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INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Bonded Labour

Mr. McGrady: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what further action will be taken at (a) the EU Council of Ministers and (b) G7 meetings to ensure an end to the use of bonded labour in developing countries; and if he will make a statement. [128600]

Hilary Benn: We are not aware of any specific proposals to discuss this issue in the EU Council of Ministers or in G7 or G8 meetings in the near future.

The Government are committed to helping to eliminate all abusive labour practices. These include bonded labour, forced labour and child labour. These abusive practices persist where poverty denies people their rights and a decent livelihood. All the programmes of the Department for International Development

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(DFID) are intended to contribute to improving the livelihoods of poor people and helping them realise their rights. We also support projects targeted at particular abusive practices. Examples have included a programme in India to eliminate child labour, including bonded child labour; collaboration with the Asian Development Bank in Pakistan on rural development strategies that include tackling bonded labour and support for Action Aid's Poverty Reduction Project which has been working with bonded labourers in the Kailali district of Nepal to help them achieve secure livelihoods.

The United Kingdom has played a leading role in, ensuring that the international framework to promote workers' rights and to tackle abuses of those rights, including bonded labour, is in place, particularly through its work with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the UN specialised agency responsible for labour rights. The UK fully supports the ILO work to help end forced and bonded labour, which we see as both a cause and result of poverty.

Through DFID's Partnership Framework arrangement with the ILO, the UK provides support for technical assistance designed to eliminate forced labour. DFID is also supporting ILO programmes in West Africa and South East Asia to tackle forced labour and trafficking.

The Government strongly support the ILO's core labour standards and are actively seeking to raise awareness of voluntary codes of conduct based on these for the working of business in developing countries. In particular we helped to set up and fund the Ethical Trading Initiative, which is an alliance of UK retail companies, non-governmental organisations and trade unions that works to improve labour conditions in the supply chain of its corporate members. The employment standards adopted by ETI members come from the Core Conventions of the ILO. The combined annual turnover of the corporate members amounts to over £100 billion and is expected to rise significantly.

We are also supporting Anti-Slavery International to raise awareness of the issue and stimulate action by trade unions, business and other civil society organisations and governments.

Caucasus (Oil Pipelines)

Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development if he will place reports which his Department has (a) carried out and (b) commissioned on the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline Project in the Library. [130026]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID is currently assessing whether the Environmental and Social Assessement for the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline project complies with the policies and procedures of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group. I will place that assessment in the Library in due course.

Developing Countries (Property Ownership)

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what

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assessment his Department has made of the effects on development of the lack of effective systems to establish property ownership in developing countries. [130192]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID recognises that secure rights to land and property are fundamental to poor people's ability to act as citizens and pursue their livelihoods within a democratic society and open economy. The absence of systems to establish property ownership holds back development. In many cases it excludes the poor from accessing basic services and participating in formal markets for land and property, limiting social mobility and economic opportunity. The rights of large numbers of people living in informal settlements (which make up between 30–70 per cent. of populations of urban centres in developing countries) and those of rural people dependent on natural resources are frequently not recognised by the authorities. As a result they are vulnerable to eviction and loss of physical and natural assets. Many developing countries are seeking to address these problems by remodelling their systems of land and property administration, but lack the financial resources and technical capacity to do so effectively.

Iraq

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development if he will make a statement on (a) the humanitarian situation in Iraq and (b) the impact of security on the humanitarian situation. [130351]

Hilary Benn: While significant challenges face the reconstruction effort in Iraq, particularly in the electricity, water supply and oil sectors which have suffered from looting, sabotage and the breakdown of obsolete infrastructure, progress has been made in improving humanitarian conditions for most Iraqis. The public distribution system for food is up and running, most hospitals are in operation, medical supplies are coming into the country, children are being vaccinated and most schools were open by June. Continuing security problems are making the work of humanitarian organisations difficult and often dangerous. The Coalition Provisional Authority is making strenuous efforts to put in place an effective new Iraqi police and justice system, at the same time as coalition forces are being strengthened to help maintain law and order.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development if he will publish the plans the Government have to release money for humanitarian needs in Iraq before the donors conference in October. [130352]

Hilary Benn: DFID spending commitments for Iraq are published regularly in our weekly "Iraq Updates". We have to date committed £198 million of the £210 million currently available to DFID for the Iraq crisis. Additional commitments may be made from this £210 million between now and the Donors' Conference in Madrid in October. Any further significant allocations for assistance to Iraq will be considered by the Government in view of the needs assessments being undertaken by the World Bank, the IMF and the United Nations, which will be presented to the October Donors' Conference.

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Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what recent discussions the Department has had with non-governmental organisations on their continued presence in Iraq. [130353]

Hilary Benn: DFID has regular discussions with NGOs on a range of issues concerning their work in Iraq, including over security and their continued operations in the country. We have told those NGOs whose work we are currently supporting in Iraq that we would be prepared to consider requests for additional financial resources to cover the costs of increased security provisions that they may need to put in place.

CABINET OFFICE

E-Envoy

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office in which month he expects the Annual Report of the e-envoy for 2003 to be published. [129126]

Mr. Alexander: We are committed to publishing an Annual Report each year on the UK online strategy. We intend to publish the 2003 report by the end of the year.

TREASURY

Government Contracts

Mr. Dobson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what advice is issued to government departments about placing contracts for goods and services with organisations which have been indicted for fraud or are being investigated for fraud [130650]

Mr. Boateng: The EC procurement rules allow contracting authorities to exclude firms from a procurement where they have been convicted of a criminal offence, or have committed an act of grave misconduct related to the conduct of their business or profession. This can include cases involving fraud and corruption.

Air Passenger Duty

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the revenue yield from increasing the level of air passenger duty from £5 to £10 on economy flights within the European Economic Area; and if he will make a statement. [130125]

John Healey: Increasing the reduced rate of air passenger duty from £5 to £10 on flights within the European Economic Area would have raised an estimated £595 million in 2002–03 from this category of passenger.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the revenue yield from raising the level of air passenger duty for club class and first class flights (a) from £10 to £20 for destinations within the European Economic Area and (b) from £40 to £50 for non-EEA destinations. [130126]

John Healey: Increasing the standard rate of air passenger duty (APD) from £10 to £20 on flights within the European Economic Area (EEA) would have raised an estimated £65 million in 2002–03 from this category

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of passenger. Increasing the standard rate of APD from £40 to £50 on flights outside the EEA would have raised an estimated £135 million in the same financial year from this category of passenger.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the relationship between the level of air passenger duty and petrol duty in terms of the environmental objectives of Government taxation policies; and if he will make a statement. [130554]

John Healey: Levels of all taxes, including air passenger duty and petrol duty, are reviewed on a Budget-by-Budget basis, taking account of a range of social, economic and environmental considerations.

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