Previous Section Index Home Page


India

Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what projects her Department supports in India; and what the amount of grants is in each case. [11395]

Clare Short: All project support to India is provided in the form of grants. The table provides details of active projects and total financial commitment.

£

SI NumberProjectsTotal commitment
Andhra Pradesh
1Andhra Pradesh Energy Efficiency Project42,700,000
2Andhra Pradesh Power Sector Reform Project31,500,000
3Andhra Pradesh Economic Restructuring Project5,300,000
4Andhra Pradesh Rural Livelihoods Project45,543,000
5Andhra Pradesh Urban Services for the Poor94,413,000
6Impact and Expenditure Review for Government of Andhra Pradesh Project600,000
7Andhra Pradesh Governance Reform Project5,900,000
Karnataka
8Karnataka Watershed Development Project14,758,000
9IISD/MYRADA—Project on developing appreciative inquiry technique105,052
10Western Ghats Forestry Project23,294,000
11OXFAM—Western Ghats Parallel Project173,643
West Bengal
12West Bengal Sexual Health Project4,780,000
13Eastern India Rainfed Farming Project8,091,000
14Calcutta Slum Improvement Project12,620,000
15West Bengal Reproductive and Child Health Project2,990,000
16ADB—Calcutta Environment Improvement Project28,300,000
17Christian Aid and Churches Auxiliary for Social Action Project1,200,000
18Enhancing Pro-poor Governance in West Bengal and Bihar212,000
Madhya Pradesh
19Support to Self Employed Womens Association14,000
20Madhya Pradesh Public Resource Management Project350,000
21Western India Rainfed Farming Project Phase II27,920,000
22Bihar—Madhya Pradesh Tribal Development Project7,000,000
23Natural Resources Management Project in the Bundelkhund Region1,170,000
24Indore Financial Services for the Poor Project79,000
Orissa
25Western Orissa Rural Livelihoods Project32,750,000
26IFAD Tribal Development Project25,000
27Orissa Power Sector Aid67,000,000
28Hirakund Rehabilitation Project21,400,000
29Orissa Gridco (Power Sector Reform) Restructuring Project6,000,000
30Energy: Orissa Rural Community Electric Supplies (CENDERET project)1,000,000
31Energy: Dadri Dry Ash Disposal Project1,700,000
32Orissa Power Sector Reform: Field Management4,013,037
33Orissa Public Sector Reforms Programme19,000,000
34Orissa Budgetary Aid—Design Phase25,000
35Orissa Health and Family Welfare Project Phase 33,827,000
36Orissa Social Marketing—PSI2,270,000
37Orissa Urban Reproductive Health Project4,997,780
38Cuttack Urban Slum Improvement Project12,720,000
39Orissa cyclone rehabilitation initiatives57,848,850
National
40ILO-International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour2,860,000
41Revised National Tuberculosis Project20,570,000
42WHO Operational Research on Tuberculosis719,370
43World Bank Trust Fund4,000,000
44ADB-Poverty Trust Fund20,000,000
45CARE: Credit and Saving for Household Enterprises Project9,852,401
46Haryana power Sector Reform and Restructuring Project15,000,000
47Indo/UK collaboration on Oil Seed crops Phase II2,000,000
48Development of Watershed Guidelines Project60,000
49Forestry Training Project2,020,000
50Integrated Coastal zone management training Project1,000,000
51Private Sector Forestry Project114,000
52Rural Development Programme Support Fund100,000
53Education: Shiksha Karmi Project Phase II20,140,000
54Education: Lok Jumbish Project31,423,000
55Pulse Polio Project40,813,000
56Poorest Areas Civil Society Programme27,000,000
57STD: Truck Drivers (Support to HIV/AIDS programme targeted at the Highway community)4,500,000
58Partnership for Sexual Health Project (Support to HIV/AIDS Programme)28,180,000
59Gender Centre2,000,000
60Public Administration training project4,650,000
61Training Development of Indian Police1,180,000
62BBC Marshall Plan for the Mind Project1,217,825
63Small Industries Development Banking of India support project16,585,000
64Community Ophthalmology Blindness programme support1,119,754
65Environment and Poverty Link200,000
66Health Systems policy development support800,000
67Management Development for senior urban public health officials1,460,000
68UNDP Monitoring and Evaluation Project60,000
69Small Grants Scheme212,000
70Water and sanitation Programme-South Asia2,520,000
71Credit and Micro-enterprise support project500,000
72UNICEF: Child Environment Improvement Project17,500,000
73District Primary Education Project (AP+WB+Orissa)166,416,000
Others
74Himachal Pradesh Forestry Project6,399,000
75Cochin Urban Poverty Reduction Project11,947,000
76Natural Resources Management Project in the Western Himalayas182,000

5 Nov 2001 : Column: 21W

Tajikistan

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate she has made of the extent of poverty and malnutrition in Tajikistan; and what aid has been offered to Tajikistan by the United Kingdom (a) directly and (b) through the programmes of the EU and United Nations. [10923]

Clare Short: Reliable data on Tajikistan are scarce. It is one of the poorest countries of the former Soviet Union, with rates of acute malnutrition ranging between 6.4 and 10.3 per cent. in different areas.

Since 1994, the United Kingdom has offered a total of £29.7 million to Tajikistan. Of this, £1 million has been through DFID's direct programme. DFID has also channelled £9.5 million into humanitarian assistance. £11.8 million has been provided through the European Commission, mainly to ECHO (EC Humanitarian Office) programmes. £1 million has been allocated to ECHO this year. £1.2 million has been offered to Tajikistan through programmes of the United Nations.

DEFENCE

Harrier Pilots

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total requirement is for trained Harrier pilots in the (a) Navy and (b) RAF; and how many there are at present in each case. [11578]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 31 October 2001]: The naval requirement for Sea Harrier pilots (Commander and below) as at 1 October 2001 was 64, with an authorised increase to 66 planned for 1 April 2003. The current naval strength (Commander and below) is 44. The Royal Air Force requires 85 Harrier pilots to fill Harrier GR7-specific flying and flying related ground appointments (Wing Commander and below). It has a current strength of 102 Harrier pilots. A number of these are filling career broadening posts such as staff appointments, or are serving as qualified flying instructors or with the RAF Aerobatic Team, and some are on exchange postings.

5 Nov 2001 : Column: 22W

Retention

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to improve retention rates within the armed forces. [10067]

Mr. Ingram: Armed forces retention is being tackled as a matter of the highest priority. Our aim is to maintain good levels of retention through policies that genuinely reflect the priorities of our people and their families, both at home and on deployment. A key outcome of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) was a widespread recognition of the need for an Armed Forces Overarching Personnel Strategy (AFOPS) as part of the 'Policy for People'. This was introduced in April 2000 to give more emphasis to personal issues. The SDR 'Policy for People' included some of the following aims: better terms and conditions; improvements to pay and allowances; better quality of training; addressing concerns about family life; ensuring equality of opportunity and provision of better accommodation. All these have now been embodied in the AFOPS Action Plan.

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is to improve the career prospects and retention of young service men and women; and if he will make a statement. [10570]

Mr. Ingram: A wide range of challenging careers are offered to both young men and women joining the services. We need over 25,000 high quality, well motivated recruits each year to maintain the correct balance of age and experience; and the need for and success of training is therefore crucial to the continuing operational success of our armed forces. The Defence Training Review, completed earlier this year, emphasised the importance of transferable qualifications to both the recruitment and the retention of personnel in the armed forces. An earlier scheme to come out of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) was the 'Learning Forces Initiative' which provides opportunities for service personnel to gain transferable skills and recognised civilian qualifications, not only improving and enriching their service careers but also preparing them for their second careers. The armed forces are also working closely with a number of key authorities to deliver increased recognition of service education and training leading to academic, vocational and professional qualifications. In

5 Nov 2001 : Column: 23W

summary, the armed forces provide attractive career prospects by offering: high quality training; accreditation of training wherever possible, against nationally recognised standards; a wide range of professionally demanding jobs, with many offering significant amounts of responsibility early on in careers; good promotion opportunities; encouragement to serve to age 40 or beyond; and provision of education facilities and grants to assist with the cost of education.

Armed forces retention is being tackled as a matter of the highest priority. Our aim is to maintain good levels of retention through policies that genuinely reflect the priorities of our people and their families, both at home and on deployment. A key outcome of the Strategic Defence Review was a widespread recognition of the need for an Armed Forces Overarching Personnel Strategy (AFOPS) as part of the 'Policy for People'. This was introduced in April 2000 to give more emphasis to personnel issues. The SDR 'Policy for People' included some of the following aims: better terms and conditions; improvements to pay and allowances; better quality of training; addressing concerns about family life; ensuring equality of opportunity and provision of better accommodation. New initiatives are under way in all of these areas.


Next Section Index Home Page