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Data Protection Act
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will place in the Library copies of each version of the internal guidance which have been drawn up by her Department since 1 January 1999 to assist staff in her Department to answer subject access requests under the Data Protection Act 1998. [53380]
Clare Short: Guidance for staff on all aspects of the Data Protection Act 1998 was produced by the Department for International Development in July 2001 and is available on the Department's intranet. A copy will be placed in the Library.
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African Development Bank
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with the directors of the African Development bank regarding their lending policy. [53624]
Clare Short: Discussions with directors are conducted at official level. The lending policy of the bank is being reviewed and discussed by officials representing the UK
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and other donors in the context of the ninth replenishment of the African Development Fund, negotiations on which are currently under way.
Chechnya
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support her Department gives to aid agencies working in Chechnya. [53052]
Clare Short: DFID has proved the following assistance to aid agencies work in Chechnya:
| Aid agencies | Amount committed 2001 (£) | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) | 144,285 | To cover shortfall for 2001. |
| Office of the United Nations Security Coordinator (UNSECOORD) | 142,857 | To support an additional field security officer. |
| United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) | 280,000 | To enable UNICEF to continue to strengthen its activities, which are focused on education, mine action and water and sanitation. |
| World Health Organisation (WHO) | 800,000 | To provide support to WHO activities through the United Nations Consolidated Appeal Process 2001. |
| International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) | 1,000,000 | An additional contribution to its programmes in the region, focused on essential humanitarian support. |
| World Food Programme (WFP) | 400,000 | To support with the current pipeline problems. |
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the conditions in Chechen refugee camps in Ingushetia. [53057]
Clare Short: My Department closely monitors the humanitarian situation in the North Caucasus, including Ingushetia. Assessments by UN agencies and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Ingushetia of the situation in camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) indicate that the situation for IDPs resident in Ingushetia is stable in terms of morbidity and mortality, and that there are no major outstanding humanitarian needs. But agencies agree that a full package of humanitarian assistance will continue to be required in light of the highly dependent nature of this population, and that the quality of assistance provided through humanitarian agencies within the Republic needs to be improved. We are addressing these needs through constant dialogue with, and through financial support to, the UN agencies and INGOs working in the region.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of health needs in Chechnya, with special reference to the prevalence of tuberculosis. [53053]
Clare Short: According to research by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) food, clothing and shelter are the top priority needs for internally displaced people (IDPs) and vulnerable persons in Chechnya. Tuberculosis is not currently listed as a priority.
Basic health care is provided in numerous small health care centres, but the level of care is not known. ICRC's recent street survey showed that in Grozny out of 1,913 persons, 86.6 per cent. said they were in good health and in the rural areas out of 2,248 persons, 89.6 per cent. said they were in good health. The cost of drugs and health care has frequently been mentioned as a problem in ICRC focus groups.
Aid agencies are reluctant to start tuberculosis programmes in Chechnya when there is so much movement by IDPs because effective treatment requires continuing treatment which is very difficult to provide to shifting populations.
Bilateral Aid
Andy King: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of total UK bilateral aid each low-income country received in (a) 1999–2000 and (b) 2000–01; and how much each received in 1999–2000. [53059]
Clare Short: The information requested in given in the table. The figures have been provided in respect of calendar years as this is the basis on which statistics on official development assistance are collected.
Source:
DAC Online database.
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Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) how many staff were involved in each of the last three years in preparing draft answers to written parliamentary questions; [49152]
- (2) what the cost was to her Department of answering written parliamentary questions in 2001; and how that cost was calculated. [49110]
Clare Short: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House on 17 April 2002, Official Report, column 929W.
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