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Mine Clearance

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's spending on mine clearance by the United Nations. [135850]

Hilary Benn: DFID's current policy of channelling a high proportion of its funds for Humanitarian Demining via United Nations Agencies is currently being reviewed. This will be the first formal review of the policy. The UN agencies have a mixed record of success in their various roles; in particular the role of global co-ordination and the management of field operations could be improved. However there have also been some significant successes (Kosovo and Sudan are two examples).

Pakistan

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid his Department has (a) pledged and (b) contributed to

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emergency relief programmes for the victims of the Tharparkar Floods in the Sindh province of Pakistan; and if he will make a statement. [136313]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: Following the floods in August DFID made a contribution of £97,100 to Oxfam UK to help address the immediate needs of 2000 families in Badin District in Sindh Province.

Emergency assistance to affected families was also provided by the national authorities of Pakistan, UN agencies and other international non-government organisations to meet the immediate needs of those affected.

Safe Drinking Water

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of the population of (a) Zambia, (b) Ethiopia, (c) Iraq and (d) Malawi he estimates has access to a plentiful supply of safe drinking water. [135296]

Hilary Benn: The Global Water Supply and Sanitation Assessment 2000 (World Health Organisation (WHO)/United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)) provides baseline figures on progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The Joint Monitoring Programme is continuing and will provide the United Nations reference data for access to improved water supply.

The figures for the proportion of the population with access to improved water supplies were:

(a) Zambia: 64 per cent.;


(b) Ethiopia: 24 per cent.;


(c) Iraq: 85 per cent.;


(d) Malawi: 57 per cent.

DFID has provided substantial financial support and technical assistance to this initiative from the outset.

South Caucasus (Oil Pipeline)

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the proposed South Caucasus oil pipeline; and what discussions he has had with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the environmental consequences of the proposed pipeline. [136065]

Hilary Benn: DFID interest in the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline project in the South Caucasus is as a shareholder of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank Group and of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The Board of the IFC has already decided to provide finance for this project, and the Board of the EBRD is expected to take a decision on this on 11 November.

Both institutions have carried out rigorous due diligence, including on social, environment, legal and commercial issues, in accordance with their standard procedures. DFID has not duplicated this work but, in view of the complexity of the project, commissioned consultants to carry out an assessment of its compliance

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with the environmental safeguard policies of the IFC and EBRD. I am placing this assessment in the Library of the House.

In considering the IFC and EBRD proposals on the BTC project, DFID carried out extensive Whitehall co-ordination, including with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Zimbabwe

Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will ask the UN Relief and Recovery Unit to publish reports confirmed of confirmed incidents of (a) politicisation and (b) the corrupt use of (i) international food aid and (ii) GMB grain in Zimbabwe. [135346]

Hilary Benn: The World Food Programme (WFP) have agreed with all their implementing partners a protocol for reporting irregularities, and in particular political interference, in relation to the distribution of donor-funded food aid, which accounts for the large majority of food being distributed in Zimbabwe this year. This information is shared with donors and implementing partners. We believe that, so long as there is no damage to the effectiveness of international humanitarian operations in Zimbabwe, the UN should also make this information available publicly. We and other donors are discussing this with the UN as part of the present review of the UN's Relief and Recovery Unit (RRU).

Despite continual pressure from WFP, the Government has provided very little information about its own plans and activities in relation to food and grain distribution which it funds itself, distributed by the Grain Marketing Board (GMB). The UN agencies do not have a formal role in monitoring the activities of the GMB, in which donor funding is not involved. However, some local non-Governmental Organisations do monitor food supplies, including those from GMB, and publish reports locally.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the scale of poppy production in Afghanistan in each year since 1996. [136535]

Mr. Straw: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), conducts an annual survey into the level of opium cultivation and production in Afghanistan. Their figures since 1996 are as follows:

	Hectares	Tonnes
1996	57,000	2,250
1997	58,000	2,800
1998	64,000	2,700
1999	82,000	4,600
2000	82,000	3,300
2001	8,000	185
2002	74,000	3,400
2003	80,000	3,600

The UNODC figures for 2001 reflects the Taliban ban on opium cultivation. The ban did not however address the underlying causes of poppy cultivation in Afghanistan and was enforced with a mix of serious violence and bribery.

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Ali Salem Tamek

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Moroccan authorities on the imprisonment of Ali Salem Tamek. [136491]

Mr. Rammell [holding answer 4 November 2003]: We have made no recent representations to the Moroccan authorities on the imprisonment of Ali Salem Tamek. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply my right hon. Friend the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mike O'Brien) gave him on 28 April 2003, Official Report, column 133W.

Argentine-British Council Meeting

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the recent Argentine-British Council meeting held in Argentina is endorsed by the Government as an official forum for discussing Anglo-Argentine relations; what support was provided by (a) the Government and (b) the British embassy in Buenos Aires for the meeting; and whether a Minister from his Department attended. [136495]

Mr. Straw [holding answer 4 November 2003]: The Argentine-British Council (ABC) is a non-governmental organisation. The Government did not offer financial support for its recent meeting. Our ambassador in Buenos Aires held a reception at his residence for all ABC delegates. A member of our embassy attended a session of the meeting as an observer.

Morocco

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on the export of arms to Morocco, with specific reference to their use in the Western Sahara. [136493]

Mr. Rammell [holding answer 4 November 2003]: Secretaries of State from the main Government Departments involved in export licensing are in regular contact with each other on the subject of specific export license decisions and broader export control policy matters. However, Morocco has not been raised recently in such contacts.

Convention on the Future of Europe

Ms Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish the Government's responses to the questionnaires issued by the Italian Presidency on the Intergovernmental Conference negotiations on the Convention on the Future of Europe. [136140]

Mr. MacShane: Yes. I will place written responses in the Library of the House.

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European Union Law

Mr. Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 20 October 2003, reference 132935, what discussions he has had with EU institutions on the relationship of sections 2 and 3 of the European Communities Act 1972 and the jurisprudence to which he refers of the European Court of Justice since the case of Costa v. ENEL; and what assessment he has made of the judgments of the United Kingdom courts in (a) Macarthys Ltd. v. Smith and (b) Thorburn v. Sunderland City Council in relation to the principle that no provision of national law may be invoked to override Community law. [135482]

Mr. MacShane [holding answer 3 November 2003]: The UK has given effect to its obligations under the EU treaties through the European Communities Act 1972. Costa v ENEL set out the clear principle that its obligations under the treaties cannot be overridden by domestic legal provisions.

In Thorburn v. Sunderland City Council, Lord Justice Laws said as part of his judgment:

"All the specific rights and obligations which EU law creates are by the 1972 Act incorporated into our domestic law and rank supreme . . .".

The ultimate guarantee of parliamentary sovereignty lies in the power of Parliament to repeal all or any of the Acts which give effect to the EU treaties in this country. As Lord Denning made clear in the case of Macarthys Ltd. v. Smith, it is within Parliament's power to legislate contrary to the UK's treaty obligations. The result of so doing, however, would be to put the UK in breach of its treaty obligations.

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will publish the evidence that underlay the claim by the UK's special representative to Iraq on 28 October that foreign terrorists were behind the bomb attacks in Iraq on 26 and 27 October; [135942]

(2) upon what evidence the claims made by the UK's special representative to Iraq that elements in Iran, Syria, Afghanistan and further afield in the Islamic world are contributing to instability in Iraq were based, with particular reference to the bomb attacks on 26 and 27 October. [135943]

Mr. Straw: We have received information from a wide range of sources about the infiltration of foreign extremists into Iraq. The bombings on 26–27 October are currently under investigation by the Iraq authorities and the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). We do not know at this stage the identities of those responsible for these attacks, although as Sir Jeremy Greenstock said, the use of suicide bombers may indicate the involvement of foreign terrorists.

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the Governments of (a) Iran, (b) Syria, (c) Afghanistan and (d) other Islamic countries regarding terrorists from those countries entering Iraq to participate in terrorist activities. [135944]

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Mr. Straw: We have discussed border security with all of Iraq's neighbours and urged them to tighten up security and border controls to deny terrorists access to Iraq.

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what additional steps the Government has taken to ensure the security of (a) British personnel and troops and (b) those working for international aid organisations in the south of Iraq since 26 October. [135947]

Mr. Straw: Security measures are kept under constant review by UK commanders on the ground. The safety and security of all UK personnel is paramount. Force protection measures in place in southern Iraq are consistent with the current threat level. The Coalition offers security advice and assistance to aid workers wherever possible. However, international aid organisations are responsible for ensuring that adequate personal security arrangements are in place for their staff.

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