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HOUSE OF COMMONS
British Beers
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee if he will ensure that British beers are available as an option at all receptions booked in the House where the House catering facilities are used. [18263]
Sir Colin Shepherd: I am advised by the Director of Catering Services that British beers are available for all functions booked with the House of Commons Refreshment Department. The precise range of drinks served at any reception is a matter for agreement with the function organiser.
Parliamentary Questions
Mrs. Ewing:
To ask the Lord President of the Council how many hon. Members representing English constituencies addressed oral or supplementary questions to the Secretary of State for Scotland in the Session 1995-96. [18639]
4 Mar 1997 : Column: 541
Mr. Newton:
The figures, supplied by the parliamentary on-line information service unit, are:
| Number | Member |
|---|---|
| 7 | John Marshall |
| 5 | Ian Bruce |
| 5 | Simon Coombs |
| 5 | Lady Olga Maitland |
| 5 | James Pawsey |
| 4 | Jacques Arnold |
| 4 | Toby Jessel |
| 3 | Matthew Banks |
| 3 | Iain Duncan-Smith |
| 3 | Teresa Gorman |
| 3 | Neil Hamilton |
| 3 | David Shaw |
| 3 | Robert Spink |
| 3 | Anthony Steen |
| 3 | Michael Stephen |
| 2 | Thomas Arnold |
| 2 | Henry Bellingham |
| 2 | David Congdon |
| 2 | Alan Duncan |
| 2 | Jim Marshall |
| 2 | Patrick Nicholls |
| 1 | Peter Atkinson |
| 1 | Spencer Batiste |
| 1 | Peter Brooke |
| 1 | Michael Brown |
| 1 | Dale Campbell-Savours |
| 1 | John Carlisle |
| 1 | Anthony Coombs |
| 1 | Stephen Day |
| 1 | Tim Devlin |
| 1 | Bob Dunn |
| 1 | Hugh Dykes |
| 1 | Nigel Evans |
| 1 | Harry Greenway |
| 1 | John Greenway |
| 1 | Bernard Jenkin |
| 1 | David Knox |
| 1 | David Lidington |
| 1 | Michael Lord |
| 1 | Tony Marlow |
| 1 | Piers Merchant |
| 1 | Irvine Patnick |
| 1 | Gordon Prentice |
| 1 | Andrew Rowe |
| 1 | John Sykes |
| 1 | Richard Tracey |
| 1 | Nicholas Winterton |
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION
Aid Projects
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which United Kingdom aid projects were not subject to competitive tendering procedures in the country in which they were to take place; how much money was involved in each case; what was the relative percentage of those cases identified of the aid budget for that year; and who were the recipients of any moneys paid in each year since 1980. [18402]
Dr. Liam Fox:
It is ODA's policy that wherever practicable, and to ensure value for money, bilateral aid projects should be competitively tendered in the United Kingdom or in the recipient country. In many cases,
4 Mar 1997 : Column: 542
however, the additional cost of tendering, particularly on smaller projects, outweighs the potential savings to the taxpayer and the recipient country. In such cases a waiver to tender is applied.
In the current financial year to date, about 46 per cent. of ODA expenditure on contracts let for the provision of goods and services were subject to competitive tendering. Figures for in-country expenditure and tendering are not kept centrally in ODA. These details and those of specific projects could not, therefore be provided without disproportionate cost.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his Department's policy in respect of the 1995 EU social summit 20:20 initiative; and if he will make a statement. [18680]
Dr. Liam Fox:
The 20:20 initiative was discussed at the 1995 United Nations social summit in Copenhagen. Interested developed and developing countries agreed to allocate, on average, 20 per cent. of development assistance and 20 per cent. of national budgets respectively, to basic social services.
The United Kingdom expressed reservations about certain aspects of the initiative, including lack of clarity about definitions and its excessive focus on inputs, not results. However, the United Kingdom attaches importance to development assistance in the area of basic social services and is willing to discuss the initiative with recipients who raise it on a bilateral basis.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the UK will be spending (a) in the current year and (b) in each of the next five years on overseas family planning programmes, indicating the amount per geographical area; and if he will make a statement. [18681]
Dr. Liam Fox:
No specific allocation is made for family planning programmes in the development assistance budget. Expenditure on population and reproductive health--which includes family planning--in 1995 was £62.3 million. The figure for 1996 is not yet available. Commitment figures from 1994 onwards are strong and we expect the level of expenditure to remain substantial in the next five financial years. So far the majority of this expenditure is in Africa and to a lesser extent Asia, with smaller amounts being spent in Latin America and the Caribbean, and central and eastern Europe.
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much of the United Kingdom aid programme was (a) directly and (b) indirectly devoted to promoting food production for local consumption; how much was devoted to promoting cash crop production for export; and what are these figures as a percentage of the total aid programme in each year since 1979. [18020]
4 Mar 1997 : Column: 543
Dr. Liam Fox:
ODA does not maintain data covering the specific information on food production and cash crop production in the form requested for the period 1979 to 1986. It would, therefore, not be possible to provide a detailed answer for the period 1979 to 1986 without disproportionate cost. However, from 1987-88 onwards the information requested as a percentage of the total bilateral aid programme is contained in the table.
| Financial year | New commitments devoted to direct(2) promotion £ | New commitments as a percentage of total annual bilateral aid programme (direct) | New commitments devoted to indirect(3) promotion £ | New commitments as a percentage of total annual bilateral aid programme (indirect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-88 | 147,732,000 | 18.72 | 38,333,634 | 4.86 |
| 1988-89 | 25,120,251 | 2.93 | 16,700,176 | 1.95 |
| 1989-90 | 48,508,063 | 4.84 | 22,278,657 | 2.22 |
| 1990-91 | 46,685,531 | 4.45 | 15,900,996 | 1.51 |
| 1991-92 | 53,206,595 | 4.95 | 24,688,720 | 2.30 |
| 1992-93 | 46,370,484 | 4.12 | 37,603,350 | 3.34 |
| 1993-94 | 53,621,729 | 4.64 | 15,699,531 | 1.36 |
| 1994-95 | 25,048,368 | 2.24 | 36,022,357 | 3.22 |
| 1995-96 | 30,348,874 | 2.76 | 22,485,344 | 2.04 |
(2) Direct promotion; any activity which has the promotion of food production for local consumption as a stated objective or output.
(3) Indirect promotion; any activity which does not have an explicit objective to promote food production for local consumption.
| Financial year | New commitments devoted to direct(4) promotion £ | New commitments as a percentage of total annual bilateral aid programme (direct) | New commitments devoted to indirect(5) promotion £ | New commitments as a percentage of total annual bilateral aid programme (indirect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-88 | 27,735,095 | 3.52 | 7,957,901 | 1.01 |
| 1988-89 | 3,143,623 | 0.37 | 5,814,928 | 0.68 |
| 1989-90 | 26,016,905 | 2.60 | 507,021 | 0.05 |
| 1990-91 | 349,391 | 0.03 | 946,866 | 0.09 |
| 1991-92 | 2,308,567 | 0.21 | 1,602,335 | 0.12 |
| 1992-93 | 19,454,644 | 1.72 | 4,117,628 | 0.37 |
| 1993-94 | 2,035,540 | 0.18 | 2,471,516 | 0.22 |
| 1994-95 | 2,360,001 | 0.21 | 3,284,624 | 0.29 |
| 1995-96 | 112,360 | 0.01 | 2,007,882 | 0.18 |
(4) Direct promotion; any activity which has the promotion of exports of cash crops as a stated objective or output.
(5) Indirect promotion; any activity which does not have an explicit objective to increase the export of cash crops, but addresses crops that do have export potential.
International Development Association
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in implementing the agreement reached in Tokyo last year on the 11th replenishment of the International Development Association. [18918]
4 Mar 1997 : Column: 544
Dr. Liam Fox:
Under the arrangements established at Tokyo, it was agreed that, in the first year of the new IDA triennium, the United States would aim to pay off its arrears to the 10th replenishment of IDA and the rest of the donor community would contribute to an interim trust fund for that year: procurement opportunities from this fund would be limited to contributors--and developing countries--thus excluding the United States. There would be a traditional burden-sharing arrangement for the final two years of the replenishment, with no restrictions.
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