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15 Jul 2003 : Column 175W—continued
EU Humanitarian Aid
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development if he will list (a) the names, titles and grades of the officials who sit on the EU committee on implementation of humanitarian aid operations, (b) the number of times, and the dates, on which it has met since January 2002, (c) the agenda items it has considered since January 2002, (d) the decisions it has made since January 2002 and (e) the means used to communicate the decisions to the House. [110308]
Hilary Benn: The European Community's Humanitarian Aid Committee (HAC) does not have a fixed membership, but consists of delegates drawn from each of the 15 European member states. The HAC meets on average once a month, excluding August (and often December). In addition to this, each Presidency usually holds an informal HAC to discuss issues of substance in more detail. Including both formal and informal HACs there have been 19 meetings since January 2002.
The Department for International Development usually sends one or two delegates to the HAC, drawn from our Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs Department or our regional departments.
At the HAC meetings, member states review the Annual Global Plans (large scale humanitarian country strategies) and Decisions (less detailed, smaller scale humanitarian programmes) drawn up by the European Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO) for ongoing humanitarian assistance to countries, regions, or specific population groups. ECHO also uses the HAC to inform member states of decisions taken under ECHO's own delegated authority both on its smallest programmes, and on those taken under the Primary Emergency Procedures for rapid disbursement (recent examples include Iraq, Algeria and the Palestinian Territories). In November of each year, ECHO presents its overall strategy for the following year for discussion by member states. ECHO also presents at various times during the year procedural and thematic papers on various aspects of EC assistance for member state's information and comment.
The role of the Humanitarian Aid Committee is to oversee the powers delegated to the European Commission by the European Council of Ministers. As with all Comitology Committees, documents circulated at the HAC are not routinely deposited for scrutiny under established scrutiny procedures, unless they are politically significant. Since January 2002 DFID has deposited for scrutiny the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office's Annual Report for 2001 (COM (2002) 322 FINAL).
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Together with member states, the Commission has been conducting a review to bring existing legislation on the conduct of Comitology Committees into line with Council Decision 1999/468/EC, to
- "simplify the requirements for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission".
As an obligation to this Decision, the Commission undertook to publish an annual report on the working of the Committee. The second report was deposited in the Libraries of both Houses on 10 January 2003, ref 5060/03, COM(03)733.
As part of the review process, the UK Government have encouraged the Commission to produce and maintain an electronic database of every Comitology Committee, its agendas and recent actions, to be accessible through its website.
General Agreement on Trade in Services
Mr. Brady: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what estimate he has made of the economic effect on developing countries which will arise from liberalisation of trade in services. [125180]
Hilary Benn: All countries involved in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) are responsible for conducting their own impact assessments as a part of the process of deciding which sectors to open to foreign competition. It would be neither desirable nor practical for either the WTO or developed country Governments to make an assessment of service-sector liberalisation on behalf of developing countries.
However, we recognise that developing countries require support in this area. To this end, DFID is co-operating with UNCTAD and the World bank on a programme of work which will help inform developing country assessments.
Iraq
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what requests the Department has received for medical drugs from health professionals in Iraq. [124678]
Hilary Benn: We have received no specific requests for drugs from health professionals in Iraq.
The World Health Organisation's assessment is that there is no overall shortage of medical supplies in Iraq, although there are still shortages of drugs for some specific conditions. The drugs supply pipeline is funded until spring 2004.
In Basra, an oxygen shortfall has resulted from production problems in local manufacturing plants. Immediate emergency needs have been met by importing oxygen from Kuwait. Work is under way to restore existing production capacity in Basra, and ultimately to install new production capacity which would also improve the quality of the oxygen supplied for medical use.
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DFID's assistance to health and nutrition in the current crisis is channelled through United Nations agencies, the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, Save the Children Fund, CARE and a number of other non-governmental organisations. £12 million has been allocated specifically to health and nutrition activities (not including food aid); £35 million has also been allocated to humanitarian agencies, not earmarked to specific sectors, a proportion of which is being spent in the health sector.
Adam Price: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what recent assessment the Department has made of the rate of child illness in Iraq. [125234]
Hilary Benn: Before the recent conflict, the effects of mismanagement, war, migration of medical staff and economic sanctions had significantly weakened Iraq's capacity to protect the health of its children: almost a third of children in the centre and south suffered from chronic malnutrition; the prevalence of low birth-weight babies had increased more than five-fold over the previous 10 years; and the under-five mortality rate, at 131 per 1,000 live births, was very high. Immediately after the recent conflict, looting, insecurity and an initial breakdown of public services exacerbated existing problems. Increased levels of diarrhoea and vaccine-preventable diseases among children were reported.
Subsequently, progress has been made in restoring health services and clean water supplies. UNICEF has re-started routine vaccination, including a catch-up campaign for children who missed immunisation during the conflict. Sufficient vaccines are now in Iraq for six to eight months of vaccinations. The Coalition Provisional Authority has announced that public health spending in the July to December 2003 budget will be US$210 million, including $125 million for supplies and equipment and $31 million for generators to supply power to hospitals in Baghdad.
DFID's assistance to health and nutrition in the current crisis is channelled through United Nations agencies, the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, Save the Children Fund, CARE and a number of other non-governmental organisations. £12 million has been allocated specifically to health and nutrition activities (not including food aid); £35 million has also been allocated to humanitarian agencies, not earmarked to specific sectors, a proportion of which is being spent in the health sector.
Adam Price: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what recent assessment the Department has made of the state of Iraqi hospitals. [125246]
Hilary Benn: Hospital infrastructure was little damaged during the recent conflict, but the health care system was badly affected by the subsequent insecurity in which equipment and supplies were looted and water and electricity systems disrupted. The United Nations reported in June 2003 that Iraq's health system was functioning at only 30 to 50 per cent. of its pre-conflict capacity.
Some progress is being made. All 240 hospitals in the country are in operation. The Coalition Provisional Authority is making considerable efforts to improve the
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water supply, sanitation, power and security difficulties. Coalition forces have been training Iraqi security staff to guard medical facilities. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been active throughout Iraq replacing missing equipment, and supplying water, power, and medical supplies. Regular salary payments to hospital staff have been resumed.
The Coalition Provisional Authority has announced that public health spending in the July to December 2003 budget will be US$210 million, including $125 million for supplies and equipment and $31 million for generators to supply power to hospitals in Baghdad.
DFID's assistance to health and nutrition in the current crisis is channelled through United Nations agencies, the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, Save the Children Fund, CARE and a number of other non-governmental organisations. £12 million has been allocated specifically to health and nutrition activities (not including food aid); £35 million has also been allocated to humanitarian agencies, not earmarked to specific sectors, a proportion of which is being spent in the health sector.
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