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Indonesia
Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what response her Department has made to the situation of refugees from the Maluka Islands in Indonesia. [105591]
Mr. Foulkes: Our Department is monitoring the humanitarian situation in the Maluka Islands in Indonesia, and in particular the plight of those who have been internally displaced by the conflict (estimated at 280,000 by the Government of Indonesia). We have not yet been formally approached for assistance, but will consider any appeals put to us following the UN and Government of Indonesia's forthcoming joint humanitarian needs assessment mission to Maluka.
EU Aid
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to review the efficiency of the EU aid budget. [105691]
Mr. Foulkes: We published a strategy paper for our collaboration with the European Union in December 1998 with 18 specific objectives for improving the effectiveness of the European Community's development programmes. Several of these objectives have been achieved and we continue to review the strategy regularly. We welcome the commitment of the new European Commission to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of European Community assistance but will continue to press them to establish a coherent overall development policy, to increase the proportion of European Community development assistance directed at low income and least developed countries, and to improve the management of European Community programmes.
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the recent changes to the European aid programme. [105728]
Mr. Foulkes: We welcome the commitments made by the new European Commission to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the European Community's development programmes. Many of these commitments reflect positions in the strategy paper on working with the European Union published by our Department in December 1998. In particular, the Development Commissioner, Poul Nielson, and the External Relations Commissioner, Chris Patten, both called for a clearer poverty focus and for a considerable improvement in the Commission's management of its programmes. In addition, negotiations on a successor to the Lome Convention governing the EU's relation with 71 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries due to conclude next month should adopt significant improvements in the development focus of the European Development Fund.
However, as evaluations in recent years have shown, the impact of EC programmes has been poor and major changes are needed to improve this. We are therefore continuing to press the Commission to follow through on their commitments, and notably to adopt an overall
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development policy, to increase the proportion of European Community development assistance directed at low-income and least developed countries, and to improve the management of European Community programmes.
Mr. Paul Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the effectiveness of partnerships in developing countries to improve access to renewable sources of energy. [105164]
Mr. Foulkes:
As we said in the White Paper, we believe that genuine partnerships between developing countries and the donor community are needed if poverty is to be addressed in an effective and coherent way.
With our partners in developing countries we are developing access to renewable sources of energy through our Knowledge and Research programme. As part of this process we have recently produced a guidance note on "Energy for the Rural Poor". A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on progress made in advancing co-operation with French speaking countries. [105660]
Mr. Foulkes:
My right hon. Friend and I, and officials in our Department, maintain close links with French speaking countries and with our French counterparts and meet regularly. As a result of a series of meetings over the last few months we are working together on a variety of development issues, including co-operation on joint evaluations of selected UK and French activities. Last year we agreed with the French and Germans a Joint Declaration on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of EU development assistance. We will continue to build on these initiatives.
Mr. Streeter:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the total number of non-governmental organisations supported by her Department in each year since 1 May 1997 and the amount each has received. [105729]
Mr. Foulkes:
Two hundred and twenty three UN NGOs received a total of £172.34 million in the financial year 1997-98 from our Department and 209 UK NGOs received a total of £181.58 million in 1998-99.
Information on spending through overseas NGOs is not held separately, but is included in our bilateral country programme expenditure. Full details appear in "Statistics on International Development", a copy of which is in the Library of the House.
Information on spending through individual NGOs is not held centrally in the format requested. A full answer to the question in that format could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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Mr. Streeter:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the impact that the end of export credits for military expenditure will have on developing countries. [105826]
Mr. Foulkes:
We welcome the Chancellor's announcement of 11 January of a unilateral UK ban on export credits in respect of "unproductive expenditure" to 63 of the world's poorest countries. This extends the UK's unilateral 2-year ban on export credits for unproductive expenditure to Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPCs) announced in September 1997. This is now being extended indefinitely and widened to cover all countries which are eligible to borrow from the World Bank only on highly concessional terms.
Many of these countries are currently not on cover to receive export credits from the UK. We believe that export credit should only be granted to the poorest countries only where they are used for productive purposes which enable countries to benefit from faster economic growth and increased spending on social services. There is, therefore, a positive role for export credits in these countries. ECGD support for projects in these countries will be cleared by our Department to ensure they are not "unproductive".
Mr. Streeter:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what percentage of her departmental budget was channelled directly to Governments in the developing world in the last three years; [105730]
(3) what proportion of her departmental budget was spent through non-Governmental organisations in the last 12 months. [105732]
Mr. Foulkes:
The latest available figures are for the 1998-99 financial year. In that year, we estimate that bilateral aid expenditure was as follows:
(2) what percentage of her departmental budget was spent through the private sector in the last 12 months; [105731]
| Channel | Percentage of 1998-99 bilateral expenditure |
|---|---|
| Governments | 37 |
| Private sector | 47 |
| NGOs | 16 |
Departmental Employees
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what changes there have been in full-time staff numbers in her Department in the UK and abroad in each quarter between 1 May 1997 and 13 January 1999; [105684]
- (2) what changes there have been in Civil Service staff numbers in her Department for each quarter between 1 May 1997 and 13 January 1999. [105685]
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Mr. Foulkes: Changes in numbers of full-time posts financed from DFID's running costs budget during the period May 1997 to January 1999 were as follows:
| Calendar year/Quarter | Increase/decrease from the previous quarter |
|---|---|
| 1997 Q3 | -10 |
| 1997 Q4 | +23 |
| 1998 Q1 | +42 |
| 1998 Q2 | +5 |
| 1998 Q3 | +36 |
| 1998 Q4 | +34 |
| 1999 Q1 | -21 |
| Total cumulative increase/decrease over the period | +109 |
Figures are based on full time equivalents and take account of UK staff only. They exclude staff appointed in country and those contracted and paid from Programme budgets. Figures for the latter could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of her officials are registered disabled. [105741]
Mr. Foulkes: Since the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act in 1995 people formerly registered as disabled are no longer registered as such. However, 2 per cent. of my officials have declared themselves to have a disability.
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of her officials are women and how many are senior civil servants. [105740]
Mr. Foulkes: Forty four per cent. of the officials in our Department are women, of who 11 are in the Senior Civil Service.
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of her officials are from ethnic minorities. [105743]
Mr. Foulkes: Six per cent. of the officials in our Department are from an ethnic minority background.
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many (a) Muslims and (b) Sikhs are employed by her Department. [105742]
Mr. Foulkes: We do not collect information on the religious affiliations of staff.
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