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South Asia

Mrs. Ann Cryer: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development if he will make a statement on aid programmes funded by the Department in (a) India, (b) Bangladesh and (c) Pakistan in the last five years. [131010]

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Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID's country programme in India is governed by the Country Strategy Paper published in 2000. We run a nationwide programme, which covers the whole of India, and we also have state-level programmes in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal. Our main partners are the Indian Government; focus state governments and non-governmental organisations. The principal objectives of DFID's work in India under the current strategy are to have partnerships with selected state governments, to support economic reform, services, empowerment of poor, especially minority groups, and better management of the natural and physical environment. We are currently revising our country strategy in India.

In Pakistan we support priorities agreed following reengagement with the Government in 2000. The programme has three objectives: creating economic conditions for poverty reduction; improving health outcomes; and improving education outcomes. In Pakistan too we are preparing a new Country Assistance Plan to support the Government of Pakistan's own Poverty Reduction Strategy due for publication in October 2003. DFID works in Pakistan with a wide range of partners including Government departments and non-government organisations, and closely coordinates its activities with those of other multilateral and bilateral development agencies.

In Bangladesh we work in accordance with our Country Strategy published in 1998. Here too a new County Assistance Plan is about to be published which gives priority to advancing the position of women and girls. The new Country Plan supports the Government of Bangladesh's own national poverty strategy and focuses DFID activity around seven areas of importance: support to the private sector, land transport, maternal mortality, primary education, access to food and water and Governance. DFID works in Bangladesh Government departments and non-government organisations and closely coordinates its activities with those of other multi-lateral and development agencies.

In 2002–03, DFID spent £161 million, £39 million and £77 million in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh respectively.

Southern Africa

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what emergency aid has been provided to southern Africa in recent months. [129444]

Hilary Benn: Since September 2001, DFID has provided approximately £120 million in emergency assistance to the six countries in Southern Africa (Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe) that have been most affected by the humanitarian crisis over the past two years. Most of this assistance (approximately £90 million) has been provided to Zimbabwe and Malawi, where needs have been greatest. In addition, we estimate that our contribution to commitments by the European Commission to date is around £26 million.

Since January this year, over £35 million has been spent on supporting continuing humanitarian operations, particularly in Zimbabwe, but also covering

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Zambia, Malawi, Swaziland and Mozambique. We intend to programme a further £40 million of emergency aid to Zimbabwe this year, building on our existing programme commitments, in response to the serious humanitarian needs there. We, along with the UN and other donors, will ensure that our humanitarian assistance continues to be distributed according to need and without political interference.

Where immediate humanitarian needs have reduced, as we have seen this year in Zambia and Malawi, we have shifted our support to programmes that support recovery from the crisis, including through provision of seeds and fertilisers. In Malawi, some £9.3 million has been committed for these activities—again with the objective of improving food security at the household level and ensuring that safety nets that cover an appropriate mix of cash, food and subsidised inputs, are available for the most vulnerable. We have also provided seeds and fertilisers in Mozambique and Swaziland and responded to UN calls for support to seed fairs in those countries.

Emergency assistance is still needed this year in areas of southern Mozambique, and in Lesotho where the failure of the winter harvest has put more people at risk. We are working to identify where the greatest needs are in these countries and will provide emergency aid to help cover the greatest gaps.

DFID is also supporting the work of the UN Regional Inter-Agency Co-ordination and Support team in Johannesburg, which works to co-ordinate and harmonise UN and NGO efforts across the region. We have provided £2 million of support to this team so far, and are looking to continue this support until the end of the current phase of the UN Consolidated Appeal, which ends in June 2004.

Vietnam

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development if he will make a statement on aid to Vietnam. [131239]

Mr. Gareth Thomas : DFID is finalising a new Country Assistance Plan for Vietnam, which will be published in November. The key objectives of this plan are: more effective, efficient and equitable use of public financial resources; promotion of socially inclusive development and greater accountability of Government to citizens; and support to economic and social transition from a centrally planned economy to a market economy. These objectives will support the Government of Vietnam's own Comprehensive Poverty Reduction and Growth Strategy (CPRGS).

Under the new CAP, DFID's assistance is planned to increase from £26 million in 2003–04 to £60 million in 2005–06. This increase is in response to the Government of Vietnam's success in and continuing commitment to, reducing poverty. The incidence of poverty has halved from 58 per cent. in 1992 to 29 per cent. in 2002.

DFID's current assistance to Vietnam includes supporting the development of primary education, the building and maintenance of rural roads, public financial management reform, state owned enterprise reform, reducing HIV infection, and area based rural development in the Northern Mountains and Central

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Region. We will continue to work in these areas. We are also directly supporting the Government of Vietnam's reform programme under the CPRGS by providing budget support through the World Bank Poverty Reduction Support Credit. In addition we are supporting the development of the National Assembly, and a project to analyse how market institutions can achieve better development outcomes for the poor. Our assistance is mainly co-financed with other donors.

WTO Meeting (Cancun)

Llew Smith: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what proposals the department has put forward for increasing the importance attributed to protecting the environment in taking forward world trade reform at the World Trade Organisation ministerial meeting in Cancun. [130295]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The UK, with DTI and DEFRA as the lead departments, has taken a central role in determining the European Union's negotiating position on trade and environment issues. Despite the collapse of Cancun, we will continue to work towards achieving a successful outcome at the WTO and jointly ensuring the implementation of the WSSD Commitments.

One of the WTO trade and environment negotiating mandates is to clarify the relationship between WTO rules and specific trade obligations in Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs). The EU's overall aim is to ensure that these two bodies of international law are mutually supportive. With a view to better informing the WTO debate, at Cancun, the EU proposed that agreement be reached to formalise the observer role of MEAs, UNEP and UNCTAD in the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment Special Sessions. The text under discussion when the Conference collapsed had taken on board the EU view by making clear that MEAs and UN agencies should be given observer status in the Committee on Trade and Environment Special Sessions.

The EU has also been the main driver supporting further work on eco-labelling and increased market access for environmental goods. At Cancun, the EU proposed that agreement should be reached on a new WTO Committee on Trade and Environment work programme on labelling for environmental purposes. However, there was little support for this from other WTO members and at the time of the collapse of the talks, no progress had been made on this issue.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Building Regulations/Standards

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the impact of Part M of the Building Regulations on the design of new housing. [130981]

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has recently commissioned research to evaluate the impact of the changes to Part M introduced in 1999. The work is expected to begin before Christmas, and to report in two years time.

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Mr. Kidney: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance he has given local authorities to ensure the consistent application of Part M of the Building Regulations by building control officers. [130982]

Phil Hope: Each Part of the Building Regulations consists of a, usually small, number of functional requirements. Guidance on the application of the requirements is provided by a statutory 'Approved Document'. Each such document states that it is intended to provide guidance for some of the more common building situations, but recognises that there may well be alternative ways of achieving compliance with the requirements, and advises builders and developers that ". . . there is no obligation to adopt any particular solution contained in an Approved Document if you prefer to meet the relevant requirement in some other way."

Every building in its site context is different and there must therefore be room for discretion and adaptation to local circumstances. Nor is it possible in a usable guidance document to illustrate an acceptable solution for the almost infinite variety of building situations. Absolute consistency of application of any part of the Building Regulations is thus neither achievable nor desirable, and reliance must be placed on the professionalism and competence of the building control community.

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many instances there have been of enforcement action against builders for breaches of Part M of the Building Regulations in the last three years; and with what results. [130983]

Phil Hope: Responsibility for enforcement of the Building Regulations rests with local authorities. Data on enforcement action are not collected centrally, and could not be provided at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what amendments he proposes to make to Part M of the Building Regulations. [130984]

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister expects to announce the publication of amendments to Part M of the Building Regulations relating to buildings other than dwellings shortly. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister issued a consultation document on the proposed amendments in November 2002, and officials have since then, with the assistance of the Building Regulations Advisory Committee, been finalising the new Approved Document. The amendments will extend the application of Part M to work to existing buildings, reflect the contents where appropriate of British Standard BS 8300:2001 'Design of buildings and their approaches to meet the needs of disabled people—Code of Practice', and complement the objectives of Part III of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 relating to accessibility of goods, facilities, services and premises.

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will extend the period in which a builder can be sued for poor workmanship. [131305]

Mr. Lammy: I have been asked to reply.

The period within which a civil action must be commenced against a builder for poor workmanship is subject to the Limitation Act 1980 (unless the terms of

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an individual contract specify otherwise). In July 2002, the Government announced its acceptance in principle of the recommendations for reform of the 1980 Act contained in the Law Commission report "Limitation of Actions", subject to further consideration of certain aspects. Legislation will be introduced when an opportunity arises.

The Commission proposed a core limitation regime that would apply to the majority of claims for a remedy for a wrong or the enforcement of a right. In broad terms, a claim would have to be brought within a primary limitation period of three years from the date on which the claimant knows (or ought reasonably to know) the facts giving rise to the claim, the identity of the defendant, and that any injury, loss or damage was significant. No claim could be brought after the expiry of a 10-year "longstop" period, which normally would run from the date on which the cause of action arose. At present in a simple contract claim the limitation period is six years from the date the cause of action arose.

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received in the last 12 months on the buildmark warranty scheme operated by the National House-Building Council. [131306]

Phil Hope: Over the last 12 months, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has received about 50 letters from hon. Members and from members of the public raising points about the Buildmark warranty scheme. This is a non-statutory scheme ran by the National House Building Council (NHBC), which is an independent company, limited by guarantee. Officials from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister inform NHBC senior management of the key points raised in correspondence, to assist them in their monitoring of the scheme.

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