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15 Oct 2002 : Column 658W—continued
Bilateral Aid
Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will list her Department's total expenditure to (a) UNFPA for 2001–02, (b) WHO Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) for (i) 1996–97, (ii) 1997–98, (iii) 1998–99, (iv) 1999–2000, (v) 2000–01 and (vi) 2001–02, (c) UNICEF (SRH) for (i) 1996–97, (b) 1997–98, (iii) 1998–99, (iv) 1999–2000, (v) 2000–01 and (iv) 2001–02, (d) UNAIDS for 2001–02, (e) IPPF for 2001–02, (f) MSI for (i) 1996–97, (ii) 1997–98, (iii) 1998–99, (iv) 1999–2000, (v) 2000–01 and (vi) 2001–02, (g) Population Concern for (i) 1996–97, (ii) 1997–98, (iii) 1998–99, (iv) 1999–2000, (v) 2000–01 and (vi) 2001–02, (h) IFH for (i) 1996–97, (ii) 1997–98, (iii) 1998–99, (iv) 1999–2000, (v) 2000–01 and (vi) 2001–02, (i) bilateral aid by sector health (health and population)—including project, programme, technical, grants, humanitarian aid and CDC investments 2001–02 and (j) bilateral aid for sexual and reproductive health and rights—including project, programme, technical, grants, humanitarian aid and CDC investments for (i) 1996–97, (ii) 1997–98, (iii) 1998–99, (iv) 1999–2000, (v) 2000–01 and (vi) 2001–02. [74246]
Clare Short: The figures requested are set out in the two tables below. Details of sectoral funding to multilateral organisations is not held centrally and to provide it in the format requested would be at disproportionate cost. However total DFID funding to the relevant organisations has been provided:
| Name | 2001/02 | 2000/01 | 1999/00 | 1998/99 | 1997/98 | 1996/97 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNFPA | 24,213 | 40,050 | 15,000 | 13,120 | 11,500 | 10,000 |
| WHO | 41,348 | 75,110 | 20,300 | 8,091 | 12,099 | 11,619 |
| UNICEF | 28,000 | 2,269 | 29,143 | 10,461 | 9,241 | 13,847 |
| UNAIDS | 3,052 | 3,000 | 3,000 | 2,750 | 2,300 | 3,500 |
| IPPF | 4,500 | 5,500 | 5,500 | 5,500 | 5,850 | 7,850 |
| MSI | 2,554 | 5,132 | 4,945 | 4,235 | 3,103 | 3,202 |
| Population Concern | 476 | – | 649 | 114 | 400 | 806 |
| IFH | 329 | 508 | 773 | 1,151 | 1,175 | 762 |
Notes:
These figures do not capture the full extent of our efforts in the health and population sector as they exclude expenditure on multisector projects, block funding to civil society organisations and general budget support.
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Development Assistance
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will provide a breakdown of the funding in (a) euros and (b) sterling equivalents, given by the Government in the last financial year in overseas aid, indicating the percentage and total of each that was expended (i) directly, (ii) through the United Nations agencies, (iii) through other international bodies, (iv) through the European Union and (v) through other means. [74274]
Clare Short: The figures requested on UK government spending on development assistance for 2001/02 are as follows;
| # million | Euro million | % of Total Expenditure on Aid | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total spent bilaterally | 1,954 | 3,127 | 57 |
| Total spent via United | |||
| Nations Agencies | 238 | 381 | 7 |
| Total spent via European | |||
| Commission | 751 | 1,201 | 22 |
| Total spent via International | |||
| Financial Organisations | 331 | 529 | 10 |
| Total spent via Other | |||
| International Organisations | 48 | 77 | 1 |
Aid
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what means the European Court of Auditors has of examining the accounts of disbursing bodies of aid to developing countries in the relevant receiving states [74275]
Clare Short: The statement of Assurance sections of the Court of Auditor's Annual Report which relate to the External Actions budget lines and to the European Development Fund are based on an examination of representative random samples of contracts concluded by the Commission, drawn from the database and on
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payments made in the same year drawn from the Commission's central accounting system. The audit examines whether the transactions are legal and regular in accordance with the Financial Regulation. This work is supplemented by on the spot audits of transactions for which much of the documentary evidence is only available in the beneficiary countries. The Court of Auditors also examines the Commission's systems of procedures and controls to evaluate their theoretical and practical effectiveness.
Tsetse Control
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the letter to the hon. Member for Linlithgow of 25 February, what discussions she has had with the Pan African Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Campaign, the FAO and the Inter-African Bureau of Animal Resources on Tsetse control and eradication programmes; and if she will make a statement. [74194]
Clare Short: On 9 and 10 September 2002, DFID hosted a meeting in Edinburgh under the aegis of its Animal Heath Research Programme, entitled ''Tsetse Control—the Next 100 Years''. The meeting brought together representatives of over thirty stakeholder organisations to the Pan African Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Campaign (PATTEC), including DFID, senior officials of the Inter-African Bureau of Animal Resources, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the wider research community, the European Commission and PATTEC itself.
The Regional Co-ordinator of PATTEC, Dr. John Kabayo, has asked to meet DFID's Chief Natural Resources Adviser when he is next in London. Apart from this we are not aware of any formal request from PATTEC to hold discussions with bilateral donors, although we have made it clear that we would be pleased to discuss the campaign's preliminary proposals at a technical level.
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DFID is in regular dialogue with the FAO's Animal Production and Health Division and with the Inter-African Bureau of Animal Resources through our ongoing programmes of support to those organisations. Neither has substantively raised the issue of PATTEC with us.
We remain unconvinced that the scientific and economic theories for the eradication of tsetse flies from Africa on which PATTEC's original proposals were founded are yet proven. Our view is that efforts should focus on tsetse and trypanosomiasis control rather than eradication for the foreseeable future. This is consistent with the consensus of the Edinburgh meeting and more recent statements by the Programme Against African Trypanosomiasis (PAAT) and by PATTEC.
Kurdistan
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make a statement on her Department's decision on funding a hospital project to treat the victims of biological and chemical weapons attacks in Kurdistan. [74557]
Clare Short: My Department recently decided not to fund such a project, for technical and strategic reasons.
Iraq
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which UN agencies her Department supports are working in Iraq; and what level of financial commitment her Department makes to these programmes [74334]
Clare Short: The principal UN agencies working in Iraq with the Oil for Food Programme are UNDP, UNICEF, UNOPS, WFP, WHO, UNESCO, UNOCHI, UNHCR, FAO, UNIDO and Habitat. My Department does not give any of these agencies earmarked funding for their Iraq programmes, but supports most of them globally. In addition, the United Nations Guards Contingent for Iraq (UNGCI) is mandated to protect UN personnel, operations and assets involved in the humanitarian programme in Northern Iraq. As part of a joint donor effort, my Department is contributing #0.25 million in support of the UNGCI's work over financial years 2002–03 and 2003–04.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what preparations her Department has made to deal with the humanitarian consequences of possible war in Iraq. [74338]
Clare Short: My Department does regular contingency planning for a variety of potential humanitarian emergencies around the world, and maintains constant preparedness to respond to such events.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what arrangements are in place for consultation between her Department and the Ministry of Defence before any plans for war against Iraq are agreed. [74340]
Clare Short: My Department consults regularly with the Ministry of Defence on a range of issues at official and ministerial level.
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Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance her Department provides to (a) refugees, (b) women and (c) children in Iraq, broken down by region. [74336]
Clare Short: My Department is providing assistance for Iraqi refugees in Iran through AMAR International; for internally-displaced people in Northern Iraq through Response, Relief, Resettlement and Rehabilitation (4RS); for women in Northern Iraq through a 4RS income-generating project; and for children in Northern Iraq through Save the Children-UK and ACORN. In addition, other NGO activities funded by my Department in both Northern and Central/Southern Iraq include women and children among their beneficiaries.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her Department's strategy is for providing humanitarian relief to the people of Iraq. [74333]
Clare Short: The purpose of my Department's humanitarian programme in Iraq is to reduce suffering among the Iraqi people. The programme supports and complements the UN's Oil for Food Programme by working with NGOs and other international organisations.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the obstruction of humanitarian relief and levels of human rights abuses committed by Saddam Hussein against the Iraqi people. [74337]
Clare Short: My Department monitors this situation through information obtained from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and other sources, which was most recently summarised in part 3 of the dossier: ''Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Assessment of the British Government''.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions her Department has had with colleagues in (a) the European Union, (b) the United States and (c) the UN of the humanitarian impact of a possible war in Iraq. [74339]
Clare Short: My Department is not actively discussing these issues with EU, US and UN colleagues at the moment.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the performance of the oil for food programme in providing humanitarian relief for the people of Iraq. [74335]
Clare Short: My Department has monitored information made available by the UN Office for the Iraq Programme on the operation of the Oil for Food (OFF) Programme, and by other UN agencies such as UNICEF on the impact of the OFF on humanitarian indicators. Our assessment is that since the introduction of the OFF in 1996, the declining humanitarian situation in central/southern Iraq has at best only been halted, although indicators have generally improved in
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the north. The long term impact of sanctions has contributed to a high dependence by many Iraqis on the OFF food ration.
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