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27 Jan 2003 : Column 576W—continued

Humanitarian Contingency Planning

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with her colleagues in (a) the US, (b) the EU and (c) the UN, regarding humanitarian contingency planning for humanitarian aid to Iraq in the event of war with Iraq. [92868]

Clare Short: My Department has regular discussions with the US, EU partners and the UN on general contingency preparedness planning in a number of countries. In the case of Iraq, planning is underway for a range of eventualities.

Kenya

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with the European Commission on the Westlands-St. Austin Road Project in Kenya; and if she will make a statement. [92219]

Clare Short: None. The construction of the road referred to took place from 1990 to 1993. Officials from the then Overseas Development Administration were aware of various complaints from people living in communities (not between Westlands and St. Austin, but further north on the same road) and discussed these with European Commission officials. The EC Ombudsman subsequently investigated and concluded that there had been no mal-administration on the part of the EC.

Mr. Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the timetable is for reviewing UK bilateral aid to Kenya. [93405]

Clare Short: I visited Kenya last week and had discussions with Kenyan Ministers on how Britain could best help the new Government deliver quickly on

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its election promises to stamp out corruption, revive the economy and improve public services. We are already reviewing our bilateral programme to ensure that we respond effectively and flexibly to the needs of the new Government. I am also pressing the international financial institutions and the European Commission to help the new Government fill the large hole in the public finances which they have inherited.

Malawi

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when she plans to support further debt relief to Malawi. [93023]

Clare Short: Malawi remains off track with its economic and financial reform programme. An IMF mission which left Lilongwe on 21 January was still unable to give a positive endorsement to the Government's overall performance.

My Department with the EC and Norway will conduct a separate assessment next month. Meanwhile, in collaboration with other development partners, DFID is continuing a dialogue with the Government of Malawi on measures necessary for resumption of budget support and debt relief.

Mauritania

Mr. Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of (a) the level of malnutrition and (b) the number of deaths due to malnutrition in the last year in Mauritania. [92760]

Clare Short: My Department has not carried out an independent assessment of the level of malnutrition or the number of deaths due to malnutrition in the last year in Mauritania. A survey carried out by the NGO World Vision in November 2002 found acute malnutrition rates amongst children of between 10–15 per cent. in some parts of the country.

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of food shortages in Mauritania; and if she will make a statement. [92761]

Clare Short: The World Food Programme (WFP) estimate that there are 750,000 people affected by food shortages. Reports by NGOs, such as Oxfam and World Vision, support this analysis. We are monitoring the situation closely and are providing assistance through contributions to WFP and Oxfam.

Minimum Wage

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will estimate the impact of increasing the minimum wage (a) in line with average earnings, (b) to £4.17 per hour, (c) to £4.87 per hour, (d) to £5.00 per hour and (e) to £5.30 per hour, on the cost of salaries of departmental employees (i) in total and (ii) for each nation of the United Kingdom in the next financial year. [90602]

Clare Short: The department's current minimum wage under our three year pay agreement is £5.25 per hour based on a 37 hour week. There would be no

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financial impact of increasing the minimum wage on the cost of departmental salaries until £5.30 per hour, when the additional cost in the next financial year would be £287 a year and would apply to 11 employees in Scotland only.

Ministerial Travel

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her estimate is of the total expenditure by her Department on ministerial travel (a) in the UK and (b) abroad in each year from 1995–96 to 2002–03 (estimated); and if she will make a statement. [92478]

Clare Short: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Minister of State, Cabinet Office on 22 January 2003, Official Report, column 334W.

Multilateral Debt

Mr. Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her policy is on 100 per cent. cancellation of low-income country multilateral debts. [92985]

Clare Short: While it is essential to deal with the problem of unsustainable debt in the poorest countries as part of our efforts to assist in eradicating poverty, complete cancellation of debt is not required; nor is it the most effective means of delivering aid resources to reduce poverty. We do not support the proposal for 100 per cent. cancellation of IMF and World bank loans, which is neither desirable nor equitable. For these institutions to provide 100 per cent. relief would risk skewing limited development resources away from other very poor countries, which have handled their debt well. Countries need to borrow—initially only on very concessional terms—to finance their poverty reduction strategies. In this way, they can re-establish their creditworthiness, which will also help them attract private investment and accelerate economic growth and poverty reduction.

Poverty and Wildlife Study

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to implement her Department's study on Poverty and Wildlife commissioned from Joanna Elliott. [92610]

Clare Short: The implications of the findings of the Wildlife and Poverty Study will be discussed in DFID and with DEFRA and FCO. We also hope that it will encourage other government and non-government organisations to prioritise the integration of the needs and voices of the poor into wildlife-related strategies.

Publicity and Advertising

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much (a) her Department and (b) each agency and non-departmental public body sponsored by her Department spent on (i) publicity and (ii) advertising in each year from 1995–96 to 2002–03 (estimated); and if she will make a statement. [92251]

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Clare Short : Our expenditure on publicity, which forms part of our effort to raise awareness and understanding of international development issues in the UK, has been as follows:

Year	£
1995–96	568,755
1996–97	579,916
1996–98	399,755
1998–99	674,531
1999–2000	879,354
2001–01	1,484,281
2001–02	1,286,054
2002–03	(13)1,300,000

⁽¹³⁾ Estimated outturn

We do not hold a separate advertising budget. The majority of advertising relates to recruitment advertising in newspapers and journals. Expenditure for the last three calendar years was as follows:

Year	£
2000	751,972
2001	938,297
2002	1,010,930

Expenditure figures for the preceding years are not available.

Refugees (Iraq)

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with (a) Jordan, (b) Syria, (c) Turkey, (d) Iran, (e) Kuwait and (f) Saudi Arabia regarding their policy towards accepting refugees from Iraq. [92870]

Clare Short: None.

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Sudan

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress is being made on education projects in Southern Sudan; and if she will make a statement. [92638]

Clare Short: This financial year we have committed £220,000 to support scholarships programmes in Sudan, particularly for women, and £300,000 to UNICEF for schools rehabilitation and teacher training in the Nuba Mountains. We are also planning a significant intervention in the education sector in government and SPLM/A controlled conflict affected areas.

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