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Kosovo
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what has been the total cost of the humanitarian programme in Kosovo since the beginning of the conflict; and how much has been disbursed in (a) cash and (b) in materials and products. [105689]
Clare Short: My Department has committed £100 million to the humanitarian and rehabilitation programme in Kosovo since March 1999. Direct procurement of goods and equipment by the Department amounts to £40 million. Specific contributions to international organisations for the purchase of goods and equipment amount to £5 million. The balance of £55 million has been committed to a range of programmes through international agencies, international and local NGOs, commercial contractors and the DFID Field Offices in Pristina, Skopje, and Tirana. The vast majority of these programmes involve some procurement of goods and equipment, but information on the precise breakdown of programmes between goods and other expenditure is not readily available.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the performance of the United Nations mission in Kosovo. [106453]
Mr. Foulkes: United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) face a daunting and complex task in implementing SCR 1244.
The range of challenges includes meeting humanitarian needs over the winter, setting up basic services in health and education, establishing the rule of law, and putting a system of revenue collection in place. They are also undertaking voter registration in order to hold elections as soon as feasible. These and other tasks have at times been hampered because human and financial inputs have been slow to mobilise. But the Mission is progressively doing a good job and has our support.
Heavily Indebted Poor Countries
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with the IMF and World Bank concerning the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative. [106330]
Clare Short: We have regular discussions with the Managing Director of the IMF and the President of the World Bank on a range of issues, including the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. Through our Executive Director's office in Washington, we are in day-to-day contact with World Bank and IMF management. Currently, we are exchanging ideas on how the poverty reduction strategy approach can be implemented most effectively, so that the enhanced debt relief provided under the HIPC initiative can have the maximum possible benefit for the poor. We also continue to press for the early implementation of the revised HIPC Initiative.
Mr. Streeter:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations she has received from non-Governmental organisations
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concerning expansion of the number of countries eligible for debt relief under the heavily indebted poor countries initiative. [106640]
Clare Short:
I have received a number of letters requesting an increase from 41 to 52 to the list of countries eligible for HIPC relief. Countries can be added to the HIPC list as demonstrated by the inclusion of Malawi. However such additions require international agreement. Non-HIPC countries can receive up to 67 per cent. relief on their bilateral debts from the Paris Club of official creditors.
Mr. Streeter:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with local non-governmental organisations about their role in monitoring poverty reduction projects financed as a result of bilateral debt relief. [106639]
Clare Short:
I refer to my answer to the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs. Gillan) on 19 January 2000, Official Report, column 479W, on the monitoring of bilateral debt relief. I met Directors of the British Agencies Overseas Group on 21 December, and discussed with them the importance of civil society being involved in developing and monitoring poverty reduction strategies.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of her departmental budget in 1998-99 was spent in Asia. [106328]
Clare Short:
The percentage of the DFID Bilateral programme expenditure spent in 1998-99 in Asia was 28 per cent. This represents 14 per cent. of the total DFID programme. In addition some of our multilateral contributions will be directed towards Asia, but we cannot determine how much.
Mr. Streeter:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her Department's planned spending on (a) Latin America, (b) Asia, (c) Africa and (d) Europe is in financial year 1999-2000. [106695]
Mr. Foulkes:
The Department for International Development's (DFID) planned expenditure on Bilateral Country Programmes for the current (1999-2000) financial year is as follows:
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| (a) Latin America | 33 |
| (b) Asia | 315 |
| (c) Africa | 447 |
| (d) Europe | 196 |
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the impact of an increase in her Department's spending in the Balkans on projects in southern hemisphere. [106340]
Clare Short:
No financial or material resources were diverted from projects in the Southern Hemisphere as a result of the increased spending in the Balkans.
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Mr. Streeter:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentages of her departmental budget in 1998-99 were spent in (a) Africa and (b) Latin America. [106694]
Clare Short:
The percentage of the DFID Bilateral programme expenditure spent in 1998-99 in (a) Africa and (b) Latin America is as follows:
| Percentage | ||
|---|---|---|
| As a proportion of Bilateral expenditure | As a proportion of total DFID programme | |
| Africa | 39.0 | 19.0 |
| Latin America | 3.0 | 1.0 |
Special Advisers
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will place the curriculum vitae of her special advisers in the Library. [106343]
Mr. Foulkes: Owing to the personal nature of this request, we are not obliged to supply the information requested.
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in her Department employs a special adviser. [106765]
Mr. Foulkes: I employ no special advisers.
Ministerial Offices
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what was the cost of the refurbishment of her Department's ministerial offices. [106342]
Mr. Foulkes: Since 1997 our Department has spent the following amounts on the refurbishment of ministerial offices, which include replacement furniture and redecoration:
| Year | £ |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 7,978 |
| 1998 | 7,376 |
The figures for 1999 are not yet available.
Indigenous Cultures
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations she has made to the IMF and the World bank concerning respect for indigenous cultures. [106641]
Mr. Foulkes:
We have made no direct representations to the IMF and World bank concerning respect for indigenous cultures. But we continue to pay close attention to the development of World bank Country Assistance Strategies, especially the social impact on marginalised or vulnerable groups, and we also keep a close eye on World bank safeguard policies.
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Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her criteria are for assessing the progress of United Nations reform. [106456]
Mr. Foulkes:
The overriding criterion in the field of development is the contribution which the UN and its funds, programmes and specialised agencies make to achieving the International Development Targets for poverty eradication, agreed by the entire UN membership. Better UN performance will require continuing efforts to focus the work of UN development agencies where they can be most effective in helping meet the Targets, to link resources more closely to objectives and outputs, and to strengthen co-ordination within the UN family and between the UN and other development institutions, particularly the World Bank. The UN must also improve its response to conflict, which threatens poverty reduction in many poor countries and continue to work with others to develop and implement the statistical systems needed to measure year-on-year progress towards the Targets. The UK will continue to support the UN and its development agencies in improving their effectiveness on all these fronts.
Mr. Streeter:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent progress has been made in reforming the United Nations. [106455]
Mr. Foulkes:
In the field of Development the process of institutional modernisation started by the UN Secretary General in 1997 has improved the impact of the UN, though much remains to be done. New and improved strategic co-ordinating mechanisms have been established to enhance the UN's development policy cohesion. The pilot UN Development Assistance Framework has begun to increase co-ordination between UN agencies and between the UN and other development institutions at country level and will be extended rapidly to more countries. Agencies such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) have established clearer objectives, a sharper focus on clearly defined core activities, sound finances and better management. UNDP and UNICEF have made progress in developing management systems that link resources more closely to objectives and results. We are encouraging all UN development agencies to modernise their management and organisation to increase their effectiveness in helping meet the International Development Targets.
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