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19 Sept 2002 : Column 426W—continued
Deforestation
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her Department's policy is on deforestation. [73281]
Clare Short: Deforestation is a serious problem in many countries but it affects people in different ways and is not always harmful. It is driven by many factors that vary in nature and scale from place to place. Some of these factors, such as unsustainable timber extraction, are linked to the forest sector while others, such as agricultural and energy policies, lie outside the forest sector.
Each country has a particular set of circumstances, in terms both of the direct and underlying causes of deforestation and of the scope for action in addressing them. My Department works with developing countries to address the underlying causes of deforestation in the context of their national forest programmes and wider strategies for sustainable development. We have also supported work by the Intergovernmental Forum on Forest on the underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation.
Commission on Intellectual Property Rights
Bob Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) when the Commission on Intellectual Property Rights was established; what it's terms of Reference are; who its members are and on what occassions it has meet. [72057]
- (2) when she expects the Commission on Intellectual Property Rights to report. [72056]
Clare Short: The Commission was established on 8 May 2001.
Details of the terms of reference, Commission members and meetings can be found on the CIPR website at: www.iprcommission.org.
The Commission's report will be published on 12 September 2002. I will place copies in the Library of the House.
The Department for International Development answered the following questions by letter during the Whitsun recess in May and June 2002
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Middle East
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to her answers of 9 May, 2002, Official Report, column 290W, on humanitarian assistance (Middle East), what the UK contribution to European Union and World Bank activities in the Territories Controlled by the Palestinian Authority was in each of the past 10 years, broken down by (a) monetary value, (b) percentage of activity total and (c) percentage of her Department's annual spending total; and if she will make a statement. [58334]
Clare Short: The UK contribution to the European Commission is given in the table:
| Year | UK share of EC assistance to Palestinians (£ millions) | UK share as percentage of total EC Palestinian Activities | UK share as a percentage of UK Official Development Assistance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 12.8 | 15.0 | 0.6 |
| 1995 | 15.3 | 16.0 | 0.8 |
| 1996 | 11.5 | 14.5 | 0.6 |
| 1997 | 12.9 | 14.3 | 0.7 |
| 1998 | 14.7 | 19.1 | 0.8 |
| 1999 | 15.4 | 17.8 | 0.8 |
| 2000 | 26.8 | 19.0 | 1.2 |
| Year | UK Share of World Bank Disbursements to the West Bank and Gaza Strip (£ millions) | UK share as a percentage of the World Bank's Trust Fund for the West Bank and Gaza Strip | UK share as a percentage of UK Official Development Assistance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 0.4 | 5 | 0.02 |
| 1996 | 0.7 | 5 | 0.04 |
| 1997 | 1.4 | 5 | 0.08 |
| 1998 | 1.7 | 5 | 0.09 |
| 1999 | 0.9 | 5 | 0.04 |
| 2000 | 1.2 | 5 | 0.05 |
| 2001 | 1.0 | 5 | 0.04 |
The European Commission (EC) and World Bank programmes did not commence until 1994 and 1995 respectively. EC Data for 2001 has not yet been confirmed. The figures are calculated using approximate exchange rates for Euros and US Dollars. The percentage figure for our share of World Bank spending is an average of the various Bank instruments.
Mr. Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support Her Majesty's Government are providing in the rebuilding of Angola. [58913]
Clare Short: We have been following events in Angola closely. We strongly welcome recent moves towards peace and the agreement signed in Luanda on 4 April, which established a ceasefire after 30 years of civil war. A lasting peace is the key to development in Angola which is a country of enormous economic potential whose people are living in desperate poverty.
We are working with Angola bilaterally, as well as with our international partners and the United Nations. The humanitarian situation remains critical. And there is an
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urgent need to provide relief to the Unita fighters and their families gathered in the Quartering Areas. We are encouraging the UN to engage and the international community and Angolan Government to provide more resources for the relief effort. The UK will continue to play its part in meeting urgent humanitarian needs. DFID also has a small development assistance programme focused on long term poverty reduction for the large numbers of people, forced by the conflict, to migrate into urban areas. This totalled £2 million in the last financial year.
I undertook on my visit to Luanda to discuss Angola's situation with the IMF and World Bank and did so with Jim Wolfensohn and Horst Kohler and their staff at the spring meetings in Washington. We will continue to work to encourage reform so that the rich natural resources of Angola are used for the benefit of its people.
Angola
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the humanitarian situation in Angola; what emergency aid is (a) being delivered and (b) planned by her Department; and if she will make a statement. [58909]
Clare Short: My Department continues to monitor closely the humanitarian situation in Angola, which remains serious. Millions of Angolans are living under life threatening conditions and humanitarian agencies are working at full capacity to alleviate the worst aspects of the humanitarian crisis in the country.
We recently contributed £1 million to the 2002 United Nations Inter Agency Consolidated Appeal for Angola to ensure that critical needs are met and gaps in humanitarian assistance are covered during the sudden onset of emergencies. We also recently contributed £300,000 toward the International Red Cross country appeal for 2002 and £450,000 toward Medecins Sans Frontieres emergency health and sanitation programmes in Kuito, one of the worst effected areas in the country.
We are planning to spend some £2 million on humanitarian aid during the current financial year. We are also examining the potential for a specific DFID contribution to assist with the demobilisation of UNITA fighters.
Her Majesty's Government remains in close contact with the Government of Angola and international partners. We will remain at the forefront of diplomatic and political efforts to ensure that the internationals system engages effectively with the Government of Angola to deliver humanitarian aid more effectively, so that the peace process is reinforced.
Central Asia
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department (a) pledged and (b) delivered to (i) Kazakhstan, (ii) Kyrgyzstan, (iii) Tajikistan, (iv) Turkmenistan and (v) Uzbekistan in each year from 1997 to September 2001; how much has been (A) pledged and (B) delivered to each country since September 2001; and if she will make a statement. [59808]
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Clare Short: Figures up to September 2001 are not readily available as the department's records are maintained on a financial year basis as follows:
| 1997/98 | 1998/99 | 1999/2000 | 2000/01 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ thousand | pledged/ | |||
| delivered | pledged/ | |||
| delivered | pledged/ | |||
| delivered | pledged/ | |||
| delivered | ||||
| Kazakhstan | 2,000/2,145 | 1,500/1,345 | 1,500/1,082 | 1,170/908 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 600/528 | 650/442 | 1,100/1,223 | 2,000/1,509 |
| Tajikistan | 100/24 | 100/732 | 130/45 | 100/640 |
| Turkmenistan | 200/240 | 300/194 | 200/97 | 100/111 |
| Uzbekistan | 700/586 | 700/592 | 500/505 | 220/484 |
| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kazakhstan | 1,900 | 2,300 | 1,700 | 1,300 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 11,600 | 9,100 | 2,800 | 5,900 |
| Tajikistan | 3,000 | 4,900 | 2,700 | 3,900 |
| Turkmenistan | 500 | 800 | 700 | 400 |
| Uzbekistan | 1,200 | 1,700 | 2,000 | 1,600 |
Amounts pledged and delivered to each country since September 2001 are not readily available. Allocations for 2002/2003 financial year are:
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| Kazakhstan | 800 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 3,500 |
| Tajikistan | 500 |
| Turkmenistan | 100 |
| Uzbekistan | 500 |
East Timor
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much money her Department has (a) pledged and (b) delivered to (i) the new Government of East Timor, (ii) non-Governmental organisations in East Timor, (iii) multi-lateral programmes specifically aimed at East Timor and (iv) multi-lateral programmes including East Timor; and if she will make a statement. [58910]
Clare Short: Britain, together with the wider international community, remains committed to helping secure sustainable and equitable development for East Timor and its people. We are the fourth largest bilateral donor. Details of commitments and disbursements to East Timor for the period 1999 to 2005 are as follows:
| Activity | Commitment 1999–2005 £ | Disbursed £ |
|---|---|---|
| United Nations: 1999 ballot | 800,000 | 800,000 |
| Humanitarian and Emergency Relief | 6,500,000 | 6,500,000 |
| United Nations Transitional Administration | 4,500,000 | 4,500,000 |
| United Nations: Support for 2001 Elections | 500,000 | 500,000 |
| World Bank Trust Fund (infrastructure) | 8,000,000 | 8,000,000 |
| Support for Developing the National Development Plan (NDP) | 300,000 | - |
| NDP Implementation 2002–2005 | 12,000,000 | - |
| OXFAM: Human Resource Development | 1,890,000 | 590,000 |
| Civil Society and International NGOs | 67,831 | 25,809 |
| Local Civil Society Organisations | 450,000 | 94,579 |
| UK share of European Commission Expenditure, 1999–2005* | 19,728,000 | 14,200,000 |
| Total | 54,735,831 | 35,210,388 |
*Estimated UK attribution at 19 per cent. of EU expenditure in East Timor
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