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INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Palestine
12. Mr. Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the effectiveness of European Union development aid to the Palestine National Authority. [29621]
Mr. Foulkes: EU aid has helped the peace process in Palestine to survive under very difficult circumstances. The Commission is undertaking an evaluation of its programme to the Palestinians. We will be seeking to ensure that lessons learned from this evaluation are taken fully into account in the programme.
Ukraine
13. Mr. Pond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what measures her Department plans to take to assist the Ukraine; and if she will make a statement. [29622]
Mr. Foulkes: In 1997/98, the Know How Fund is providing around £9 million in technical assistance for Ukraine notably in the energy and agriculture sectors. Last November, I saw for myself its effectiveness particularly in restructuring in coal mining areas.
We are currently restructuring our Know How Fund better to address the needs of the poor in transition countries.
Aid Co-ordination
14. Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proposals she has for co-ordinating British aid with other Commonwealth countries. [29623]
Clare Short: At the 1997 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Edinburgh, the Government sought increased Commonwealth support for the international development strategy which is seeking to develop an internationally agreed basis for aid co-ordination among both developing and developed countries.
Multilateral Agreement on Investment
15. Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress she is making on the multilateral agreement on investment. [29624]
Clare Short: My Department has commissioned Queen Elizabeth House, Oxford to produce a study of the implications of the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) for developing countries which will be ready in good time for the MAI Negotiating Group meeting in April. This initiative has been welcomed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) Development Assistance Committee and by NGOs. It will be made available to the governments of developing countries.
Aid (Good Government Criteria)
16. Mr. Fabricant:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what is the policy of her Department in respect of linking good government criteria to the provision of aid. [29625]
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Clare Short:
The Government want to develop long-term partnerships with developing countries which are committed to the elimination of poverty and pursue policies which promote responsive and accountable government. Good government is a prerequisite of sustainable development. We seek to support good government in all our work.
17. Mr. Paterson:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on future funding from her Department for Montserrat. [29627]
Clare Short:
I refer to the statement made to the House by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary on 18 February 1998, Official Report, columns 1019-22.
18. Mr. Godman:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent representations she has received concerning the provision of aid for the indigenous people of Tibet. [29628]
Clare Short:
There have been representations from a number of sources about the provision of aid to Tibet. My officials met the Dalai Lama's UK Representative on 4 February to discuss possible training scholarships and health sector needs. As I assured my hon. Friend at questions on 28 January 1998, Official Report, column 331, we make it an objective of our own and EU programmes to ensure that indigenous people are the main beneficiaries.
19. Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what new proposals she has to extend the work of the know-how fund in the Baltic states. [29629]
Clare Short:
I am planning a slight decline in the Know How Fund programme spending in the Baltic States. This is in accordance with our policy document "Support for Transition: A New Strategy", a copy of which is in the Library, and takes account of the relatively advanced progress which the Baltics have made. Our priority sectors there are public administration and (increasingly) rural development.
20. Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations she has made about the possible illegal seizure of farmland by the Government of Zimbabwe. [29630]
Clare Short:
I have informed the Government of Zimbabwe that we are prepared to support a land reform programme that is properly planned, transparent, and intended to benefit the poor, but we will not support the programme they have announced.
21. Mr. Bob Russell:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions her Department has had with the Foreign and Commonwealth
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Office regarding the development criteria to be included in the proposed European Union code of conduct on arms sales. [29631]
Clare Short:
The Department for International Development (DFID), together with other interested Government Departments, was consulted by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the drafting of the draft EU Code of Conduct on Arms Sales.
22. Mr. Spring:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to change the funding mechanism for overseas dependent territories. [29633]
Clare Short:
Reasonable assistance to the dependent territories continues to be the responsibility of my Department. I have since May 1 made a number of changes in the Department's administrative system in order to stream-line decision making.
27. Mr. Letwin:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations her Department has received about future funding arrangements by her Department for British overseas territories. [29638]
Clare Short:
I refer the hon. Member to my earlier answer today to the hon. Member for West Suffolk (Mr. Spring). We have received a number of representations on this issue.
23. Mr. Boswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on her Department's role in combating problems of urbanisation and concentration of population in developing countries. [29634]
Clare Short:
My Department is addressing these issues both with the multi-lateral organisations and within our programmes. The UN Global Conference on Human Settlements, "Habitat 2", discussed the issues of urbanisation in 1996 at Istanbul, and set out "The Habitat Agenda" for national and local governments to help facilitate a better life for people in towns. We are continuing to work in collaboration with the UN Centre for Human Settlements, UNDP and the World Bank to implement this Agenda.
24. Mr. Dobbin:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what are her Department's plans for promoting ethical trading; and if she will make a statement. [29635]
Clare Short:
I am keen to do all I can to support the ethical trading movement which provides a channel through which the working conditions of poor people in the supply chains of UK importers can be improved.
In the UK, we have provided £500,000 to support the work of the Ethical Trading Initiative which includes many of the major UK retail chains and other private sector partners, NGOs and trade unions. They are working together on methods of monitoring the implementation of voluntary codes for ethical sourcing and on developing a
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positive engagement between importers and their suppliers. I am also promoting fairly traded goods. We are working with partners overseas on these issues and, as our ideas on ethical trading develop, I envisage this aspect of our work expanding.
25. Mr. Gerrard:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions her Department has had regarding the international AIDS vaccine initiative. [29636]
Clare Short:
Officials in my Department maintain regular contact with the administrator of the Initiative. We are currently exploring opportunities for greater collaboration.
28. Mr. Wigley:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the progress of programmes for clearance of land mines; and if she will make a statement. [29639]
Clare Short:
I signed the Ottawa Convention on behalf of the UK. We are doubling our expenditure on demining and we are working for greater international co-operation and more local capability in order to speed up demining worldwide.
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