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DFID Office (Kabul)

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the personnel appointed to her Department's Office in Kabul by (a) rank and (b) gender. [30429]

Clare Short: The DFID Kabul office consists of a Head of Office (male), two humanitarian advisers (one male, one female), one administrator (female), and 20 Afghan support staff (19 male, one female).

Central Africa

Mr. Lyons: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what help the Government are giving to (a) the people of Goma and (b) the Governments of Congo and Rwanda. [30322]

Clare Short: During the present financial year we have committed over £10 million to meet the most urgent humanitarian needs in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as well as providing practical and political support for the peace process and Inter-Congolese Dialogue. This support is channelled through United Nations agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Some £2 million of this has been provided in response to the needs of the people of Goma and the surrounding area in the wake of the Nyiragongo volcanic eruption. We are funding the UN, the British Red Cross Society and a number of other NGOs to provide emergency relief goods; water, sanitation and medical services support; and co-ordination of the overall relief response.

DFID is the leading bilateral donor in Rwanda, providing £30 million in development assistance this financial year. We are committed to help Rwanda meet the International Development Targets (IDTs) within a sustainable economic and social framework that facilitates peace and security, reconciliation, economic growth and inclusive government.

Fairtrade Fortnight

Mr. Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to encourage participation by her Department in Fairtrade Fortnight from 4 to 17 March. [33552]

Clare Short: My Department is providing £120,000 to the Fairtrade Foundation over three years (2001–03) in support of its efforts to target new groups through its

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annual Fairtrade Fortnight campaigns. In addition, my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State will be attending the launch of this year's campaign on 4 March 2002.

Global Health Fund

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what further funds her Department will direct towards the Global Health Fund and from which part of her Department's budget. [32116]

Clare Short: The UK was one of the first donors to make a pledge to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria. DFID has committed £200 million over five years from its budget. As the fund gets up and running, we will closely monitor its effectiveness and the value it adds to the international effort against the three diseases, and review our contributions accordingly.

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what work her Department is undertaking to ensure the Global Health Fund meets its pledge to leverage additional financial resources. [32115]

Clare Short: The UK and others have worked hard to ensure that one of the criteria for assessing applications to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria (GFATM) will be the level of domestic Government, public sector and civil society commitment (both financial and political) to fighting the three diseases. This will be a strong in-built incentive for increased domestic health spending.

The UK has also made clear that for the fund to realise its full potential, donors will need to increase spending on health through bilateral and multilateral channels in tandem with their fund contributions, not least to ensure that health systems are able to deliver the drugs and commodities the fund will finance. The UK has committed over £1 billion since 1997 to such health systems strengthening.

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress was made at the first board meeting of the Global Health Fund in Geneva; and if she will make a statement. [32112]

Clare Short: The first board meeting of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria took place on 28–29 January. The fund was legally established as a foundation in Switzerland. The board approved a call for proposals and finalised a set of guidelines for their submission, which are designed to help potential recipient country partnerships apply for funding. The guidelines also explain the proposal review process. The fund is therefore on target to make its first decisions on disbursing resources to countries at the second board meeting, due to take place in the week beginning 22 April.

Great Lakes Region

Ms Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what resources are available to the Great Lakes region through the Africa conflict prevention pool. [32276]

Clare Short: Resolving the conflict in the Great Lakes region is a priority for the UK Government. In the current financial year 2001–02, £3.6 million has been allocated to support programmes in the Great Lakes region through

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the Africa pool. In addition to this, the UK contribution to United Nations peacekeeping in the region is forecast to be £27.3 million.

In addition, DFID also contributes indirectly to conflict prevention through governance and humanitarian work.

Departmental Expenditure

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list her Department's total expenditure by month in each financial year since 1997–98. [32793]

Clare Short: The Department's spend by month since 1997–98 is:

£ million

	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02
April	70	49	159	76	177
May	66	63	72	79	86
June	50	152	122	118	200
July	186	163	80	103	139
August	71	112	112	149	105
September	61	121	158	230	170
October	140	117	101	111	195
November	126	152	119	117	157
December	133	145	161	518	361
January	64	118	141	142	71
February	177	116	163	146	—
March(31)	438	462	611	396	—

⁽³¹⁾ March expenditure includes moneys advanced earlier in the year and brought to account during April and May.

Note:

Figures rounded to the nearest £ million.

Departmental Secondments (Energy Industry)

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff were seconded between (a) BP, (b) Shell, (c) Enron, (d) Exxon- Mobil, (e) Conoco, (f) Texaco and (g) TotalFinaElf and her Department in (i) 1999–2000, (ii) 2000–01 and (iii) April 2001 to the latest date for which figures are available. [33200]

Clare Short: No staff have been seconded between DFID and these companies since 1999.

Tanzania

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with (a) the Department of Trade and Industry, (b) the Ministry of Defence and (c) the Foreign Office concerning the advice given to the World Bank by the International Civil Aviation Organisation on 8 November on the Tanzanian air traffic control system. [32904]

Clare Short: When I received a copy of the letter of 8 November from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to the World Bank, I sent copies to the Department of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Office. I have since had discussions and correspondence with these Departments on the content of the ICAO letter.

The Government of Tanzania are working with the ICAO during their follow-up visit to Tanzania this week, to address the issues of technical applicability and value for money of the proposed air traffic control system for Tanzania.

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Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will place a copy of the letter dated 8 November 2001 from the International Civil Aviation Organisation to the World Bank concerning the Tanzanian air traffic control radar project in the Library. [32226]

Clare Short: I will place in the Library of the House a copy of the letter of 8 November 2001 from the International Civil Aviation Organisation to the World bank regarding the proposed air traffic control system for Tanzania.

Zambia

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action her Department is taking to divert resources into free primary education in Zambia to assist poor parents with the cost of schooling. [31672]

Clare Short: We are participating in the Basic Education Sub-Sector Investment Programme (BESSIP) launched in mid-1999. Its main targets are to ensure that all children of school-going age have access to primary education in 2005, and to reduce the costs to parents.

The Ministry of Education is developing this experience with our support into a five-year sector-wide strategic plan, based on Zambia's poverty reduction strategy. It is intended that the plan will be co-financed by the Zambian Government in partnership with the private sector, churches, civil society and donors. Education is a priority use of additional funds released through debt relief under HIPC.

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