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INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what the Government's assessment is of the progress made in Afghanistan on civil service reform; what assistance his Department is giving Afghanistan in this respect; and if he will make a statement. [125677]

Hilary Benn: An effective public administration is essential to the process of reconstruction in Afghanistan. DFID has been an important source of assistance to the Afghanistan Transitional Administration (ATA) as it has sought to re-establish the basic functions of government. We are supporting capacity building within institutions, including the Ministry of Finance, Central Bank, and Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission. Other donors such as the World Bank are helping in areas such as procurement and audit. Achievements have included the introduction of a new currency, development of a national development framework, and of a payments and payroll system and implementation of measures to maximise revenue collection. But much remains to be done, and after twenty years of upheaval, there are no short-cuts to rebuilding Afghanistan's public administration. President Karzai recently issued a "Priority Reform and Restructuring" decree (executive legislation) that will allow further urgent reforms to take place in up to twenty Government Departments. These reforms will be supported by DFID and the World Bank.

Departmental Staff

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development how many staff of his Department were redeployed out of London and the South East in the last five years. [125360]

Hilary Benn: Under a relocation programme approximately 40 Civil Service posts from our London Headquarters were redeployed to our East Kilbride Headquarters over the period 1998–2001. Staff were not required to move with the posts.

European Constitution

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what discussions she has had with (a) colleagues in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and (b) counterparts in the European Union about the legislative competencies covered by the draft European Constitution. [124781]

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Hilary Benn: As part of the normal Whitehall process, I and my officials have had regular correspondence with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to discuss all aspects of the Convention, including legislative competencies. We have also had regular contact with member and accession states to discuss issues arising in the Convention. In line with exemptions 1 and 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, it is not the normal practice of Governments to disclose details about internal discussions, or information whose disclosure would harm the conduct of international relations or affairs.

Iraq

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what assistance the Department is giving to the World Food Programme's work in Basra. [125704]

Hilary Benn: Since the start of the present crisis, DFID has contributed £33 million to the World Food Programme (WFP) for its work throughout Iraq, including Basra. DFID support has been earmarked for food delivery, logistical support and the provision of a United Nations humanitarian air service. It is not allocated by region within Iraq.

Iraq's public distribution system for food aid was restarted on 1 June. WFP estimates that by the end of the June distribution cycle, rations has been provided to about 26 million Iraqis, which is 95 per cent. of the target population.

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what assistance the Department has given to the re-establishment of (a) the electrical power system, (b) the legal system, (c) a police force and (d) a banking system in Iraq. [125694]

Hilary Benn: DFID has provided over £7 million to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to assist in the restoration of electricity supplies in Iraq. The work undertaken has included needs assessments, repairs to generation and transmission plant, equipment for maintenance crews, equipment for a hospital and for water pumping and purification plants, and lighting for Umm Qasr port.

The Government have seconded police advisers to the Coalition Provisional Authority to contribute to the development of policing in Iraq, and advisers to the Justice Ministry to assist in prison reform and undertake a general review of the judicial system. 31,000 police officers have reported back to work, and courts and prisons have begun operating again.

The Government have not provided assistance for the banking sector. The Coalition Provisional Authority has, however, been working to help restore the banking system, and many banks are now open.

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To date, DFID has committed £155 million towards humanitarian and reconstruction assistance in the current crisis. Further assistance will be considered in view of emerging needs and the outcome of social and economic needs assessments being undertaken by the World bank, the IMF and United Nations agencies.

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development which NGOs have approached the Department wishing to provide assistance for (a) the restructuring of Iraq and (b) humanitarian aid in Iraq. [125697]

Hilary Benn: DFID has had regular discussions with NGOs since before the conflict in Iraq started. We have only sought proposals from NGOs for preparedness and short quick impact projects to address immediate humanitarian needs. At least 34 different NGOs have submitted proposals, and we have selected 18 projects for funding

We have not yet considered longer term NGO proposals for restructuring. Our assistance for longer term reconstruction work will be considered in view of the outcome of social and economic needs assessments being carried out by the World bank, the IMF and United Nations agencies, and a donor conference due to be held in October.

Mobile Phones

Mr. Flight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what the cost was to his Department of mobile phones supplied to Ministers and officials in each year since 1997. [123140]

Hilary Benn: The cost of equipment, the call charges and line rental for mobile phones and car phones for Ministers and staff working for Ministers in the top management group in DFID are only available from 1999. The costs are as follows:

	£
1999–2000	8,249
2000–01	7,569
2001–02	7,455
2002–03	6,491

Details of mobile phone costs supplied to other officials are not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Family Planning/Reproductive Health

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what percentage of Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) funding was spent on family planning and reproductive health in the last year for which figures are available; and what the total funding in this sector was. [125658]

Hilary Benn: DFID supports country Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSs) as a way to strengthen the social sector, pooling its financial resources with those of other donor agencies within the Government's overall budget. PRSs aim to coordinate Government led action with broad based participation, focused on delivering agreed outcomes. They also provide the basis

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for long-term strategy and sustained investment. We work through sector wide approaches and direct budget support as ways of supporting countries' PRSs.

The most recent data available from our information systems shows that in the financial year 2002–03, out of a total of £96 million spent by DFID on sector wide approaches, £31 million (32 per cent.) was spent on programmes that had reproductive health services as one of their target objectives. Our data systems do not allow us to identify specific expenditure on reproductive health services in previous years but recent changes will allow us to do so in future.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has an important role to play in tracking overall resources devoted to reproductive health. We are working across the board to strengthen countries' own systems for reporting against their poverty reduction targets and progress towards the millennium development goals, including through the UN Millennium Project. This includes reporting on reproductive health gains as a factor in improving health overall.

DFID's bilateral spending on reproductive health, including on HIV/AIDS, in 2002–03 was £270 million, up from around £40 million in 1997–98.

Sustainable Development/Poverty Reduction

Syd Rapson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what impact integrated frameworks have had on (a) sustainable development and (b) poverty reduction in the developing countries in which they have been promoted. [125898]

Hilary Benn: The Integrated Framework began, in its present form, in July 2000.

The pilot ran in three countries and the process has been rolled out to a further eleven least developed countries. An evaluation of the Integrated Framework is currently taking place and a report will be presented to the WTO Ministerial Meeting in Cancun in September. The objectives of the evaluation include an assessment of the impact of the integrated framework in linking trade, development and poverty and the integration of trade into development plans and poverty reduction strategies.

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