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INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Overseas Travel
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what is her estimate of the expenditure by (a) her Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies on overseas travel for (i) 1980-81, (ii) 1987-88, (iii) 1990-91, (iv) 1991-92, (v) 1992-93, (vi) 1993-94, (vii) 1994-95, (viii) 1995-96, (ix) 1996-97 and (x) 1 May to 30 September 1997; and if she will provide a breakdown to show (1) air fares and (2) other expenditure relating to overseas travel. [15263]
Clare Short [holding answer 12 November 1997]: Expenditure on overseas travel made by the Department for International Development and its agency, the Natural Resources Institute (NRI), for the years requested is as follows:
| DFID | NRI | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991-92 | 1,066 | 166 | 1,232 |
| 1992-93 | 1,249 | 170 | 1,419 |
| 1993-94 | 1,375 | 178 | 1,553 |
| 1994-95 | 1,374 | 112 | 1,486 |
| 1995-96 | 1,514 | 179 | 1,693 |
| 1996-97 | 1,471 | -- | 1,471 |
| 1997-98 to 30 September | 531 | -- | -- |
NRI was transferred to private ownership in 1996-97. Figures for years prior to 1991-92 and the breakdown between air fares and other expenditure cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs.
World Bank
Mr. Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she intends to take to use her position as a Governor of the World Bank to ensure that promises made to parliamentarians by the World Bank President in his letter of January 1996 are being kept. [17033]
Clare Short:
The UK will use its influence in the World Bank to strengthen its poverty focus and encourage it to set quantifiable targets for poverty reduction and to measure progress towards these.
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The World Bank is a key partner in our efforts to pursue the international development targets, which are based on agreements reached at a series of UN Summits. The President of the World Bank, Mr. James Wolfensohn, has already made a clear commitment to the targets, which I very much welcome. We will encourage the Bank to devote more attention to monitoring and evaluating the output and the impact of its activities, and to integrate gender considerations and environmental and social sustainability into its projects including enhanced support for activities which help the poorest, such as education, health and clean water.
We will pursue these objectives through regular discussions with the President of the Bank and with senior management; through the extensive contacts which exist between professional advisers and programme managers in the Bank and my department; through our regular contacts with non-governmental organisations to discuss policy issues and specific Bank-funded projects; and through the interventions in formal Board proceedings made by our Director at the Bank and his team in the UK Delegation.
Mr. Fitzpatrick:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list current British aid projects in El Salvador. [16910]
Mr. Foulkes:
In addition to a £100,000 British Partnership Scheme, administered by the British Embassy in San Salvador, which enables support to be provided for small local development projects, we are currently supporting the following projects through the Department for International Development (DFID) Joint Funding Scheme.
| Organisation | Project title | DFID contribution (£) |
|---|---|---|
| Health Unlimited | Relief and training programme | 257,000 |
| International Co-operation for Development | Institutional strengthening of NGOs | 67,827 |
It is likely that additional projects in El Salvador will be supported this year through the block grant arrangement of the Joint Funding Scheme, which operates on the basis of claims in arrears. Twenty-eight CAFOD, Christian Aid and Oxfam projects in El Salvador were supported in this way last year.
Iraq
Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the 1997 proposals for demining to be administered by the European Community Humanitarian Office in Northern Iraq. [16979]
Mr. Foulkes: The European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) does not itself administer projects. It works in partnership with NGOs, UN and other international agencies that are themselves responsible for project administration.
In 1997 the only ECHO funded partner for demining in Iraq was the British NGO Mines Advisory Group (MAG). MAG has a contract for £680,000 primarily to supply
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mine detectors and other equipment such as protection jackets, helmets etc. ECHO has also provided £1.5 million for medical support for land mine victims. Britain contributes about a seventh of the cost of the ECHO programme.
Sir Alastair Goodlad:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what finances are budgeted for (a) 1997-98 and (b) 1998-99 for mixed credits in place of ATP for each agreed country programme. [17446]
Clare Short:
There will be no separate budget allocation for mixed credit projects. In announcing the closure of the ATP scheme the White Paper on International Development also made it clear that any new mixed credit projects will be managed within agreed country programmes.
Sir Alastair Goodlad:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list (a) the countries to which ATP assistance has been given and (b) the amounts involved in each of the last five years.[17443]
Clare Short:
The countries and amounts involved for all ATP agreements concluded in each of the last five years are as follows (figures in £ million):
| Country | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chile | 0.0 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| China | 2.0 | 4.2 | 12.3 | 3.8 | 27.2 |
| Ghana | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 8.7 | 7.8 |
| India | 1.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Indonesia | 0.0 | 0.0 | 29.7 | 9.5 | 0.0 |
| Lesotho | 0.0 | 4.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Malaysia | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Morocco | 10.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Pakistan | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Philippines | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.2 | 9.2 | 0.0 |
| Sri Lanka | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Thailand | 0.0 | 4.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Turkey | 6.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Zimbabwe | 4.3 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Total | 26.2 | 14.0 | 50.1 | 31.2 | 35.0 |
Commonwealth Development Corporation
Sir Alastair Goodlad: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when she intends to bring forward legislation on the Commonwealth Development Corporation. [17449]
Clare Short: We shall be seeking to bring forward legislation to enable the creation of a new public/private partnership for the Commonwealth Development Corporation as soon as Parliamentary time permits.
Zimbabwe and Zambia
Sir Alastair Goodlad: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance her Department is currently giving for the maintenance of order in rural areas in Zimbabwe. [17448]
Clare Short:
DFID is supporting a programme of reforms by the Zimbabwe Republic Police to introduce community policing, including in the rural areas.
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Sir Alastair Goodlad:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to give development assistance to (a) Zambia and (b) Zimbabwe; and if she will make a statement. [17451]
Clare Short:
We have substantial development programmes in both countries. These are being refocused in line with the recent White Paper (Cm. 3789).
Sir Alastair Goodlad:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions her Department has had with the Government of Zimbabwe on assistance with compensation in connection with land redistribution; and if she will make a statement. [17444]
Clare Short:
The issue has been discussed with the Government of Zimbabwe by British Ministers and officials. We have told the Government of Zimbabwe that we cannot support the rapid programme of land acquisition that they seem to envisage. We would be willing to support a properly prepared programme of land reform as part of a partnership to eliminate poverty.
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Sir Alastair Goodlad:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations she has made to the Government of Zambia on (a) human rights and (b) good government; and if she will make a statement. [17445]
Clare Short:
I raised these issues with the Government of Zambia earlier this year. Officials have pursued them frequently since.
Sir Alastair Goodlad:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance her Department is currently giving for disaster relief in Somalia. [17450]
Clare Short:
I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Sutherland, South (Mr. Mullin) on 19 November 1997, Official Report, column 178. Since then, I have provided a further £0.5 million bilaterally to help--$0.25 million for UNICEF, which is co-ordinating the logistical operation and £0.25 million for the International Committee of the Red Cross.