Written Statement of 9 January 2003

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

  Ethiopia
  The Secretary of State for International Development (Clare Short)
  Ethiopia remains dependent on food aid year on year. However needs have grown throughout 2002 and the Department for International Development has been continuously monitoring the effects of the drought and contributing to the relief efforts. In 2002 we had committed some £7 million to the ICRC and UN agencies by March. After further monitoring we provided an additional £2 million to ICRC in July and continued to support interventions in response to the unfolding situation. By early December DFID had committed over £17 million bilaterally. In addition we contribute almost 20 per cent. of the EC support. In 2002 this included an October commitment of €23 million for food; €4.2 million for other relief, and the Commission's pledge of emergency food aid programme worth €70 million, made in December, equivalent to about 260,000 metric tonnes, to help meet requirements in the first half of 2003.

  The early warning systems have been indicating that, as a result of poor rains and harvest failure across many parts of the country since about the middle of 2002, many rural communities are likely to face difficulties in 2003. On 7 December, a joint Ethiopian Government/UN appeal was launched for humanitarian assistance in 2003; 11.3 million people were identified as needing more than 1.4 million metric tonnes of food assistance with a further 3 million people requiring close monitoring. The World Food Programme considers current food aid pledges to be sufficient to meet needs until end of this month but there is concern about prospects after that. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said during the Appeal launch that he does not anticipate a repeat of the suffering experienced in 1984 provided support is forthcoming from the international community. We agree with his judgement.

  We are continuing to keep the situation under review, using the reports and assessments made by the Government and international agencies involved. We have also been involved in the frequent in-country dialogue on the humanitarian situation between the Ethiopian Government, other donors and nongovernmental organisations. Overall, the main rainy season ended on time having started late. The harvest is now in, and early indications are that it is 21 per cent. down on average. Recent nutritional data indicates unusual levels of malnutrition for this time of year.

  On the basis of our continuous monitoring and using information from a wide range of sources, we now consider a further substantial UK bilateral humanitarian contribution is timely. We have therefore made a further £15 million available for food-aid
  14WS
  through the UN World Food Programme. This contribution should continue to help allow greater certainty about food supplies in the months ahead and thus avert a crisis. We hope it will encourage others to act too.

  In the longer-term we are working with the Ethiopian Government and key donors to help tackle some of the deep poverty and underlying causes of food insecurity. For example, we will contribute to improvements in agriculture sector policies and support efforts to increase people's access to markets through improvements in rural transport infrastructure. We will also help to reduce the vulnerability of the poor to drought by promoting the development of safety nets for the predictably food insecure. Pastoralists, who are one of the most vulnerable groups, are an important target group for this work. Our country assistance plan, outlining our proposals for long-term partnership with Ethiopia, is currently in final draft form, having been subject to wide consultations since November. We are holding development talks with the Government on 14 January at which we expect to agree the final version, which will then be published.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Temporary Workers
  The Minister for Employment Relations, Industry and the Regions (Alan Johnson)
  On 28 November 2002 the European Commission issued a revised draft directive on working conditions for temporary (agency) workers. The DTI will publish a revised explanatory memorandum and regulatory impact assessment on the revised proposal on 10 January. A summary of the responses to the Government's earlier public consultation on the directive will be published at the same time. Copies will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

HEALTH

  Diabetes
  The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Mr. David Lammy)
  We are publishing the diabetes national service framework delivery strategy today, just 13 months after publishing the diabetes national service framework standards. An implementation group of outside experts has helped us to develop the delivery strategy. This is an important NSF and the first to be published under the "Shifting the Balance of Power" reforms. As such, it needed to be developed in a new way.

  The delivery strategy confirms the targets in improvement, expansion and reform: the next three years:
  putting in place registers, education and advice, to support systematic treatment regimes
  ensuring a systematic eye-screening programme to national standards.

  15WS
  These are the first steps in reaching national diabetes standards for services which:
  lead to fewer people developing diabetes and better care for those who have it
  are centred around the needs of people with diabetes, developed in partnership with health care staff, equitable, integrated and focused on delivering the best outcomes for the person with diabetes
  offer care that is structured and pro-active providing people with the support they need to manage their own condition.

  The delivery strategy offers a framework for the NHS to build capacity to put in place building blocks for the NHS to reach the national service framework (NSF) standards over the next ten years. In addition to the two targets, key elements are:
  setting up a local diabetes network, or similarly robust mechanism, which involves identifying local leaders and appointing and resourcing network managers, clinical champions and a person(s) with diabetes to champion the views of local people
  reviewing the local baseline assessment, establishing and promulgating local implementation arrangements with a trajectory to reach the standards
  participating in comparative local and national audit
  undertaking a local workforce skills profile of staff involved in the care of people with diabetes and developing education and training programmes with the local Workforce Development Confederation.

  As announced in the delivery strategy, we plan to appoint a national clinical director for diabetes this spring to provide both national leadership and support to localities in delivering the national service framework.

  Copies of the diabetes national service framework delivery strategy have been placed in the Library.

  Health Costs
  The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Mr. David Lammy)
  When new tax credits start from next April—working tax credit and child tax credit—the arrangements for entitlement to help with health costs via tax credits will continue largely the same as now. Families (single people or couples) who get:

  working tax credit and child tax credit, or

  working tax credit with a disability addition

  and whose income is below a certain limit will be entitled to full help with health costs.

  In addition, families who cannot get working tax credit because they do not work 16 hours per week but get child tax credit, and whose income is below the same limit, will also be entitled to full help with health costs. This will include families whose income support stops when they start to get child tax credit.
  16WS
  The income limit will be based on the family's gross annual income, that is income for the year before tax and national insurance are taken off. For tax credit awards which start from April 2003 the income limit will be £14,200 gross per year. This is around the same income level as now after taking account of inflation and 2002 Budget changes to tax and national insurance.

  Currently the Inland Revenue sends out a tax credit exemption certificate to families who are entitled to full help with health costs. For awards of the new tax credits, the Prescription Pricing Authority (in Newcastle) will send out exemption certificates on behalf of all the health departments. Families in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland getting new tax credits who are entitled to full help with health costs will all be sent their exemption certificates by the Prescription Pricing Authority on the basis on information provided by the Inland Revenue.

  The Inland Revenue will include information for the public in a leaflet to be sent out with new tax credit awards.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

  Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill
  The Minister for Social Exclusion and Deputy Minister for Women (Mrs. Barbara Roche)
  I am today placing in the House library a short briefing note, as provided to the Standing Committee, covering the detail of the secondary legislation to be made under part 1 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill. The note will also be available on my departmental website.

  I will be issuing further briefing notes on the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill as it progresses through its Committee stages.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

  Digital Curriculum
  The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Tessa Jowell)
  I have today placed my decision, in the form of a letter to Gavyn Davies of 8 January and its accompanying schedule, on the BBC's application for approval of a licence-fee funded digital curriculum service in the Libraries of both Houses.

  I have approved the application, and have attached specific conditions to the approval to ensure that the service makes a positive contribution to a varied and competitive industry in education software.

  The service against the approval will be reviewed within two years of its launch.