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Education Programmes
6. Mr. St. Aubyn: If she will make a statement on the role of non-governmental organisations in delivering education programmes. [29615]
Mr. Foulkes: The delivery of universal basic education, which is one of our major priorities, is primarily the responsibility of Governments. However, we welcome the involvement of NGOs in the education sector. They have an important role to play in empowering local people to demand quality provision. They are also particularly effective in the education of excluded children, such as child workers, and in adult literacy programmes.
Mr. St. Aubyn: Is the Minister aware that the Project Trust, a successful NGO which, during 30 years, has sent 4,000 school leavers on projects teaching overseas, recently expressed concern that the work of such bodies might be hampered by the increasing cost of a university education for students who might not be able to afford to offer this volunteer work during their gap year?
Mr. Foulkes: We do not fund the Project Trust, but we recognise that it is a worthwhile, character-building
organisation. I understand that the hon. Gentleman went on one of its volunteer programmes, so he eloquently demonstrates what a success it is.
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Tony Lloyd): Oh no he does not.
Mr. Foulkes: I must agree with my hon. Friend since it is his birthday today, on which I congratulate him.
We support voluntary service organisations such as International Voluntary Service and the Voluntary Service Overseas that send volunteers overseas. I was disappointed to see in The Observer on Sunday that there seems to be a downturn in the number of people volunteering to go overseas. We are now considering what can be done to encourage more people to volunteer to help in developing countries.
Mr. Campbell-Savours:
My hon. Friend might recall that Labour's policy document on overseas development, "A World of Difference", argued that development studies should be introduced, by one means or another, to the national curriculum. What developments in secondary education has my hon. Friend to report?
Mr. Foulkes:
The development awareness working group has been set up. Everyone who was invited by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to serve on it has agreed to do so. The first meeting will be on 31 March. I look forward to chairing it and hearing all the recommendations, which I hope will take forward what was included in that report and in our manifesto.
Mr. Ian Bruce:
I am sure that the hon. Gentleman knows that many NGOs that work with street children are particularly involved in their education. Will his Department make it easier for British-based NGOs to bid for project funding from his Department to increase the effectiveness of that excellent work?
Mr. Foulkes:
I recognise the hon. Gentleman's particular interest in this area and assure him that NGOs, particularly those working and based in developing countries, can apply through our country programmes for assistance. We will give them sympathetic consideration. [Interruption.]
Madam Speaker:
The House will come to order. It is too noisy and we can hardly hear each other.
7. Mr. Hanson:
What discussions she is undertaking with aid agencies regarding refugees in Sudan. [29616]
Clare Short:
We are in frequent contact with UN agencies and our partners from non-governmental organisations working with internally displaced Sudanese and refugees in Sudan. Since April 1994, we have provided about £4.8 million bilaterally to support their work. We were the fourth largest donor of bilateral emergency assistance in 1997.
Mr. Hanson:
Will my right hon. Friend pay tribute to the many people in my constituency and elsewhere who
Clare Short:
I pay tribute to the generous people who collect money for and care about the suffering of the Sudanese people. I agree with my hon. Friend: the real answer for the people of Sudan is a political settlement and an end to the civil war that has resulted in so many refugees and internally displaced people. The destruction of the Sudanese economy is a tragedy for Sudan and that part of Africa. We must do all in our power to support a political settlement.
8. Mr. McAllion:
What steps she is taking to promote development in the Caribbean. [29617]
Mr. Foulkes:
Caribbean countries have been making great strides in recent years. Our White Paper distinguishes between the needs of the poorest countries, which require resource transfers to develop basic services, and middle-income countries--such as those in the Caribbean--which need access to technical assistance and know-how. We have had two consultations on this matter with Caribbean high commissioners and I had a useful and positive discussion with Caribbean Governments at the recent UK-Caribbean forum in Nassau in the Bahamas.
Mr. McAllion:
Cuba is the most important island in the Caribbean--[Interruption.]
Madam Speaker:
Order. We can hardly hear the hon. Gentleman who is on his feet. I have already asked the House to come to order and it must now do so.
Mr. McAllion:
I was saying that Cuba is the most important island in the Caribbean and I know of my hon. Friend's great interest in Cuba. Does he agree that the best way that Britain can help the embattled people of Cuba in their struggle against the illegal aggression of the United States of America is through constructive engagement by forming closer political ties and building better trading links with Cuba? To that end, will he undertake to become the first Minister to visit Cuba since the Labour Government were returned to power in 1997?
Mr. Foulkes:
I would certainly like that opportunity at some time. We already support Cuba through the Department's small projects scheme and through our contribution to the European Community's humanitarian programme. We have been encouraging the Commonwealth Development Corporation to develop an investment programme in Cuba. I have met the Cuban ambassador and visiting Ministers from Cuba and discussed with colleagues in other Departments how we can further our co-operation with Cuba.
Sir Peter Tapsell:
Does the Minister agree that, while new forms of development are urgently needed in many
Mr. Foulkes:
I was hoping that the hon. Gentleman would raise the issue of bananas and I was not disappointed. I assure him that we are doing everything we can to protect the interests of the Caribbean banana producers. I pay particular tribute to my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, who went to St. Lucia to see for himself the banana producers' problems. When he then went to the Agriculture Council he was able to speak with first-hand knowledge. Like other Ministers, he has been fighting hard to protect banana producers' interests.
9. Mr. Baker:
What steps she is taking to ensure endangered species are not adversely affected by her Department's policies. [29618]
Clare Short:
The White Paper emphasises the central place of the environment in our efforts to eliminate poverty and promote sustainable development. We are clear that the best way forward is to assist poor people to find sustainable livelihoods so that they can improve their lives and sustain natural resources. Every bilateral Department for International Development programme is subject to an environmental screening to ensure that it does not adversely affect endangered species, or the environment as a whole.
Mr. Baker:
I agree with the Secretary of State, but may I draw to her attention the fact that there were 80,000 tigers in the world in 1900? Now there are fewer than 5,000, 3,000 of which are in India. Her Department could play a major role in ensuring the tiger's survival. Will she ensure that the global tiger forum is formally convened, and will she also investigate the detrimental impact of the joint forestry management programme with the Karnataka forest department in the western Ghats?
Clare Short:
We all want to make sure that the tiger survives, but I remind the hon. Gentleman that my Department exists to work towards eliminating poverty, not just to protect endangered species. Our view is that, if the poor can live in a way that is good for them and sustains their natural environment, that is the way to look after the planet and its people.
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