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15 Jul 2003 : Column 178W—continued
Kenya
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what agencies in Kenya received money from the Department in each year since 1997. [124479]
Hilary Benn: The Department for International Development funds a large number of civil society, private sector, and multilateral agencies in Kenya, including through umbrella bodies which channel resources to a wide range of organisations.
A detailed breakdown of the total number of DFID partners is not held centrally, and is available only at disproportionate cost. A broad indication of the funds provided to civil society, private sector and multilateral agencies over the last three years is set out in the following table.
| Civil society agencies | Private sector agencies | Multilateral agencies | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 11 | 2 | 9 |
| 2001–02 | 12 | 2 | 3 |
| 2002–03 | 19 | 3 | 0 |
Liberia
Norman Lamb: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what action he intends to take in respect of the World Health Organisation's call for supplies and funds to combat the health crisis in Liberia; and if he will make a statement. [125303]
Hilary Benn: I refer the hon. Member to my statement of 25 June 2003, Official Report, column 39WS.
The World Health Organisation's appeal for supplies and funds to provide healthcare to Liberians is one of several urgent requests that we have received in recent weeks from the international humanitarian community.
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DFID has committed £1.5 million in response to the present crisis in Liberia, in addition to the £1 million we gave to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Medecins sans Frontieres in March 2003. We have allocated £500,000 to ICRC, £374,000 to Merlin and £316,000 to Save the Children Fund (UK).
We shall commit the balance of the funding available to agencies that have access to those in need and continue to keep the situation under close review.
Norman Lamb: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in Liberia; and if he will make a statement on security conditions for aid agencies operating in Liberia. [125304]
Hilary Benn: Our information on the humanitarian situation in Liberia is provided by the United Nations and the other international humanitarian agencies that are maintaining a presence there. Although the UN has plans to return expatriate personnel to the country as soon as conditions allow, for now they are relying on information from their country staff and the international non-Government organisations. Only a few agencies have an expatriate presence in Liberia and this is limited mainly to the capital, Monrovia.
The reports we are receiving describe the conditions as very poor. Humanitarian activities are severely hampered by looting of vehicles, fuel, medical supplies and food by all the main parties to the conflict. There are severe shortages, especially of food and clean water. Sanitation is virtually non-existent, and with around one-third of the population now located within Monrovia, the impact on an already over-stretched infrastructure is serious. We have little hard information on the situation outside the capital.
Cholera cases are reported to be significantly above the norm. Hospitals (of which only one has been functioning recently) and health centres are finding it difficult to cope. It is vital that the present lull in the fighting continues to enable the international community to re-engage, with access to all areas.
We have allocated £1.5 million in response to the recent deterioration in the humanitarian situation, in addition to £1 million that we allocated in March 2003. We are liaising closely with the principal agencies concerned. We and other donors will be joining with members of the UN and other humanitarian agencies at a meeting in Dakar, Senegal, on 17 and 18 July 2003 to discuss the situation across the west Africa sub-region, including Liberia.
Montserrat
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the level of humanitarian aid reaching the people of Montserrat. [125322]
Hilary Benn: Our aid to Montserrat is in the form of development and budgetary assistance. Since the onset of the volcanic crisis, we have provided some
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£180 million. A further £45.6 million is available for disbursement over the UK financial year period 2003–04 to 2005–06, representing a 50 per cent. increase over the sum originally available for that period. All of the money is used to maintain essential services and to improve the lives and livelihoods of the people of Montserrat.
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development if he will make a statement on disaster relief to Montserrat. [125993]
Hilary Benn: We provided substantial emergency assistance for Montserrat in the immediate aftermath of the volcanic crisis in the mid-1990s. This included provision of housing, essential services and infrastructure which had been lost or seriously damaged. Increasingly, our assistance is now geared towards other productive activity, which will help Montserrat towards its goal of renewed self-sufficiency. For example, a new airport to replace the one at risk from the volcano is now under construction and should become operational next year.
We were very concerned to learn about the recent volcanic events in Montserrat. DFID officials are in direct contact with the Montserratian authorities to assist in every possible way.
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development if he will make a statement on the provision of housing in Montserrat. [125996]
Hilary Benn: The Government of Montserrat's policy is to make housing assistance available for all those on the island who are deemed eligible for it. We have devoted substantial resources in support of this policy and for provision of associated infrastructure to help Montserratians affected by volcanic activity. We and the Montserrat authorities will continue to keep those needs under close and regular review.
Performance Fund
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what the (a) objectives, (b) targets and (c) main budgetary compartments are for the (i) Africa Performance Fund and (ii) Asia Performance Fund; and if he will make a statement. [122736]
Hilary Benn: [pursuant to his reply, 2 July 2003, c. 301W] The budgeted figures given in the table for Asia for financial years 2000–01 and 2001–02 were unfortunately not correct. The table and the text in the paragraph regarding Asia have therefore been revised as follows:
Divisional performance funds were introduced from 2000–01 as reserves to be allocated in-year by directors, largely to reward good performance but also to respond to unforeseen demands and opportunities, including urgent humanitarian needs. They provide flexibility to allocate additional funds to those countries and institutions where progress on reform enables effective use of funds in pursuit of poverty reduction.
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The table shows the total amounts budgeted:
| Year | Africa | Asia |
|---|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 57 | 20 |
| 2001–02 | 10 | 36 |
| 2002–03 | 14 | 18 |
| 2003–04 | 35 | 0 |
| 2004–05(6) | 151 | 65 |
| 2005–06(6) | 289 | 130 |
(6) Includes amounts provisionally earmarked from Director General Performance Fund from 2004–05.
In Africa in 2000–01 there were two payments, one of £29 million to assist copper industry restructuring in Zambia, and another of £28 million as programme aid to support economic reform in Kenya. In 2001–02, a smaller sum was available, of which £7 million was spent on humanitarian assistance: £5 million in the DRC (through the International Red Cross) and £2 million on humanitarian projects in the Sudan. A further £0.25 million was spent on AFRICAP, an African micro-finance investment fund. In 2002–03, £10 million was spent on programme aid to Ethiopia as our bilateral relationship strengthened, £3.2 million on humanitarian work (in Angola, Sudan and the Great Lakes region), and a further £0.8 million contribution to AFRICAP. Some £35 million is available in 2003–04, much of which will be needed for humanitarian work.
In financial years 2000–01 and 2001–02 Asia's performance fund was used for various purposes including transfers to programmes in the Middle East and Pakistan. Not all the funds allocated to the Fund were needed in these years; resources not required were re-allocated to other parts of the DFID's programme. In 2002–03, funds were used for Afghanistan and other humanitarian work. Asia does not have a performance fund allocation for 2003–04.
From 2004–05 onwards, resources for performance funds rise significantly. These funds will be allocated in part before the year commences, although significant amounts will remain to be allocated in-year. They will be targeted at those countries that are currently performing less well or that are in or emerging from conflict. We are already planning high and stable levels of spending in countries with a clear commitment to, and capacity to deliver, poverty reduction.
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