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INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Burma

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action her Department is taking to support non-Burman ethnic groups in Burma. [22447]

Clare Short: British and European Community (EC) assistance in Burma is provided for a wide variety of humanitarian needs including the needs of refugees. DFID also provides funding for HIV/AIDS interventions. We are currently increasing our funding through selected INGOs and UN agencies to assist the most needy in Burma.

The total UK humanitarian assistance provided to Burma in 2000–01 was £0.8 million. We have committed up to £2 million for humanitarian purposes for 2001–02. This includes funding for the needs of refugees/returnees and the war-affected, including ethnic minorities in the Thailand border areas. Last year we spent £0.2 million on HIV/AIDS; our commitment for this financial year is £1.6 million.

Assistance provided to Burma through ECHO for the calendar year 2000 was euro 2 million or approximately £1.3 million (the same amount has been allocated for 2001). Assistance is delivered through European NGOs and focuses on health including HIV/AIDS, water and sanitation. Some assistance is provided to Burmese refugees in Thailand and for the protection of detainees in prison. The UK EC attribution for 2001 is 19 per cent.

Afghanistan

Ms Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate she has made of the number of Afghan children in danger of dying this winter; and what steps she has taken to provide assistance. [23043]

Clare Short: Afghanistan has one of the worst infant mortality rates in the world with one in four children dying before the age of five. Every effort is being made to minimise the suffering of all vulnerable Afghans, including children. Humanitarian agencies, particularly the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF, continue to make good progress in transporting essential relief supplies to Afghanistan. However, some areas of Afghanistan are proving difficult to access because of continuing insecurity.

My Department has so far allocated £7 million to UNICEF and other aid agencies to support their activities in the region, which are specifically focused on children.

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the security situation in Afghanistan and its effect on the delivery of humanitarian aid. [22686]

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Clare Short: United Nations agencies, particularly the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF, the Red Cross movement and NGOs continue to make good progress in transporting essential relief supplies into Afghanistan. Over the past month, WFP has delivered over 68,000 tonnes of food, exceeding its monthly target. International staff of humanitarian agencies have now returned to some areas of the country and are working with national staff to reach those in need of assistance. However, progress is heavily dependent on improved security. Some areas of Afghanistan are still proving difficult to access because of continuing insecurity.

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the (a) protection and (b) assistance her Department is providing for Afghan refugees. [22688]

Clare Short: My Department is in regular contact with UNHCR at both field and headquarters level to try to ensure that resources are used effectively for the provision of assistance to Afghan refugees and the protection of their rights. We continue to do all we can to ensure that Afghan refugees are properly cared for and give neighbouring countries the necessary support to cope with the burden of refugees, for whom they have provided over a long period.

We have committed £3 million to UNHCR's operations for refugees in response to the current crisis. This has included technical personnel, material and financial support. At the request of UNHCR, my Department has provided three relief flights to Iran and Pakistan transporting tents, shelter material and communications equipment. We have also provided a specialist site planner to UNHCR in Pakistan to assist with the setting up of new refugee campsites. In addition we are supporting a number of NGOs assisting refugees, including Christian Aid, Islamic Relief, Oxfam, and Save the Children.

We have also provided £11 million to support communities in Pakistan most affected by influxes of refugees.

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the outcome of the Reconstruction Afghanistan Conference in Islamabad; and if she will make a statement on the future of Afghanistan. [22687]

Clare Short: The recent 'Conference on Preparing for Afghanistan's Reconstruction' was attended by over 350 people including a large number of Afghans, as well as officials from my Department.

The conference highlighted the need for security and stability to underpin reconstruction. We are fully committed to supporting Ambassador Brahimi and the United Nations system in their central role to help the people of Afghanistan and the new Interim Authority. A copy of our updated "Emergency Plan to Initiate Recovery" has been placed in the House Library. Further details of the conference can be found at www.reliefweb.int.

Staff Numbers

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people were employed in her Department in each of the last four years. [23798]

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Clare Short: The numbers of staff employed by DFID in each of the last four years were as follows:

Year	Number
1997–98	1,007
1998–99	1,095
1999–2000	1,280
2000–01	1,313

These figures do not include staff employed on contract terms in the UK and overseas.

Child Soldiers

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which countries that allow child soldiers to be used in conflict within their countries receive financial assistance from the UK for aid projects. [22971]

Clare Short: It is difficult to say which countries "allow" the use of soldiers. Where non-state actors use children in armed conflict, this is usually in opposition to the Government of that country. Other countries may state that they do not use children, yet there are reports of children being used.

The UK provides development assistance to countries that are committed to poverty reduction and who will use our assistance effectively. The protection of children caught up in armed conflict is an important aspect of our development assistance programmes, which can include, among other things, working with Governments to improve their human rights record. DFID is contributing, over a three-year period, £3 million to UNICEF to build its capacity to implement programmes which will prevent children becoming involved in, or otherwise being affected by, conflict, and £3 million to the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Children to support his work in reducing the impact of conflict on children, including the involvement of children in armed conflict. The work of these two institutions spans a wide range of countries in Africa, Asia and Europe.

We also encourage the ratification of important international instruments such as the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child covering the involvement of children in armed conflict.

Street Children

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the countries with which her Department works on the issue of street children. [22974]

Clare Short: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 4 July 2001, Official Report, column 214W.

Children (Welfare and Protection)

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions her Department has had with the Council of Europe to develop joint policies for the welfare and protection of children. [22973]

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Clare Short: My Department has not had any recent discussions with the Council of Europe on child protection.

Sri Lanka

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what financial assistance has been given by her Department to Sri Lanka in each of the last two years; for what projects; and where in Sri Lanka they were. [22975]

Clare Short: Full details of DFID's programme are contained in the table.

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DFID expenditure in Sri Lanka 1999–2000 and 2000–01
Total Bilateral Aid:
1999–2000: £7,827 million
2000–01: £7,282 million
DFID has financed projects targeting primary education, improving the livelihoods of those people affected by the conflict, mother and child health, promoting social cohesion and reconciliation, poverty reduction, capacity building of community based organisations, child soldiers, micro enterprise, mental illness and promoting human rights. Activities of these projects have been undertaken in Vavuniya, Puttalum, Horowpahana, Mannar, Colombo, Mahaweli, Jaffna, Kurunegala, Gampaha, Kilinochi, Mullaitivu, Trincomalee, Pudukudyirrapu, Meerakerny, Okewala, Villachiciya and country wide.

Projects/description	Start date	End date	Region
	Primary Education Planning Project
To strengthen capacity of the national and provincial authorities to plan, manage, monitor and evaluate primary education programmes within an agreed policy framework	October 1996	March 2001	Country wide
	Primary English Language Project
To improve the quality of teaching of basic English Language skills in Sri Lankan primary schools	April 1996	August 2002	Country wide
	Primary Mathematics Project
To improve the quality of teaching and learning of mathematics in primary schools in Sri Lanka	March 1998	March 2003	Country wide
	Education Co-ordination Project
To ensure that DFID funding TC projects in the education sector in Sri Lanka are well co-ordinated with those funded by the World bank and other donors	March 1997	August 2003	Country wide
	Relief and Reconciliation Programme—SCF/Oxfam
To help meet the basic survival and emerging rehabilitation needs of communities affected by the civil conflict	April 1997	March 2001	Refugee camps
	Oxfam Support to Country Programme
To build on Oxfam's emerging competencies in conflict analysis and grass roots work to facilitate the practical application of tools for transforming community dynamics. To enable people affected by poverty and conflict are better able to cope with, challenge and overcome the barriers sustaining their condition	April 2001	March 2002	Country wide
	SCF Support to Country Programme
To ensure that the voices of marginalised and vulnerable children are heard and acted upon, in policy and practise, for the best interest of these children, in education, social protection, inclusion and emergencies	April 2001	March 2002	Country wide
	Mother and Child Reproductive Health Project for Displaced Persons
Provision of three static clinics which also provide mobile health services to the displaced population	October 1995	December 2003	Vavuniya, Puttalum, Horowpathana
	Mother and Child Reproductive Health Care in Mannar
Increase access to and utilisation of reproductive health services (in co-ordination with Government services among the displaced population and host community in Mannar)	September 1998	June 2003	Mannar
	Strengthening Prospects for Peace in Sri Lanka
To enhance the prospects for a sustainable negotiated settlement by strengthening the capacity of senior cross party parliamentarians and other significant actors to contribute to the peace process	August 2000	August 2003	Colombo
	International Humanitarian Law—A Peace Building Measure in Sri Lanka
To establish and support a respected group from within the international Buddhist community who will engage with senior Buddhist Clergy in Sri Lanka in International Humanitarian Law, trust-building, de-escalation and wider peace processes	November 2000	October 2001	Colombo
	Environmental Management and Sustained Development in the Upper Mahaweli Catchment Area
To improve the operational capacity of the EFCD so that it more effectively serves the needs of its customers who are the major users of the land in the Upper Mahaweli Catchment Area	December 1995	September 2001	Mahaweli
	Urban Poverty Reduction in Colombo Municipality
To reduce poverty in the city of Colombo by developing a participatory and sustainable institutional framework within the municipal structure that is close to the poor and where the community can be effectively organised for livelihood and environmental improvement	June 2000	October 2003	Colombo
	Greater Colombo Sewerage Project
To provide background information relating to technical and policy issues required to enable a major World bank project to proceed	August 1997	February 2000	Colombo
	Jaffna Power Rehabilitation
To restore power to the Jaffna area in a sustained manner	June 1996	November 2000	Jaffna
	ICRC
Ongoing humanitarian assistance and implementation of the ICRC mandate	January 1998	December 2001	Country wide
	UNICEF Programme of Special Assistance for Children and Women Affected by Conflict
Promote the civil empowerment and participation among families and communities to build capacities for coping with the effects of the conflict and continue to strengthen child survival, protection and development to serve as a platform for reconciliation and conflict resolution	January 1998	June 2002	Refugee camps
	Capacity Building on Community Based Organisations in Jaffna
To strengthen 20 CBOs to enable them to provide sustainable financial services in a post conflict situation	July 2000	June 2002	—
	Light Engineering in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
To learn through action research about the cost effectiveness of the different approaches to increasing technological capability and capacity within the particular socioeconomic environments of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka	April 1998	March 2001	Kurunegala, Gampaha
	Sri Lanka: Save The Children From Violence Campaign
To increase awareness at all levels of Sri Lankan society that armed conflict has an unacceptable impact on all Sri Lankan children	November 1999	March 2000	Country wide
	UNHCR Displaced Persons
Facilitate Internally Displaced People to their place of origin or their resettlement in other designated locations in Sri Lanka	February 1998	December 2001	Kilinochi, Mullaitivu, Mannar, Vavuniya, Trincomalee, Jaffna
	Vulnerable Groups in Conflict Areas (VOICE)
To increase the opportunities for all sectors of the conflict affected population to represent their needs and rights to the authorities	December 2000	March 2004	North and East
	Micro Enterprise
To increase the number and profitability of small scale food processing businesses in Sri Lanka and thereby stimulate rural employment, income levels, self sufficiency and entrepreneurial activities	March 2000	March 2004	Pudukudyirrapu, Meerakerny, Mangalagama, Okewela, Villachciya
	Establishment of Continuum of Care for the Mentally Ill
To establish a residential rehabilitation institution/therapeutic community to prepare those who are recovering from mental illness for independent living in the community	April 1999	March 2002	Colombo

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DFID's bilateral programme in Sri Lanka is increasingly focused on the relationship between poverty and conflict. The objectives of the programme are to: improve livelihood security of the poor in conflict areas; explore processes for intercommunual reconciliation; and improve the quality of education, particularly at primary level.

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