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INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Departmental Staff
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many Hindus are employed by her Department. [106638]
Clare Short: My Department does not collect information on the religious affiliations of its employees.
Kosovo
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the non- Governmental organisations funded by her Department that are present in Kosovo; and what assessment she has made of their co-ordination and effectiveness. [106339]
Clare Short: My Department has provided funding for the following NGO activity in Kosovo:
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the case of larger programmes such as the £5 million International Medical Corps programme of support to primary health care, by London experts.
Mr. Streeter:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations she has made in the past three months to the United Nations Mission in Kosovo concerning the humanitarian situation in the Balkans. [106436]
Clare Short:
The key humanitarian issues in Kosovo are warmth and shelter. Staff from our Field Office and Infrastructure Engineering Unit in Pristina have worked closely with United Nations Mission in Kosovo's (UNMIK) humanitarian pillar, headed by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and other donors over the past three months to implement power transmission and water programmes. These will complement the UNHCR-co-ordinated shelter programme, which has received generous support from the European Union.
Dr. Tonge:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many meetings of the Ministerial Committee on Defence and Overseas Policy she has attended since May 1997. [106447]
Clare Short:
Attendance at Cabinet Committee meetings is not made public in line with Exemption 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
Dr. Tony Wright:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the public consultation exercises on policy matters carried out by her Department and its agencies in each of the last five years; who was consulted and by what means; how responses were analysed; how and in what form the results were transmitted to those responsible for the consultation; how the results of the consultation were published; and what analysis has been carried out of the extent and nature of policy changes resulting from the consultation. [106297]
Clare Short:
In 1997, my Department published its White Paper on International Development following an extensive consultation exercise. This committed us, among other things, to more open and collaborative ways of developing policy. In the following year, we launched a Development Policy Forum. A range of development issues were discussed with individuals and representatives of groups from across society in a series of nine regional forums, culminating in a national Forum. A second round of forums is now underway. The aims are to share thinking and ideas on key current development issues and to raise awareness. A copy of the report of the 1998 Forum and details of the 2000 Forum are available on the DFID website (under 'Working With Us').
In 1998, over 500 UK and overseas civil society groups were consulted as part of a major review of the way DFID works with these organisations. Groups were invited to write to the Department to set out their views. The ideas which emerged were drawn together and discussed further during 1999, resulting in new DFID funding mechanisms to strengthen civil society in poor countries, through civil
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society groups in the UK. These mechanisms provide for ongoing consultation, and willingness to further review and update arrangements on the basis of lessons learned.
We are also providing published strategies for all the countries and institutions with which we work after a period of consultation with appropriate stakeholders.
In 1999, DFID began a major consultative exercise to produce a set of papers on how the international community, together with developing countries and others, can achieve the International Development Targets set out in the White Paper, and what action DFID should itself be taking to contribute to this global effort. Each of these papers will be produced following a consultation exercise with developing country governments, civil society at home and overseas, the private sector, international development agencies, other donors, academics, and others. Draft copies of each paper are being distributed and written comments invited. Seminars to discuss each draft are being arranged. These papers will be made publicly available when finalised. The analysis they contain of the strategies required to achieve the International Development Targets will be used to sharpen the focus of DFID policies and resource allocations. Further, we hope the analysis will be of value to all those involved in international development, the international agencies, the bilateral donors, civil society organisations and those in developing countries themselves.
Mr. Streeter:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what criteria she uses when deciding whether to suspend aid payments to Governments in the developing world. [106439]
Clare Short:
I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 28 October 1999, Official Report, column 940W.
Mr. Streeter:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with (a) other EU countries and (b) the 41 poorest countries concerning reform of the World Trade Organisation since 1 December 1999. [106430]
Clare Short:
(a) Since 1 December I have had no meetings with EU partners regarding WTO reform. The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry discussed this issue in the General Affairs Council in Seattle and since then has been in touch with Commissioner Lamy and EU Trade Minister colleagues, outlining UK proposals for WTO reform.
(b) Since the Seattle meeting, I have had no direct discussions with representatives of the 41 Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPCs) on trade-related matters. I will meet representatives from HIPCs and others at the UNCTAD X meeting in Bangkok, 12-19 February, and will discuss a range of trade-related issues.
Mr. Streeter:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what direct Government assistance has been provided to Russia since 1 December 1999. [106431]
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Clare Short:
Information is not available on the form requested. My Department is responsible for most British Government assistance to Russia. DFID expects to spend around £28 million on bilateral assistance to Russia in the current financial year. Between 1 December and 20 January, DFID approved a total of £4.4 million for new projects; this includes a contribution of £0.89 million to the UN for humanitarian assistance to those displaced by the conflict in Chechnya. Other Government Departments including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Trade and Industry have smaller programmes of co-operation with Russia. In addition, we provide significant assistance to Russia through the multilateral agencies, especially the EU Tacis programme.
Mr. Streeter:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funds from the know- how fund are allocated to Russia. [106432]
Clare Short:
We expect to spend around £28 million on bilateral assistance to Russia in the current financial year.
Mrs. Fyfe:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will estimate the number of people who have acquired literacy as a result of her Department's contributions to education programmes in the last two years. [105387]
Clare Short:
It is not possible to give an estimate of the number of people who have acquired literacy as a result of our contribution to education programmes. In Africa and Asia we are currently funding a large number of substantive primary education programmes, all of which will contribute to the eradication of illiteracy. We have committed over £300 million to these programmes since May 1997. Millions of people will benefit from them.
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what consultations there have been between her Department and the European Commission concerning the proposed financing of a road from Georgetown to Lethern in Guyana; and what advice her Department has given on the project. [106146]
Clare Short:
From our local donor consultative process we understand that consultants were engaged last year by the EC to look at the feasibility of such a road.
Pharmaciens sans Frontieres
In making applications for funding, NGOs are required to describe the agency's involvement in sectoral co-ordination arrangements, and their knowledge of other agency activity in the same area. NGO programmes are subject to monitoring by our field office staff and, in
Handicap International
International Medical Corps
Goal
Feed the Children International
Medair
Mercy Corps Europe
Scottish Charities Kosovo Appeal
Global Care
Children's Aid Direct
Help Age International
Oxfam
ADRA
International Rescue Committee
War Child.
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