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AIDS/TB/Malaria

Mr. Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the United Kingdom's contribution will be to the Global Fund for combating AIDS, TB and malaria in each year up to 2008 for this year. [136046]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The UK recognises that in order to be effective the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM) needs predictable and sustainable financing. The UK recently extended its pledge by a further two years to 2008 bringing our total contribution to approximately US$280million.

The pattern of our disbursements has been agreed with the Global Fund Secretariat—for the financial year 2002–03, the UK provided £50 million in two separate payments of £25 million, in 2003–04 the UK provided £25 million, in 2004–05 we will provide £30 million, and in 2005–06 we will provide £33 million. In the years 2006–07 and 2007–08 we have pledged US$40 million per year.

UK funding is subject to the GFATM reflecting a clear poverty focus, achieving a better financing system, integrating the Fund's activities more effectively with national programmes and meeting agreed benchmarks to monitor its effectiveness. Good progress was made at the recent 6th Board meeting in Thailand on many of these issues.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support and advice is being provided to the interim government of the Democratic Republic of Congo. [136343]

Hilary Benn: The Government have recently informed the Transitional National Government (TNG) of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and made public, a significant stepping up of its engagement with the DRC, following the installation of the TNG this summer. This year, our programme will amount to £23 million.

Ensuring a successful transition process, including embedding the TNG, is crucial to our overall goal of ensuring peace and poverty reduction in the DRC and through that, the region as a whole. As a member of the International Committee for Support to the Transition, we are pressing for a well developed and shared understanding between donors and government of the Transition Process and of the varied challenges and milestones that the process will entail, as well as strong day-to-day co-ordination of their support efforts.

We are providing £700,000 in direct support for the basic infrastructure needs of the Transition Institutions, which include the President and four Vice Presidents, Government, Parliament, Senate, Supreme Court and the five Democracy Support Commissions (Elections, Human Rights, Truth and Reconciliation, Anti-Corruption and Media). We are considering technical assistance for the drawing up of a national Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) strategy, a Security Sector Reform (SSR) strategy and a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper

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(PRSP). We are also looking at providing some civil service capacity building support to the Government with UNDP and other donors.

It is crucial for DRC and the wider Great Lakes region that the transition process remains on track. We will therefore make continued efforts to strengthen and consolidate peace, which include humanitarian work, disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of ex-combatants, army, police and justice sector reform, and grassroots peace-building work.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what efforts are being made to ensure that the forthcoming elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo will be free and fair. [136346]

Hilary Benn: We believe that national elections are a key part of the transition period under way in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and an important challenge for the new Transitional National Government (TNG). This will require not only support from donors but also strong and effective engagement by civil society and a free and responsible media.

We are currently providing £700,000 in direct support for the basic infrastructure needs of the Transition Institutions, which include the President and four Vice Presidents, Government, Parliament, Senate, Supreme Court and the five Democracy Support Commissions, including the Independent Electoral Commission. When the financial needs of the electoral process become clearer, we will consider what further support we might give. With other donors and the TNG, we are looking at how we can provide core funding for all five Democracy Support Commissions (Elections, Human Rights, Anti-Corruption, Media and Truth and Reconciliation). We are promoting donor coordination and harmonisation to ensure an effective approach towards all aspects of holding free and fair elections.

Media pluralism is critical for encouraging and supporting political pluralism. We are therefore providing support to the media sector not only as above through the Media Commission, but also: through £500,000 funding to Panos Paris, an NGO who are working to build capacity and strengthen the media sector to improve access to, and quality of information; and over £1 million through Foundation Hirondelle to support Radio Okapi, the UN linked radio station which broadcasts good quality news and peace messages and will play an important part in the elections.

Finally, free and fair elections will not happen unless the transition process remains on track. We will, therefore make continued efforts to strengthen and consolidate peace, which include humanitarian work, disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of ex-combatants, army, police and justice sector reform, and grassroots peace-building work.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the report by a UN commission on the misuse of the Democratic Republic of Congo's natural resources. [136347]

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Hilary Benn: I am currently considering the Final Report of the UN Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo and I shall write to the hon. Lady as soon as possible.

Developing Countries (Property Ownership)

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to his answer of 16 September 2003, Official Report, column 653W, on developing countries (property ownership), what resources his Department is allocating to deal with these problems. [136179]

Hilary Benn: In my earlier responses to my hon. Friend I outlined DFID's assessment of and engagement in property ownership issues. DFID has currently over £575.4 million in approved project and programme commitments dealing with these issues in both urban and rural areas in developing countries.

In urban areas, £160.7 million has been committed by DFID to this issue. This includes programmes and projects relating property ownership issues to urban management, urbanisation policy and shelter and tenure.

In the rural sector DFID has currently committed £412.6 million to programmes and projects dealing with land policy.

In other sectors (Governance, Human Rights, Social Protection, Local Government Reform) DFID currently has £2.1 million committed.

In addition DFID has the services of a Land Policy Adviser.

Iraq

Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what poverty impact assessments have been undertaken on the impact of redirection of funds from middle income countries to the reconstruction of Iraq; and if he will make a statement; [135253]

(2) what programmes will be ended prematurely owing to the redirection of funds away from middle income countries to the reconstruction of Iraq. [135252]

Hilary Benn: Final decisions have yet to be taken on where reallocations will occur and I refer the hon. Member for Blaby to the answers I gave the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 4 November 2003, Official Report, columns 486W and 490W.

Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what resources are being diverted from his Department's budgets to Iraq; which other countries are affected; and if he will make a statement. [135262]

Hilary Benn: Final decisions have yet to be taken on where reallocations will occur and I refer my hon. Friend to the to the answers I gave the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 4 November 2003, Official Report, columns 486–90W.

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Mr. Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the money allocated to aid reconstruction in Iraq has been transferred from other aid programmes. [135497]

Hilary Benn: I refer the hon. Member for the City of Durham to the answers I gave the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 4 November 2003, Official Report, columns 486W and 490W.

Maternal Mortality

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to meet the Millennium Development Goal to reduce the level of maternal mortality among mothers in childbirth in developing countries, with particular reference to Africa. [136278]

Hilary Benn: The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are central to DFID's work, including the goal to improve maternal health, and its associated target of reducing the maternal mortality ratio (the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births) by 75 per cent. between 1990 and 2015. Our Public Service Agreement includes ambitious targets on increasing access in Africa and Asia to skilled attendance at childbirth. Skilled attendance is an important contributor to safe childbirth and serves as an internationally agreed proxy indicator of progress towards the maternal health MDG, trends in maternal mortality being notoriously difficult to assess directly. DFID's strategy includes advocacy in the international arena, support to countries to strengthen health systems and improve access to maternal and reproductive health services, and support for research and improved measurement tools. DFID is participating in a new international partnership for Safe Motherhood and Newborn Health.

Sub-Saharan Africa bears a disproportionate burden of maternal mortality. In 2000, there were approximately 247,000 maternal deaths in sub-Saharan Africa, almost half the 529,000 deaths worldwide. We support the maternal health strategies of African countries through health sector budget support, through safe motherhood projects, for example in Kenya and Malawi, and indirectly through general budget support. Since 1997 we have committed approximately £0.5 billion to health systems strengthening in Africa. We also fund international multilateral agencies and international NGOs active in supporting maternal health programmes in Africa.

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