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27 Mar 2003 : Column 349W—continued
Scotland
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times he has visited Scotland on official duties each year since 2000; and what meetings were held on each occasion. [103604]
Mr. Blunkett: Since becoming Home Secretary, I have visited Scotland once on official business. I have also visited several times on party business. In line with exemptions 2 and 7 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, it is not normal practice to release details of specific meetings or their content, as some of these discussions may have taken place on a confidential basis.
Special Constabulary (Suffolk)
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the strength was of the special constabulary in Suffolk in each year since 1997. [104815]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The information requested is set out in the table. The latest available figures are for March 2002, when there were 308 special constables in Suffolk constabulary. Figures for 31 March 2003 will be published in due course with other police personnel statistical data.
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| Year (as at 31 March) | Special constable strength in Suffolk |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 379 |
| 1998 | 397 |
| 1999 | 420 |
| 2000 | 391 |
| 2001 | 349 |
| 2002 | 308 |
Source:
Home Office Research, Development and Statistical Group.
The National Policing Plan 2003–06 reaffirms our commitment to introducing measures to increase the numbers and effectiveness of the special constabulary. The National Specials Weekend which was held on 21–23 February provided an opportunity for forces to
"encourage more recruits by raising the profile of the Special Constabulary and recognising the enormous contribution made by its members to local policing".
Additionally, we have introduced amendments to the Special Constabulary Regulations to allow police authorities to submit schemes, which they have agreed with the chief constable, for the payment of special constables. Such schemes will require the approval of the Secretary of State. Running a number of trial schemes will help establish to what extent payments to specials have a positive effect on their recruitment and retention and the number of hours they are able to offer their force. As announced by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 24 March, the first such scheme to be authorised is in Workington in Cumbria.
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Burundi
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions her Department has had with the World Food Programme regarding the humanitarian situation in Burundi. [105117]
Clare Short: The DFID representative in Bujumbura is in regular contact with WFP and the UN co-ordination team and regularly attends the weekly contact group for UN and other agencies which is co-ordinated by the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
In early March WFP distributed 7,744 tons of food to over 750,000 beneficiaries. They currently have just under 3,500 tons of stock available. They are appealing for further contributions in order to maintain deliveries. We are considering this request in the context of our overall humanitarian response.
Departmental Invoices
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the occasions
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on which her Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies failed to pay valid invoices within 30 days or after the agreed credit period within financial year 2001–02. [104311]
Clare Short: In the 2001–2002 financial year my department received 34,435 invoices. 96.62 per cent. of valid invoices were paid within the prompt payment deadline.
Emergency Preparedness
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on a Joint NGO Emergency Preparedness Initiative. [105024]
Clare Short: The Joint NGO Emergency Preparedness Initiative (JNEPI) is a consortium of non-governmental organisations consisting of the International Medical Corps, International Rescue Committee, Mercy Corps, Save the Children U.S. and World Vision U.S. It aims to serve as a clearing house for information gathered by its members and other agencies on the Iraq situation. It is currently based in Amman, Jordan. My Department is in regular contact with JNEPI on humanitarian preparedness planning.
Iraq
Mr. Lyons: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much UK will invest in reconstruction and aid to Iraq in 2003–04. [104728]
Clare Short: My Department has an ongoing programme of humanitarian support to the people of Iraq which is delivered through NGOs and international organisations. This programme is allocated £6 million in 2003–04.
In addition, I have committed £50 million to support preparations and work by humanitarian agencies in the current crisis. This includes £32 million for the Red Cross/Red Crescent and £8 million for the World Food Programme. My Department has a further £40 million set aside for the immediate humanitarian response and is considering further assistance in line with emerging needs.
DFID also provides 19 per cent. of European Community (EC) funding for Iraq. On 21 March the College of European Commissioners proposed to release an additional Euro79 million from their Emergency Aid Reserve, increasing their total commitment to Euro100 million. This funding is still to be approved by the European Council.
It is too soon to allocate funds for the post-war reconstruction of Iraq.
Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what criteria will be used to determine whether Iraq is too insecure for civilian humanitarian agencies to operate within its borders. [104873]
Clare Short: Humanitarian agencies cannot operate until a permissive security environment has been established. Until such time as alternative arrangements are made, the military will discharge their humanitarian obligations under the Geneva and The Hague
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conventions in order to provide relief in the interim in the territory they occupy. The Office of the UN Security Co-ordinator (UNSECOORD) provides security advice to the UN humanitarian agencies. Once the situation allows, NGOs will need to undertake their own security assessments before engaging. Security updates are being provided through the Humanitarian Operations Centre in Kuwait.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much pre-positioned stocks of humanitarian aid is held by USAID for the people of Iraq. [105020]
Clare Short: So far, USAID has announced $154 million for humanitarian relief, food distribution, reconstruction and transition initiatives. The State Department's Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration has also contributed over $15 million to agency pre-positioning efforts.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what is being done to (a) ensure the safety of pre-positioned stocks of humanitarian aid for Iraqi people and (b) open access to them. [105021]
Clare Short: DFID has been in close discussion with the Ministry of Defence over many months working to minimise the humanitarian impact of any conflict; both to limit the risks to the Iraqi population and the infrastructure on which they depend, and to ensure that UK forces meet their obligations under The Hague and Geneva conventions governing armed conflict.
DFID has provided funding to humanitarian agencies to enable them to pre-position stocks for the Iraqi people. Agencies use their standard operating procedures to monitor these stocks. The armed forces provide security advice on access issues. Distribution of humanitarian supplies is based on assessments of need and giving priority to the most urgent cases of distress, rather than open access to all.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much money her Department has given to (a) USAID, (b) the UN and (c) non-governmental organisations for humanitarian contingency plans for Iraq. [105022]
Clare Short: USAID is the development arm of the US government. DFID obviously does not fund it.
To date, DFID has committed £50 million to support preparations and work by humanitarian agencies in the current crisis. Of this, £13 million has been committed to UN agencies and £32 million to the International Red Cross/Red Crescent movement. £5 million has been committed to NGOs, of which specific agreements have been reached to date for £1 million. My Department has a further £40 million set aside for the immediate humanitarian response and is considering further assistance in line with emerging needs. We anticipate a further appeal from the UN and are continuing to assess proposals from NGOs.
DFID also provide 19 per cent. of European Community (EC) funding for Iraq. On 21 March the College of European Commissioners proposed to release an additional Euro79 million from the Emergency
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Aid Reserve, increasing their total commitment to Euro100 million. This funding is still to be approved by the Council.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which international non-governmental organisations and local Iraqi non-governmental organisations she is in discussions with concerning the situation in Iraq; and when these discussions commenced. [105023]
Clare Short: My officials have been meeting with NGOs in London for several weeks and are liasing with them in the region. Until now we have not been in a position to meet with local Iraqi non-governmental organisations.
DFID has received and is urgently assessing a substantial number of proposals from NGOs.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the likelihood of using frozen Iraqi Government assets for humanitarian relief and post-conflict reconstruction; and how much this money is estimated to be. [105025]
Clare Short: In accordance with UN Security Council resolutions 661, 687 and 778, the UK Government have the power to freeze the accounts of the Government of Iraq, bodies incorporated in Iraq and residents of Iraq. UK banks hold US$648 million in frozen Iraqi assets.
The UK Government do not have the power to appropriate the assets in these accounts, and we are considering how best to deal with them. Subject to protecting the legitimate interests of private asset holders, we are keen that those assets held in the UK, as well as those held worldwide, should be used for the future benefit of the people of Iraq.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans are in place to deal with water and sanitation contaminated by biological weapons in Iraq. [105026]
Clare Short: Use of biological weapons is a risk which no humanitarian agency is properly prepared to respond to. UK and US military strategy aims to minimise this risk. The Ministry of Defence are considering what limited response they could provide in the event of an attack on Iraqi civilians.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what recent discussions and representations she has had with the (a) United States, (b) United Nations, (c) European Union, (d) other states and (e) organisations and individuals regarding the reconstruction and development of (i) broadcasting and (ii) cultural services in Iraq; and if she will make a statement; [105039]
- (2) how much her Department has committed to the reconstruction of broadcasting and cultural services in Iraq, broken down by type; and what proportion this constitutes of the total post-conflict funds for such measures. [105040]
Clare Short: It is too soon to allocate funds for the post-war reconstruction of Iraqi broadcasting and cultural services. We are having some discussions on these and other reconstruction issues, but our first
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priority is to secure a UN mandate to provide legal authority for the overall reconstruction effort. This would make possible the engagement of the International Financial Institutions and the wider international community. The Government are holding on-going discussions with key partners to ensure such a mandate is put in place.
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