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Tanzania
21. Mrs. Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she had about development when she visited Tanzania in 1998. [67527]
Clare Short:
During my visit in August last year, I met with the President, ministers, politicians, officials and private sector, civil society and donor representatives and outlined Britain's new development policy. I visited various programmes and urged action to tackle corruption and speedy reform of the health and education sectors, where we have a major involvement and which are vital to improve the quality of basic services and to achieve our shared goal of poverty eradication.
3 Feb 1999 : Column: 640
23. Mr. Bob Russell:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to visit the island of St. Helena to discuss the provision of air links and improved sea links. [67529]
Clare Short:
I have no plans to visit St. Helena. Last year my Department and the St. Helena Government agreed the terms of a preliminary desk study into the technical viability of improving access, including possible air access, to St. Helena.
Mr. Andrew George:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement about the current humanitarian assistance to Angola. [67510]
Clare Short:
The recent fighting in Angola has resulted in a significant increase in the numbers of internally displaced people. The United Nations is co-ordinating efforts to meet these needs. We will help where there is adequate access and safety for agencies to operate. Since the first UN Humanitarian Appeal for Angola in 1993 we have committed some £41 million bilateral emergency assistance to Angola.
Helen Jackson:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the impact of her Department's policies on accessibility and clean water supply in developing countries. [67514]
Clare Short:
Access to clear, safe, water is a major focus for our programme as it is crucial to health, agriculture and freeing women and girls' time for education and production. We are giving increased focus to water and sanitation in our work. Worldwide 1½ billion people benefited from improved water supply during the UN Decade for water but 1 billion still lack access to clean water and 3 billion to sanitation. It is estimated that by 2025 1 in 3 people will be living in countries subject to chronic water scarcity unless water resources are used more efficiently.
Mr. Gapes:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the current status of negotiations concerning the impact on developing countries of the planned Multilateral Agreement for Investment. [67506]
Clare Short:
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) announced on 3 December that negotiations on the proposed Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) had ended.
Discussions are continuing in the World Trade Organisation on the links between trade and investment, including the case for possible new multilateral rules on investment. These discussions are still at an analytical stage. My Department is working with the WTO Secretariat and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to help ensure developing countries have the support necessary to participate actively in the discussions.
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Dr. Tonge:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement about the cessation of funding from her Department to the non-governmental organisation Merlin working in Southern Sudan. [69029]
Clare Short:
We funded the NGO Merlin for a 6 month programme of humanitarian assistance in Southern Sudan last August. This project ended on 31 January. As needs were much reduced, an extension of this project is not required.
Dr. Tonge:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to assist with the construction of secure roads and bridges in Southern Sudan. [69032]
Clare Short:
Help to improve the infrastructure necessary to deliver food, including road and bridge repairs, is included in the UN World Food Programme's transport and delivery costs. We have paid the full costs associated with the provision of our food aid.
Dr. Tonge:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to assist with vaccination of children against measles and polio in Southern Sudan. [69031]
Clare Short:
Our humanitarian assistance last year included an allocation of £125,000 towards the WHO Global Polio Eradication Programme.
The 1999 UN Consolidated Appeal covers the treatment of polio and measles. We are currently evaluating the Appeal document.
Dr. Tonge:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has for the continuation of humanitarian aid to Southern Sudan; and if she will make a statement. [69028]
Clare Short:
We received the UN 1999 Consolidated Appeal for Sudan on 28 January and we are considering it carefully. We will make a statement as soon as possible.
Dr. Tonge:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement regarding funding by her Department of simple fishing equipment in Southern Sudan. [69030]
Clare Short:
The provision of fishing equipment is included in the 1999 UN Consolidated Appeal. We are currently evaluating the Appeal document. I will write to the hon. Lady about difficulties over efforts to provide fishing equipment in the past.
Mr. Streeter:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) if she will list the 10 UK based non-governmental organisations which received the greatest amounts of money from her Department in the year 1997-98; [68085]
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Clare Short:
The Department for International Development expenditure through UK NGOs was £172,336 million in 1997-98. This was 16.5 per cent. of the total Bilateral Programme or 8.4 per cent. of the total DFID programme for 1997-98.
I attach a list of the 10 NGOs who received the greatest amounts of money in 1997-98.
(2) what percentage of her Department's budget was paid to United Kingdom non-governmental organisations in 1997-98. [68068]
| £000 | |
|---|---|
| 1. British Red Cross Society | 23,351 |
| 2. Voluntary Services Overseas | 20,274 |
| 3. Save the Children Fund | 18,037 |
| 4. CARE International UK | 12,348 |
| 5. OXFAM | 10,498 |
| 6. Christian Aid | 8,488 |
| 7. International Planned Parenthood Federation | 6,017 |
| 8. London School of Hygiene | 4,287 |
| 9. Medical Research Council | 3,702 |
| 10. Marie Stopes International | 3,103 |
Note:
Organisations registered as a charity with the Charity Commission in England or the Inland Revenue in Scotland, excluding the British Council which is a public body.
PRIME MINISTER
Life Peers
Sir John Stanley: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the total number of life peers that have been created since 1 May 1997, indicating the number that subsequently took the (a) Conservative Whip, (b) Labour Whip, (c) Liberal Whip, (d) other party whips and (e) sit on the Cross Benches in the House of Lords. [65029]
The Prime Minister [holding answer 11 January 1999]: The information is as follows:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| Labour | (9)63 |
| Conservative | 31 |
| Liberal Democrat | 17 |
| Cross Bench | (10)6 |
| Law Lords | 4 |
| Other | 6 |
| Total | (11)127 |
(9) Includes Baroness Lester, now deceased
(10) Excludes Law Lords who are listed separately
(11) Includes the Dissolution List
Overseas Publications
Mr. Maclean: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list those articles he has written for foreign newspapers since becoming Prime Minister. [66375]
The Prime Minister:
I have written for many overseas publications. Usually an article is circulated by my office, or the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, to overseas posts who then place the article in a newspaper in their country. We do not have a comprehensive list of these articles.
3 Feb 1999 : Column: 643
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