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28 Feb 1996 : Column: 525

Written Answers to Questions

Wednesday 28 February 1996

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION

Kenya

Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent report he has received on the current human rights situation; what assessment he has made of the electoral process; and if he will make a statement about the current political situation in Kenya. [17830]

Mr. Hanley: We receive reports from a variety of sources about human rights in Kenya. We have some concerns about the political situation and certain aspects of the electoral process. We draw these to the attention of the Kenyan authorities during our regular contacts. The UK is making a positive contribution to Kenya's development as an emerging democracy.

Uganda

Mr. Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government have made to the Ugandan Government about the necessity of free and fair elections, with particular reference to the need to allow political parties to conduct electoral campaigns. [17602]

Mr. Hanley: We have made it clear to President Museveni and his Government, to representatives of Ugandan political parties and to the Ugandan public through the local media the importance that we attach to the holding of free and fair elections, consistent with Uganda's new constitution.

Mr. Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will itemise the United Kingdom bilateral aid to Uganda in the last year for which figures are available. [17600]

Mr. Hanley: Total UK bilateral aid to Uganda in 1994-95 was £36.2 million, of which programme aid accounted for £20 million. The main sectors of support from our project aid were good government, over £4 million, power, over £3 million, and, health and population, over £2 million.

Mr. Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will itemise European Union aid to Uganda in the last year for which figures are available. [17601]

Mr. Hanley: The European Union disbursed over 55 million ecu in 1994, the last year for which figures are available. Over 44 million ecu was disbursed under the European development fund--EDF VI and EDF VII--and focused on infrastructure, health, income generation and small enterprises. Nearly 11 million ecu was made available from Stabex funds.

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Mr. Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the funding of the Ugandan elections. [17599]

Mr. Hanley: Donors have been asked by the Government of Uganda to support the forthcoming presidential and parliamentary elections. We and other donors are considering this request in the light of progress in putting into place arrangements which will ensure that the elections are conducted freely and fairly.

Police Training

Mr. Jon Owen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries have received Overseas Development Administration funding to finance police training in the United Kingdom since 1990. [16943]

Mr. Hanley: The countries that received ODA financing of police training in the UK in 1994 and 1995 or who were expected to receive such support in 1995 are as follows;


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Mr. Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many United Kingdom police (a) training consultants and (b) technical co-operation officers have been sent to Indonesia since 1990; and what was the cost of their visits. [16942]

Mr. Hanley: Under the police management training project, five police training consultants have visited Indonesia. The cost between 1990-91 and 1994-95 was £584,000. No technical co-operation officers were sent.

Multilateral Aid

Miss Lestor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the multilateral overseas development budget has been directed through (a) the European Union and (b) each of the UN multilateral agencies in each year between 1992 and 1995. [16396]

Mr. Hanley: In 1994-95 54 per cent. of ODA's multilateral contributions were directed through the European Community programme, and 9 per cent. through UN agencies. More detailed information is set out in table 8 of "British Aid Statistics", 1990-91 to 1994-95, a copy of which is available in the Library.

Country Strategy Papers

Miss Lestor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what provision he plans to make for input by UN agencies to the Overseas Development Administration's country strategy papers. [16404]

Mr. Hanley: In drawing up country strategy papers, ODA consults outside bodies including UN agencies where appropriate. The nature and level of this

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consultation will depend upon the context in which the aid programme is operating in a particular country and the overall strategy being considered.

In turn, we also encourage UN agencies to consult us and other donors on their country strategies.

Pakistan (Afghan Refugees)

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what food aid has been given by the United Kingdom Government from the European Union food surplus to help the Government of Pakistan feed Afghan refugees now living in Pakistan; and if he will make a statement. [17159]

Mr. Hanley: No food aid is being provided for Afghans who have settled in Pakistan, but 5,000 tonnes of wheat have been given to Afghanistan this financial year and a further 5,000 tonnes are expected next year.

UK food aid is not provided as a means of disposing of EU food surpluses, which in any case scarcely exists any longer.

Mr. Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects of the European Community--technical aid to the commonwealth of independent states project in 1996 on retraining activiites in the Russian Federation. [16909]

Mr. Hanley: The European Commission, which manages TACIS, undertook in 1995 a mid-term assessment of its project for retraining discharged military officers in the Russian Federation. The current project is expected to end in December 1996, when a full independent evaluation of its achievements is planned, before proposals are put forward on any further EC support for retraining.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Refugees (Yugoslavia)

Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what representations he has received concerning the safety of refugees in the United Kingdom returning to the states of the former Yugoslavia; and if he will make a statement; [17386]

Mr. Kirkhope: Applications for refugee status in the United Kingdom will continue to be carefully considered on their individual merits and in the light of the circumstances of the case and conditions in the country of origin. We have received no recent representations specifically on the safety of returns to the former Yugoslavia, but we and other Governments are in close touch with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on this subject.

Death Certificates

Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance has been given to coroners as to the recording of employment status on death certificates. [17251]

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Mr. Sackville: Death certification is a matter for the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys. I understand that guidance on how to record the occupation of the deceased person is contained in notes supplied by the OPCS to coroners to assist them in providing registrars of death with the registration particulars required.

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