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INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Westland Helicopter Aid (India)

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the outcome of her Department's inquiry into the Westland helicopter aid deal with India. [138704]

Mr. Foulkes: The aid agreement for the supply of Westland helicopters to India was finalised in 1986. In 1993, the Indian authorities decided to sell the helicopters. We obtained a written agreement from the Government of India that any sale of the Westland helicopter packages would be for non-military use, and that the proceeds would be used for UK-supported poverty reduction programmes.

The Government of India has kept us informed of progress on potential sales, and we understand that a buyer who has undertaken not to use the equipment for military purposes has now been found. We will be pursuing with the Ministry of Finance how to make best use of the proceeds from the sale, to help achieve poverty alleviation.

Palestinian Education

Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions her Department has had with the Palestinian Authority to provide alternative education facilities to replace those schools unable to operate at present. [138713]

Mr. Foulkes: None. The majority of Palestinian schools were closed only until 7 October. For those children whose schools remain closed the Palestinian Authority has made its own contingency arrangements, wherever possible, to provide schooling at alternative locations.

East and West Timor

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the current aid given by the United Kingdom to (a) East Timor and (b) West Timor. [138817]

Mr. Foulkes: The bulk of the UK's current development assistance to East Timor is channelled through Trust Funds established by the United Nations, for the transitional administration, and the World bank, for reconstruction and development. We will contribute a total of £5.5 million to the Trust Funds this financial year. In addition we are supporting a Human Resource Development programme implemented by Oxfam, which works with local NGOs and civil society groups.

During 1999-2000 we gave more than £6.1 million through UN agencies and NGOs as emergency support for East Timor and for those refugees who crossed the border into West Timor.

International agencies have currently withdrawn their staff from West Timor, following the killing by militias of three UNHCR workers on 6 September. We are pressing the Indonesian Government to restore security in West Timor by disbanding and disarming the militias. When this has been done, and international agencies resume their operations, we will consider what further

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support we might offer to ensure that a census of those refugees remaining in West Timor is carried out, and that those wishing to return to East Timor are able to do so.

More widely, our programme in Indonesia in 2000-01 is expected to be around £7.8 million and will support civil society "safety net" programmes, work to introduce more equitable and sustainable forest management, a contribution to the "Governance Partnership", and support for Trades Union development.

Bangladesh

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the Jalchatra Project in Bangladesh. [138974]

Mr. Foulkes: We have in the past provided funding to St. Paul's Church for development work in the Jalchatra region of Bangladesh, including most recently a small grant for an irrigation project implemented from 1997-98. We have no immediate plans for further funding.

Caribbean Rice Industry

Mr. Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the likely impact of the EU Trade Directorate's draft regulation on Least and Less Developed Country products on the Caribbean rice industry. [139349]

Mr. Foulkes: We do not expect the draft regulation to produce any large-scale increase in LDC rice imports in to the EU. LDCs represented 0.2 per cent. of rice imports into the EU in 1998 and less than 0.01 per cent. of rice imports into the United States. Guyana alone exported 40 times more rice to the EU than all of the LDCs combined. The draft regulation would give insufficient price incentive for any significant response from LDC producers.

Global Desertification

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on trends in global desertification. [139142]

Mr. Foulkes: The problem of desertification is becoming increasingly widespread and acute. It is estimated that dry land areas in some 100 countries are prone to desertification. Its occurrence is exacerbated by the effects of climate change and the loss of biodiversity. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification is the principal international mechanism for addressing desertification in affected countries. The effects of desertification are felt most acutely in African states, a fact recognised in the objectives of the Convention.

We are concerned by problems of desertification and land degradation, since they are closely related to issues of poverty. To be effective, it is very important that actions to address desertification and land degradation are integrated into the sustainable development plans of affected countries. The latest UK report on activities in support of the Convention to Combat Desertification will be presented to the Fourth Conference of the Parties to the Convention in Bonn in December, which I hope to attend. Copies of the report will be deposited in the House of Commons Library on publication.

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Third-world Debt

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which Third World countries have benefited to date from the cancellation of their debt. [139464]

Mr. Foulkes: Twelve countries (Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guyana, Honduras, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda) have so far qualified for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. The international community is doing everything possible to bring a further eight countries to their Decision Point by the end of the year. In addition, under the Government's 100 per cent. policy, countries with remaining debts to ECGD and CDC are to receive relief when they qualify for relief under the HIPC Initiative.

Many of the remaining HIPC countries will not qualify for debt relief for some time, mainly because of their involvement in conflict.

A number of other countries have at various points received debt reduction from the Paris Club of official bilateral creditors. Details are contained in the IMF publication "Official Financing for Developing Countries"; a new edition of this is expected shortly.

Sexual Mutilation

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions her Department has had on the practice of sexual mutilation of young women. [139457]

Mr. Foulkes: Women's rights and health are crucial factors in achieving the Government's objective of poverty elimination. We are strongly committed to supporting work towards eliminating female genital mutilation (FGM), a basic rights violation which must be stopped.

We are working bilaterally and with multilateral organisations, including UNIFEM, to persuade Governments to tackle FGM as a serious public health concern. Our support for WHO's work on FGM includes: research on the prevalence and health consequences of abuse; pilot projects to prevent and manage the consequences of FGM; and developing guidance for health workers. We seek to reduce the incidence of FGM by supporting advocacy to increase awareness of the dangers to women of the practice.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Population, Development and Reproductive Health's FGM Hearings Report, which is to be launched today, is to be commended.

Human Rights

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the countries whose human rights records she has discussed with their Governments during the last 12 months. [139455]

Mr. Foulkes: I refer my hon. Friend to my right hon. Friend's reply of 8 February 1999, Official Report, column 34W. In addition, I will send him a copy of our Department's Strategy Paper "Realising Human Rights for Poor People", published in October this year. I will also place a copy in the Library of the House.

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China Western Poverty Reduction Project

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the current position of the China Western Poverty Reduction Project; and what recent representations she has received concerning it. [139318]

Mr. Foulkes: Following the World bank board meeting in July this year, the Government of China withdrew its request for funding for the Qinghai component of the Western Poverty Reduction Project, and decided to use its own funding for activities under this component.

We have received many letters on the subject and there was a well-organised but one-sided campaign against this project. As a result, the international community will not now be involved in ensuring that the important social and environmental safeguards for the project are in place.

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