written Answers
Wednesday, 4th December 1996.
India: Poverty Relief Assistance
The Earl of Sandwich asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How much support the Overseas Development Administration has given, directly or indirectly, to indigenous non-governmental organisations in India for the relief of poverty in each of the last two financial years.
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Chalker of Wallasey): Two hundred and ten thousand pounds in both 1994-95 and 1995-96 went directly to Indian Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) for the relief of poverty. An additional £3,052,255 in 1994-95 and £3,497,564 in 1995-96 was channelled through UK NGOs to Indian NGOs under the Joint Funding Scheme. In addition, some money under bilateral aid projects is channelled through Indian NGOs: the exact sums are not readily available but are estimated at £300,000-£500,000 in each of the two years.
Year of the Commonwealth
The Earl of Sandwich asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether 1997 is to be the Year of the Commonwealth in the United Kingdom and, if so, which organisations are to be involved and how the year is to be celebrated.
Baroness Chalker of Wallasey: The Royal Commonwealth Society, as the Commonwealth Liaison Unit for the United Kingdom, and a range of other bodies have proposed that 1997 be designated UK year of the Commonwealth. They are co-ordinating a series of events to commemorate it and have published a leaflet about it. We welcome this initiative and look forward to a successful Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Edinburgh on 24th-27th October 1997.
Programme Food Aid
The Earl of Sandwich asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will seek to persuade the European Union that programme food aid is no longer an effective instrument of non-emergency aid, following the recent joint EU evaluation published by the Overseas Development Institute.
Baroness Chalker of Wallasey: The Government share the analysis in the ODI evaluation and note the specific finding that programme food aid currently represents a declining share of EU food aid. We will continue to encourage that trend.
Former Yugoslavia: Demining Equipment
Viscount Mersey asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is their policy on the export of demining equipment to the former Yugoslavia?
Baroness Chalker of Wallasey: On 26th February 1996, the European Union adopted a common position on arms exports to the former Yugoslavia which expressly excludes from the EU embargo "transfers of equipment needed for demining activities". The supply of demining equipment is vital to the task of detecting and destroying landmines laid during the war in former Yugoslavia. The Government gives sympathetic consideration to applications for the export of demining equipment for humanitarian purposes to former Yugoslavia on a case by case basis, taking into account the overall situation in the States of the former Yugoslavia and the paramount importance of ensuring the safety of British and other troops deployed in the region.
Rwanda: Rehabilitation Assistance
Lord Judd asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What contribution they are making through bilateral and multilateral channels to the economic, social and administrative infrastructures in Rwanda to ensure that (a) returning refugees can be reintegrated; (b) post-war reconstruction can be undertaken; and (c) justice can be administered in respect of allegations of genocide and crimes against humanity.
Baroness Chalker of Wallasey: The UK has committed over £24 million in rehabilitation assistance bilaterally and through the European Union since 1994. This includes £5 million in bilateral rehabilitation assistance pledged at the June 1996 UNDP Round Table in support of the Government of Rwanda's Medium Term Policy Framework for reconstruction. The framework includes actions to reintegrate refugees and strengthen the justice system.
Statutory Instruments 1995-96
Lord Pearson of Rannoch asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many (a) affirmative and (b) negative statutory instruments were passed in 1995, and between 1st January 1996 and 31st October 1996; and how many of the negative instruments were prayed against in either House of Parliament.
The Lord Privy Seal (Viscount Cranborne): The information is not available in the form requested, as statistics are kept on a sessional rather than a calendar year basis. In Session 1994-95, 1,210 instruments and
draft instruments subject to annulment were considered by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments. Four Motions to annul or revoke negative instruments were debated in the House of Lords and six were debated in the House of Commons. None of these motions was agreed to. In Session 1995-96, 1,189 instruments and draft instruments subject to annulment were considered by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments. One Motion to annul or revoke a negative instrument was debated in the House of Lords and seven were debated in the House of Commons. None of these motions was agreed to. In Session 1994-95, the House of Lords approved 127 affirmative instruments and draft instruments and the House of Commons approved 173. The equivalent figures for Session 1995-96 are 137 for the House of Lords and 173 for the House of Commons.Search and Rescue Helicopters, South Coast
Lord Brabazon of Tara asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What was the outcome of their review of the location of search and rescue helicopters on the south coast.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Transport (Viscount Goschen): We have concluded that the current basing arrangements for Coastguard search and rescue (SAR) helicopters on the south coast should continue. The current temporary arrangements for the Portland helicopter will be replaced with a five-year contract for an upgraded all-weather aircraft. The arrangements for the helicopter based at Lee-on-Solent will continue unchanged.
Our conclusions are based upon the results of consultation with interested parties on national requirements for SAR helicopters and an analysis of the use of helicopters in SAR incidents on the south coast and English Channel.
In addition we are taking forward the recommendations of the interdepartmental review on SAR helicopters through the auspices of the newly formed joint advisory board for SAR provision.
East London Line
Lord Harris of Greenwich asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When they expect the East London line to be reopened.
Viscount Goschen: I understand that London Underground now plan to re-open the East London line in late summer 1997.
Charity Commission
Lord Cocks of Hartcliffe asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is the number of staff employed by the Charity Commission; and
What were the estimated Charity Commission budgets for the years 1991 to 1996 and what was the actual expenditure for those years; and
How many complaints of abuse of charitable status are currently under investigation by the Charity Commission; and what is the average turnaround time for the completion of an investigation; and
What percentage of the total Charity Commission staff are involved in investigating complaints; and
How many Charity Commission staff engaged in investigative work are (a) full time and (b) part time; and
What penalties have been imposed on charities found to be in breach of their obligations by the Charity Commission.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of National Heritage (Lord Inglewood): As at 30th October, 577 staff were employed by the Charity Commission. Of these, 46 (approximately 8 per cent.) are directly engaged in investigative work, four of them on a part time basis. They are supported where appropriate by six lawyers and six accountants in addition to support services which provide support in all aspects of the Commission's work.
Budget estimates and actual expenditure for the financial years 1991-92 to 1995-96 are shown in the table below.
| 1991-92 | 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | |
| Estimate | £19.622k | £20.688k | £22.889k | £25.224k | £23.689k | £22.594k |
| Actual | £19.555k | £20.640k | £21.941k | £24.472k | £22.622k | N/A |
The Commission's investigations arise not only as a result of complaints of abuse, but also from the Commission's own monitoring programme and the scrutiny of charity accounts. At the end of October 1996, 303 cases were under investigation and a further 194 were being evaluated to establish whether there was a prima facie cause for concern. Figures for average turnaround times are not recorded, but at present 77 per cent. of cases are completed within the target period of 12 months.
The Commission is not empowered to impose penalties on charities, but exercises a wide range of remedial powers for the protection of charity property from abuse or maladministration, whether deliberate or unintentional. These include orders for the removal and replacement of charity trustees, the freezing of charity bank or building society accounts and the production of documents and information. Where appropriate the Commission may also appoint a receiver manager to run a charity while an investigation is taking place. In some
instances the charity's trustees may be asked to make good any losses incurred by the charity as a result of mismanagement or abuse.
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