§ Lord Gregson asked Her Majesty's GovernmentWhen they will launch the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Global Opportunities Fund. [HL2746]
7WA
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanMy right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs launched the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Global Opportunities Fund (GOF) on 8 May to support the Government's key foreign policy objectives.
The fund was established in the last spending review with an allocation of £120 million for the next three years.
The GOF will be used to support existing programmes on human rights and legal reform, democracy and good governance, the environment and international security. The GOF will also support our growing science and technology work overseas.
In this first financial year, we will be launching five new GOF programmes. These reflect the FCO's public service agreements for 2003–06 as well as the emerging conclusions of the FCO's longer-term strategic review. The new programmes are:
governance in EU accession and candidate countries and near neighbours; counter-terrorism;
engagement with the Islamic world;
climate change and energy; and
stengthening our relations with emerging markets.
Crimes recorded by the police and persons convicted at all courts for certain sexual offences against persons under 16 1990, 1995. 2000 and 2001 Number of offences Recorded crime1 Number of persons Persons convicted Offences 1990 1995 2000–012 2001–02 1990 1995 2000 2001 England and Wales Buggery by a male of a male under16 ‥ ‥ ‥ ‥ ‥ 29 51 67 Buggery by a male with a female under 16 ‥ ‥ ‥ ‥ ‥ 7 13 7 Rape of a female aged under 16 ‥ ‥ ‥ ‥ ‥ 113 206 178 Rape of a male aged under 16 ‥ ‥ ‥ ‥ ‥ 2 24 26 Unlawful sexual intercourse with girl under 13 304 178 155 170 110 81 53 54 Unlawful sexual intercourse with girl under 16 2,140 1,260 1,237 1,336 304 203 214 214 Incest with a girl under 13 ‥ ‥ ‥ ‥ 84 21 12 4 Total 2,444 1,438 1,392 1,506 498 456 573 550 1Five of the seven offences connected with unlawful sex with minors identified in the conviction figures cannot be separately identified in the recorded crime figures as they form part of larger groups of offences of rape, buggery and incest. 2 New Home Office rules for counting and classifying crime were introduced in April 1998. Information on recorded offences is presented on a financial year basis from that date. ‥= not available separately.