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Crown Prosecution Service
Lord Windlesham asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What progress is being made with their plans to reform the Crown Prosecution Service.[HL1072]
The Lord Chancellor: Good progress is being made in the reform of the CPS. On 30 November 1998, the Attorney General gave an interim government response to the recommendations of the Glidewell Review of the service, which reported in June 1998. Fifty-three recommendations have now been accepted, considered or noted. Twenty-two recommendations remain under consideration. A copy of the response is in the Library of the House. The restructuring of the CPS to 42 areas and the appointment of 42 new Chief Crown Prosecutors will take effect from April 1999. Gun Owners: Insurance
The Earl of Mar and Kellie asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they have any plans to legislate for mandatory insurance for firearms licence holders and shotgun certificate holders, and owners of low powered airguns and air pistols.[HL1166]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Williams of Mostyn): The Government believe it is for individual shooters to take out any insurance they consider necessary to cover actions for which they may become liable. We have no plans at present to introduce legislation to make this compulsory. Airguns: Licensing Policy
The Earl of Mar and Kellie asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they have any plans to legislate for the inclusion of low-powered airguns and air pistols in the firearms licensing scheme.[HL1167]
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The Government have no plans at present to introduce legislation to require the certification of low-powered air guns. There are already laws in place to control the use and possession of these guns and we shall keep under close scrutiny the way in which they are used. In particular we have asked the Firearms Consultative Committee to look at the existing controls as part of their 1999 work programme. Great Western Railway Line: Modernisation
Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the report by Railtrack, part funded by the European Commission's Trans European Networks programme, into the potential for upgrading the main railway line into Devon and Cornwall for passenger and freight traffic.[HL1148]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Lord Whitty): A copy of the Railtrack Summary Report of the feasibility study for the modernisation of the Great Western Line from London to the South West has today been placed in the Library of the House.
Bilateral Aid
Baroness Rawlings asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What of the cash plans allocations for 1998-99 have been allocated to (a) governmental bodies in developing countries and (b) to non-governmental organisations.[HL1121]
Baroness Amos: We do not set budgets by the institution used to channel development assistance; we are increasingly focusing our efforts on outputs. Retrospective analyses of bilateral expenditure through UK non-governmental organisations are published annually in Statistics on International Development, which is available in the Library of this House.
Baroness Rawlings asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will list recipient projects and the funds allocated to them by the United Kingdom bilateral aid budget towards sound policies and pro-poor economic growth in 1998-99 in Uganda.[HL1124]
Baroness Amos: All projects under the bilateral aid budget in Uganda are designed to promote sound policies and/or pro-poor economic growth. In November of last year a list of all active projects in Uganda (and India) was deposited in the Libraries of both Houses, in response to a question in another place from the honourable Member for South West Devon to my right honourable Friend the Secretary of State for International Development. The list details the name of each project and the funds committed to each for the entire life of the project.
Baroness Rawlings asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Which projects received what funds from the United Kingdom aid budget towards good governance in (a) 1997-98 and (b) 1998-99.[HL1137]
Baroness Amos: Information on policy targeting is available from DFIDs Policy Information System (PIMS) for bilateral projects with a commitment value of £100,000 or more. PIMS covers around 70 per cent. of bilateral expenditure only. On 1 April 1998, the definition of good government changed to exclude human rights, which are now covered separately in an extended definition which includes economic and social rights as well as civil and political rights. For comparison purposes, the attached listing therefore includes all projects which targeted good government as a principal policy objective in 1997-98 and those which
targeted either good governance or human rights as a principal policy objective in 1998-99 to date.| Country | Project/Programme Title | Commitment |
| Asia Regional | Paticipatory Action Research with Migrant Children and Youth | 245,000 |
| Bangladesh | Community Development II | 350,000 |
| China | China: Shanghai Foster Care and Training Project | 621,016 |
| Colombia | Civil Conflict (New PHS) | 149,905 |
| Ghana | WSIP Water Sector Improvement Sector | 4,065,000 |
| HPD Individual Contracts | UK Financial Contribution to the Population Council | 200,000 |
| India | Support to ILO for the Elimination of Child Poverty | 2,500,000 |
| Indonesia | Complimentary Feeding Programme | 1,250,000 |
| Mozambique | National Child Rights Programme | 128,350 |
| Rwanda | ICRC Detainee Protection Activities in Rwanda | 350,000 |
| South Africa, Republic of | Support to the South African San Institute (SASI) and the SA | 535,500 |
| Uganda | Disabled People | 121,450 |
| Zambia | Zambia Primary Reading Programme | 10,205,000 |
Baroness Rawlings asked Her Majesty's Government:
- In view of the commitment to eradicate poverty, how they explain that the share of the Department for International Development's bilateral aid (excluding emergency aid) to low income countries has declined by 3.6 per cent. between 1996-97 and 1997-98.[HL1141]
Baroness Amos: For 1997-98, DfID was bound by the financial ceilings fixed by the previous administration. DfID inherited a programme which declined in cash terms in 1997-98 over the previous year. During 1997-98, DfID reviewed and refocused all programmes to ensure they met our new objectives. The Comprehensive Spending Review announced in July 1998 set out the Government's spending plans for 1999-00 to 2001-02 and reversed the decline in development spending.
Within this context, the fall in the proportion of aid going to low income countries in 1997-98 was due to two specific factors:
- increased expenditure in South Africa and Montserrat. Both are classified as upper-middle income countries, but DfID programmes address important needs and focus on the poorer elements of those communities.
- a relatively small decrease in the value of aid going to low income countries.
- Which projects received what funds from the United Kingdom bilateral aid budget towards providing clean and safe water to poor people in
(a) 1997-98 and (b) 1998-99.[HL1140]
Baroness Amos: In 1997-98 the total Department for International Development (DfID) expenditure on water-related projects was £49.9 million. Of this, £30.3 million went to support rural and urban water supply and sanitation initiatives; an eight per cent. increase over 1996-97. Figures for 1998-99 are not yet available, although, based on projects recently approved for funding, we are expecting an increase.
In all, approximately 150 projects received DfID funding in 1997-98. In terms of financial value, the allocation was 56 per cent. in Africa (notably Ghana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, Swaziland); 34 per cent. in South Asia (India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan) and the remaining 10 per cent. allocated between South America, Middle East and Eastern Europe. Some 7 per cent. of the funds were used to support the implementation of projects through civil society organisations.
Water Management
Baroness Rawlings asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What were the results of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development 1998 meeting on fresh water management.[HL1138]
Baroness Amos: The Commission on Sustainable Development reaffirmed that water resources are essential for satisfying basic human needs, health, food production, energy, the restoration and maintenance of eco-systems, and for social and economic development in general. It recognised the need for fresh water resources development to be planned in an integrated manner, aimed at locally appropriate, people-centred, sustainable development.
It highlighted the importance of the management and use of water to contribute to the eradication of poverty and promotion of food security as a particularly important goal. The Commission recognised the important task for the United Nations agencies and programmes and other international bodies in helping developing countries to develop and implement their integrated water resources management, and protection, programmes and policies.
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