| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
11 Mar 2003 : Column 172W—continued
Liberia
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions her Department has had with the UN regarding the rights of third country nationals to receive UNHCR care in the transit centres of Grand Gedeh County, Liberia. [101716]
Clare Short: Although UNHCR is providing shelter and food for many of the estimated 12,000 third country nationals in Liberia, most of whom are from Burkina Faso and Mali, it is not part of its mandate to do so. They are unable to return to their countries of origin because of the closure of the Guinean border by the Guinean authorities. UNHCR has agreed with IOM
11 Mar 2003 : Column 173W
that they will take over responsibility for third country nationals. We have recently funded a visit to Liberia by IOM to look into the situation of IDPs. We are discussing with them possible funding for a second mission to include an assessment of the situation of third country nationals and the preparation of a plan for their return to their countries of origin, to be used in part to persuade the Guinean authorities to allow them transit through Guinea.
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions her Department has had with the UN regarding the food scarcity affecting (a) third party nationals, (b) Russian refugees and (c) Liberian returnees in UNHCR transit centres in Grand Gedeh County, Liberia. [101717]
Clare Short: Due to the serious deterioration of the security situation in Grand Gedeh County, and the movement of people in response to attacks or fear of attacks, distribution of food rations has been difficult. UNHCR has issued one month's rations to refugees and third country nationals in Zwedru transit camp. Those who are not in reach of the transit centre are almost certainly very short of adequate supplies of food. Third country nationals are prevented from leaving Liberia through Guinea to return to their countries of origin by the closure of the Guinean border by the Guinean authorities. We are keeping closely in touch with UNHCR and IOM on efforts to address this issue.
UNHCR does not know of any Russian refugees in the area.
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions her Department has had with the International Organisation for Migration regarding the provision of care to third country nationals in the event of military intervention in Iraq. [101714]
Clare Short: My Department has held several discussions in recent weeks with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) at their Headquarters in Geneva and with regional representatives in Jordan, Cyprus, Kuwait and Egypt. These discussions have focused on IOM's planning for possible outflows of third country nationals from Iraq. They are preparing for a wide range of scenarios. In the event of movements of large numbers of people, IOM is likely to be the lead agency responsible for the support and transfer of up to 70,000 third country nationals from border areas or from neighbouring countries to their countries of origin, and would assist UNHCR with the movement of asylum seekers from border areas to designated camps. The largest group of third country nationals in Iraq are Egyptians, many of whom might be expected to try to leave the country through Jordan in the event of military action.
Overseas Trips
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list each of the overseas trips made by herself and other members of her ministerial team in 2002; and what the (a) purpose and (b) cost of each trip was. [101842]
11 Mar 2003 : Column 174W
Clare Short : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 22 January 2003, Official Report, column 334W, by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office.
Pre-natal Scanning
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) if she will list those (a) countries and (b) organisations her Department financially supports for the provision of (i) ultrasound and (ii) other pre-natal scanning technology; and how much is given to each such country and organisation; [101497]
- (2) what financial support her Department gives for the provision of (a) ultrasound and (b) other pre-natal scanning technology. [101496]
Clare Short: DFID does not support any projects or programmes with the specific objective of providing pre-natal scanning technology to health facilities. At country level, DFID supports maternal health services through safe motherhood programmes, and as a part of wider health sector development. While in some circumstances improving the quality of maternal health care may include the provision of pre-natal scanning, use of such advanced technologies in most of the DFID focus countries would not be the most appropriate use of scarce resources, and therefore would not be provided.
My Department also funds other organisations involved in maternal health care, including the International Planned Parenthood Association (IPPF) and the United Nations Family Planning Association (UNFPA). These organisations, when appropriate, provide equipment for pre-natal scanning to the ante-natal care facilities they support in order to better diagnose and manage complications of pregnancy. Because the funding they receive from DFID is in the form of a core contribution, it is not possible to identify how much (if any) is channelled into provision of scanning equipment.
Sudan
Mr. Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with the Governments of (a) Uganda, (b) Kenya and (c) Ethiopia in relation to the refugee situation on their borders with Sudan. [101589]
Clare Short: Following an inter-agency Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) mission in November 2002, supported by the Humanitarian Aid Commission and Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Authority, a Displaced Persons Task Force under the auspices of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), with representatives from UNDP, UNICEF, IOM and others, has been established. UNHCR are also participating. We continue to look for and support sustainable solutions for effective reintegration of the millions of displaced people across the region. An enduring peace, and subsequent stability, is the key determinant in this regard.
11 Mar 2003 : Column 175W
In terms of specific discussions that we have had with regards to the refugee situation on the borders with Sudan, we have:
- (a) on Uganda kept in close touch with humanitarian agencies, including UNHCR, as over the past year the activities of the rebel group the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) has caused increasing insecurity in parts of northern Uganda, affecting both the refugees and host population. In co-operation with the Government of Uganda UNHCR has an innovative self reliance strategy in place in Uganda, under which refugees have been provided with access to land and local services;
- (b) We have had no recent discussions with the Government of Kenya concerning the refugee situation on their border with Sudan;
- (c) We have not had any direct contact with the Ethiopian Government on this issue, but continue to monitor the situation through contact with NGO partners.
West Africa
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions her Department has had with the governments of (a) France, (b) Mali, (c) Burkina Faso, (d) Togo and (e) Senegal regarding their nationals trapped in refugee camps on the border of Liberia and the Ivory Coast. [101713]
Clare Short: My Department has not had any direct discussions with the governments of France, Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo and Senegal about third country nationals trapped in refugee camps on the Cote d'lvoire and Liberian border. Over the past two years we have contributed about £2.6 million to UNHCR for assistance to refugees in the region, as well as £1 million in humanitarian assistance specifically for work in Cote d'lvoire. The latter includes assistance to internally displaced people and refugees of many nationalities who have been affected by the conflict in both government and rebel controlled areas. We are continuing to monitor the humanitarian situation and are working closely with others in the international community to help bring about a swift and peaceful resolution to the conflict.
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Accountancy Services
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total cost to her Department was for accountancy services in 2002. [101855]
Dr. Howells: The cost to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport of external accountancy services in the financial year 2001–02 was £218,051.
Advertising Expenditure (Scotland)
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the Department spent on advertising in Scotland in each year since 1999 on (a)television, (b) newspapers, (c) radio, (d) magazines, (e) billboards and (f) sporting events. [102326]
Dr. Howells: No expenditure has been committed by the Department in any of these areas since 1999 either in Scotland or elsewhere in the UK.
11 Mar 2003 : Column 176W
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |