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Refugees (Former Yugoslavia)

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the humanitarian problems in the refugee

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camps in Bosnia Herzegovina; if she will provide funding directly to the refugee camps; and if she will make a statement. [23196]

Clare Short: The UNHCR is responsible for monitoring the situation of refugees in Bosnia Herzegovina. We have not provided bilateral funds to support refugee camps. We provided £1.6 million for a refugee programme that ended earlier this year. We have also provided £582,000 to assist Serb refugees to return to Croatia, including from Bosnia Herzegovina.

We have agreed with the authorities in Bosnia Herzegovina to support social and economic reform. Our commitments are described in the DFID country strategy paper for Bosnia Herzegovina, published in September 2000.

Commonwealth Development Corporation

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the (a) number and (b) value of deals completed by the Commonwealth Development Corporation in each of the last five years, stating in each case the country concerned and grouped by the OECD developing countries and territories measurement of (i) least developed countries, (ii) low income countries, (iii) lower middle income countries and territories, (iv) upper middle income countries and territories and (v) high income countries and territories; and if she will make a statement. [21520]

Clare Short: I have asked the Finance Director of CDC to provide information about CDC investments in the last five years where this information is centrally available and is not commercially sensitive. He will reply direct and I will arrange for a copy of his reply to be placed in the Library of the House.

Yugoslavia

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on changes in the levels of humanitarian assistance to Serbia in the post-Milosevic era. [22692]

Clare Short: Following the resumption of democratic rule in Serbia in October 2000, the UK provided a £10 million immediate assistance package for Serbia. We also contributed £22 million towards the EC's euro 188 million humanitarian aid programme, and provided a further £8.4 million to help the Serbian authorities pay arrears in family welfare benefits.

Over the last year, we have developed a programme of support for economic and social reforms, as set out in the DFID Country Strategy Paper for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Other donors have also developed longer- term, strategic assistance programmes. Such support for essential reforms is key in meeting the longer-term needs of the poor and vulnerable in Serbia.

The EC Humanitarian Affairs Office (ECHO) is providing euro 47.8 million of humanitarian assistance for

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Serbia in 2001. DFID's share of this is £5.7 million. Other donors, including the international relief agencies, are continuing to provide humanitarian assistance.

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her Department is doing to support (a) internally displaced persons and (b) refugees within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the winter. [22691]

Clare Short: Humanitarian assistance from the international community, including assistance for internally displaced persons and refugees, is co-ordinated by the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and the European Commission Humanitarian Affairs Office (ECHO). The UK provides funds for these agencies, including 19.7 per cent. of the ECHO budget.

We are not planning to provide bilateral assistance to refugees and internally displaced persons this winter. Our bilateral programme focuses on providing technical assistance for institution and capacity building, and for economic and social reform. We aim to address the longer-term needs of poor people in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia by helping to restructure the economy, strengthen public administration and improve the delivery of social and health care services. This strategy is described in the DFID Country Strategy Paper for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

Zimbabwe

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support her Department is giving to civil society organisations in Zimbabwe. [22690]

Clare Short: In Zimbabwe we are helping church and school communities to deliver supplementary feeding to children and vulnerable adults. We are also supporting civic organisations on democratic and legal rights awareness. We are helping to build the capacity of NGOs to respond to emergency needs. We also meet regularly with UK based NGOs to discuss development policy and effectiveness, and to give advice and support on operational concerns.

TRANSPORT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND

THE REGIONS

Fishing Communities

Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions by how much each regional development agency's budget was reduced to provide money for the Fishing Communities Regeneration Initiative. [18271]

Ms Keeble: My right hon. Friend the then Minister for Regeneration announced this initiative on 4 April 2001 Official Report, column 182W. The Government had previously stated that funding for RDAs' would rise from £1.45 billion in 2001–02 to £1.7 billion in 2003–04. £5.5 million (0.35 per cent.) of the RDAs' indicative 2001–02 allocation was redistributed to help fishing communities in the final allocation announced on 9 March 2001. The contribution of each was as follows.

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RDA	£ million
ONE	0.68
NWDA	1.18
YF	0.82
EMDA	0.35
AWM	0.55
EEDA	0.22
SEEDA	0.38
SWRDA	0.25
LDA	1.07
Total	5.50

Regeneration

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what his estimate is of per capita Government public expenditure on regeneration in each of the regions of England in the present financial year. [18520]

Ms Keeble: The incidence of regeneration spending ¹ in the English regions for 2001–02, on a per capita basis, from the regeneration programmes for which DTLR is responsible, is estimated to be:

English regions	£
North East	69
North West	49
Yorkshire and Humberside	49
East Midlands	23
West Midlands	32
East	(2)8
South East	11
South West	11
London	63

⁽¹⁾ Population figures based on 1995 data. Estimated expenditure is based on a combination of budgets and forecasts. Includes figures for DTLR's Land and Property Programme, Single Regeneration Budget, Housing Action Trusts, Estate Action, Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, New Deal for Communities and work undertaken by English Partnerships. Excludes £15 million from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust and Coalfields Enterprise Fund whose expenditure is distributed on the basis of different regional boundaries, cross-cutting projects by other Government Departments and any local authority expenditure contributing to regeneration. Also excludes European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) money. Total projected ERDF spend for 2001–02 on regeneration in the English regions is £248 million.

⁽²⁾ The Eastern Region did not receive funding from English Partnerships for physical regeneration during 2001–02. This is because there are no coalfields; collapsing land; nor, at present, any Urban Regeneration Companies (these are English Partnerships' principal regeneration functions).

West Dorset Council (Freemasons)

Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what action was taken by the Government Office for the South West following the Southern Eye documentary, 'Anything to Declare' about the activities of Freemasons on West Dorset Council; and if he will make a statement. [19763]

Dr. Whitehead: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

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SSA Methodology

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will publish figures showing the effect of each of the changes in SSA methodology introduced in 1998 on (a) SSAs for each class of authority and (b) each local authority in England in each year since 1998–99 (i) for each year and (ii) cumulatively, in (A) percentage terms and (B) cash terms. [20378]

Mr. Byers: This question could be answered only at disproportionate cost.

Housing (Barnet)

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what will be the actual cap levels for formula rents for registered social landlords and council housing in Barnet in 2011. [20836]

Ms Keeble: The cap levels for formula rents for RSL and council housing will rise at RPI+1 per cent. a year from the current figures.

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