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Departmental Responsibilities

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will place in the Library an Organogram of the new structure of responsibilities in her Department. [109951]

Clare Short: As requested, I have arranged for a copy of my Department's Organogram to be placed in the Library of both Houses of Parliament.

Ethiopia

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what efforts are being made to ensure the speedy provision of aid through the World Food Programme to combat the recurrent food crisis in Ethiopia. [110709]

Clare Short: Our in-country advisers maintain close liaison with World Food Programme (WFP) staff in Ethiopia. We have contributed £19.3 million of aid for Ethiopia through WFP since January 2002, which includes food aid contributions of £15 million in December 2002 and £2 million in March 2003. We are currently satisfied with the speed at which aid has been delivered. For example, our March contribution will be delivered as food to those in need by mid-May.

We also have a global partnership with WFP, of which the main objective is to improve their institutional capacity worldwide for timely and effective humanitarian responses.

Famine (Africa)

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to combat the famine in (a) Ethiopia and (b) Eritrea. [110710]

Clare Short: Since the beginning of 2002 we have contributed about £21.6 million in food aid and £16 million for other humanitarian support to

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Ethiopia. We are continuing to monitor the situation closely. We have also been promoting co-ordination between Government, UN and donors.

A DFID team visited Eritrea in late January this year. Following this visit we have approved about £2.8 million of humanitarian support for Eritrea.

In addition to the above humanitarian support that we have provided to Ethiopia and Eritrea, DFID funds about 19 per cent. of EC programmes.

Food shortages are a factor of rural poverty. Development assistance that we are now providing to Ethiopia should help to reduce the underlying causes. In Eritrea we are still working with the EU to establish the basis for a development partnership, which should also help to achieve a lasting solution.

G8 Development Meeting

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on matters discussed, pledges made and decisions taken at the G8 development Ministers meeting in Paris on 24 April 2003; and if she will place copies of documentation for the meeting in the Library. [111234]

Clare Short: Matters discussed were: how to increase official development assistance; the need for better co-ordinated action to secure better water provision for poor people; accelerating the achievement of education and health goals; and what donors could do to support the New Partnership for African Development (NePAD). The meeting was a discussion forum to prepare for the G8 meeting in Evian and no pledges were made and no decisions were taken. A copy of the Chairman's Summary will be placed in the Library.

Illegal Timber Trade

Ms Walley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment the Government have made of legislation under EU directive 97/2001 on money laundering to tackle proceeds from the illegal timber trade; and if he will make a statement; [111035]

(2) what assessment has been made of the use of existing UK legislation to target illegal timber imports, with particular reference to legislation on stolen goods, fraud and forgery; and if she will make a statement. [111036]

Clare Short: The Government have contributed to a study on measures that the EU could take to control illegal logging and trade in illegally sourced timber products. The study indicated that UK's money laundering legislation under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 could be used as a possible measure by which the proceeds of illegal logging entering the UK financial system could be identified and persons involved convicted. However, this would require illegal logging in other countries and associated trade to be defined as criminal offences under UK law.

The study also indicated that some forms of illegal logging could be targeted under the Theft Act 1968 that applies to goods that have been stolen abroad as well as within the UK. For this to be effective, there must first be a request by a court or prosecuting authority in the country of origin for the suspected stolen goods to be

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seized and criminal proceedings initiated or a person arrested for the offence. Therefore, using UK legislation in this regard is dependent on the activities of enforcement agencies in the countries of origin of illegal timber. Provided these actions have been taken, sale within the UK of timber known to be illegally sourced may be considered an offence.

Iraq

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the frequency of household waste removal in Baghdad. [110968]

Clare Short: Prior to the conflict 2,800 tonnes of refuse were collected in Baghdad each day by a fleet of 480 trucks. We understand that some of these trucks were stolen in the recent looting. Parts of Baghdad remain very insecure and it is unclear at this stage how much of the refuse collection system has been restored. A prolonged absence of waste removal would represent a substantial threat to public health. We are monitoring the situation closely.

Mr. Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what time-frame her Department expects for the restoration of the Oil for Food programme in Iraq at the level of the local distribution centres. [110731]

Clare Short: The World Food Programme (WFP) reports that it has made contact with the Director General at the Iraqi Trade Ministry which was formerly responsible for operating the Oil for Food distribution system. WFP understand that the distribution system is in good shape, though their own assessments have been slowed by security and access issues. Distribution is ongoing in parts of northern Iraq and many food agents elsewhere in the country want to resume work and have been reporting to distribution centres. It is not yet possible to provide an accurate time frame for full restoration of local distribution throughout Iraq. My Department is continuing to monitor the situation closely and is working closely to facilitate contacts between the Coalition Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA), the WFP and the Iraqi Ministry of Trade in Iraq.

Mr. Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made in restoring clean water supplies to (a) Kirkuk and (b) Mosul in Iraq. [110732]

Clare Short: The water supply in Kirkuk has been restored, with the exception of supplies to the Central Hospital. The hospital is being supplied by water tankers. In Mosul water supplies have been restored.

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what reports she has received about cholera outbreaks in (a) Basra and (b) Hilla. [110969]

Clare Short: On 27 April, the UN Office of the Humanitarian Co-ordinator for Iraq (UNOHCI) reported that the health situation in Iraq in general was stable. The number of diarrhoea cases was within normally expected limits and no measles or cholera

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cases had been reported. Latest World Health Organisation (WHO) reports confirm that no cases of cholera have been identified in Iraq to date.

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what reports she has received about the adequacy of equipment and quality control systems for preventing blood contamination in Iraqi hospitals. [110970]

Clare Short: Approximately 150 health assessments have been undertaken in Iraq. Results of these are being consolidated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) who are the lead co-ordinator for the health sector. All assessments are available from the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) information centre website at: www.agoodplacetostart.org

We have not received any reports specifically about the adequacy of equipment and control systems for preventing blood contamination in Iraqi hospitals.

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the distribution system set up under the Oil for Food programme in Iraq is operational. [110971]

Clare Short: The World Food Programme (WFP) reports that it has made contact with the Director General at the Iraqi Trade Ministry which was formerly responsible for operating the Oil for Food distribution system. WFP understand that the distribution system is in good shape, though their own assessments have been slowed by security and access issues. Distribution is on-going in parts of northern Iraq and many food agents elsewhere in the country want to resume work and have been reporting to distribution centres. It is not yet possible to provide an accurate time frame for full restoration of local distribution throughout Iraq. My Department is continuing to monitor the situation closely and is working closely to facilitate contacts between the Coalition Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA), the WFP and the Iraqi Ministry of Trade in Iraq.

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) assessment her Department made of civilian infrastructures and (b) plans were made for the restoration of essential services in Iraq prior to military action; and if she will make future plans publicly available. [110972]

Clare Short: Prior to the conflict in Iraq much of the civilian infrastructure was in a state of disrepair. UN agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) were undertaking programmes to restore these services. The Coalition's military strategy drawn up before the start of the conflict sought to minimise damage to civilian infrastructure.

DFID, UN agencies, the ICRC and others prepared for a wide range of humanitarian scenarios prior to the conflict. DFID has seconded two humanitarian specialists, one of whom is an infrastructure specialist, to work with the armed forces (UK 1 Division) and to advise on relief activities.

DFID has committed £115 million to date to support the humanitarian response to the crisis through the activities of the UN, ICRC and NGOs. Some most notably the ICRC, were active throughout the conflict

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in getting water, power and medical services back up and running. A number of agencies have now taken part in initial post-conflict assessment missions to determine the state of essential services and to prioritise the needs for emergency responses.

Most agency assessments and future plans are available from the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) website at: www.agoodplacetostart.org

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