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Wildlife Protection

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent measures she has put in place to improve protection for wildlife. [137290]

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Mr. Bradshaw: The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) is the principal source of legislation which offers protection for native wildife. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, which came into force in January 2001, also introduced stronger enforcement powers for police officers investigating native species wildlife offences, and tougher penalties—including prison sentences—for people found guilty of committing offences under the 1981 Act.

Protection of wildlife often involves the protection of their habitat. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 introduced substantial improvements to the legislative regime protecting our nationally important designated areas for wildlife and geology, more commonly known as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).

The Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994, implements the EC Habitats Directive in Great Britain, and provides further protection to various species and their habitats. The Government has consulted on a number of further improvements to the Habitat Regulations and on regulations to transpose the Habitats Directive to cover an area offshore. To date the Government has classified 242 Special Protection Areas under the EC Birds Directive and submitted 601 candidate Special Areas of Conservation to the European Commission under the EC Habitats Directive in the UK. Additionally 27 new Ramsar sites in the UK have been notified since 1999.

In addition to species protection through the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Habitats Regulations 1994 this Government also puts great effort into supporting the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora (CITES). This regulates trade in endangered or vulnerable animals and plants, and products derived from them, to ensure that the trade is sustainable. For example, at last year's Conference of Parties in Chile, the UK successfully proposed the listing of basking sharks on Appendix II of the Convention, protecting them from unsustainable and unregulated international trade.

The Department, together with HM Customs and Excise and the police, rigorously enforces the UK's commitments under CITES, campaigns vigorously to increase public awareness of the CITES controls, and takes firm action against anyone caught illegally importing endangered species in breach of the European CITES Regulations.

The Government also launched the National Wildlife Crime Intelligence Unit in 2002. It is a national focal point for gathering and analysing intelligence on serious wildlife crime, and is making an important contribution to the fight against these crimes at the national and international levels.

In addition to the range of protective measures, the Government has also put in place a number of measures to encourage efforts to deliver benefits for wildlife, such as Species and Habitat Action Plans and agri-environment schemes.

Action plans for the conservation and enhancement of 45 habitats and 391 species have been published under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. Under section 74 (2) of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act

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2000 a list of habitats and species of principal importance for the conservation of biological diversity in England was published in December 2002. The list can be viewed at http://defraweb/wildlife-countryside/cl/habitats/habitats-list.pdf.

Section 74 (3) of the Act requires the Secretary of State to take or promote the taking by others of steps to further the conservation of the habitats and species of principal importance in England. In October 2002 the Government published Working with the grain of nature—a biodiversity strategy for England. The strategy aims to ensure that consideration of biodiversity is embedded into all relevant areas of public and private policy. It is the principal means by which we will comply with the duty under section 74 (3), including through continued implementation of the habitat and species action plans. The strategy can be viewed at http://defraweb/wildlife-countryside/ewd/biostrat/index.htm

Considerable efforts are currently being made to increase the efforts we put into farmland biodiversity including encouragement to enhance wildlife populations. Significant funding is provided for agri-environment schemes promoting environmentally sustainable farming practices; more than £1 billion has been made available for the seven-year period 2000 to 2007.

As part of our aim of streamlining and simplifying existing schemes whilst also improving their effectiveness we introduced in February this year a pilot entry level scheme to reward simple management practices designed to benefit a range of biodiversity and landscape objectives. If successful the Government will roll out the scheme throughout England in 2005.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Ethiopia

7. Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State, Department for International Development what plans he has to provide aid to address health problems in Ethiopia. [137789]

Hilary Benn: We support health in Ethiopia in a number of ways. Our plans for development partnership include direct budget support to assist the implementation of Ethiopia's poverty reduction strategy, This should benefit health, in accordance with Ethiopia's own priorities. Details of this are set out in our Country Assistance Plan for Ethiopia; an initial contribution of £10 million budget support was made earlier this year.

In addition we contribute to the health sector through our support to help improve the effectiveness of the national response to HIV/AIDS, and we support emergency humanitarian health interventions where urgent needs are identified.

15. Mr. Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the famine relief programme in Ethiopia in 2002–03. [137797]

Hilary Benn: The famine relief programme was reasonably timely, well resourced, and well implemented The possibility of famine was identified early and help was quickly sought from external donors

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who responded generously. The primary response was the provision of food aid to selected communities and targeted households with communities. Our monitoring indicates that the food was sent and distributed according to the plan.

In some areas high level of humanitarian need persisted in spite of the provision of food aid, reflecting the need for medical and public health interventions. DFID also provided this additional support in these areas.

Looking ahead we recognise that food aid is not always the best, or only vehicle. We are looking into alternative approaches with other donors and with the Government of Ethiopia.

Afghanistan

8. Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State, Department for International Development what steps he is taking to assist farmers in Afghanistan with the introduction of crops other than opium. [137790]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: We have doubled our alternative livelihoods budget for Afghanistan to £20 million over 3 years. This includes a £5.4 million contribution to the £70 million UK Drug Strategy for Afghanistan. We are designing a fund to research into alternative crops. It is equally important, however, to develop non-farm alternative livelihoods to ensure longer term sustainability. DFID projects in Badakshan and Eastern Hazarajat are developing sustainable economic alternatives and social incentives to enable farmers to stop growing poppy.

9. Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State, Department for International Development what assessment he has made of the value of UK development aid to Afghanistan in the last two years. [137791]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The UK has provided £150 million in development assistance over the last two years, Afghanistan has make tremendous progress although great challenges remain and it will take time to reduce poverty. We have supported the establishment of the new government in Afghanistan with financial assistance and technical advice. We have also supported UN efforts to re-open schools and provide health care.

UN Special Session

10. Mr. Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the outcome of the UN General Assembly Special Session on financing for development. [137792]

Hilary Benn: The United Nations High Level Dialogue on Financing for Development confirmed the continuing engagement of the international community in the process begun at Monterrey in 2002. There was consensus on the need to get the Doha Development Agenda back on track; provide more and better aid; improve the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative; and overcome obstacles to achievement of the Millennium Development Goals such as HIV/AIDS and conflict, I confirmed UK commitment to multilateralism, especially on trade; promoted our

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proposals for an International Finance Facility; and called for a better managed international and UN response to conflict and humanitarian crises.

Kenya

11. Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State, Department for International Development if he will make a statement on development assistance for Kenya. [137793]

Hilary Benn: The aim of British development assistance to Kenya is to reduce poverty. Direct assistance in 2002–03 totalled over £42 million, including an allocation of £10 million to respond to the new Government's drive towards universal free primary education. We also support HIV/AIDS prevention and care, reproductive health care, malaria prevention, private sector development, public sector reform and initiatives to promote civic education and improved access to justice for poor people. In addition Britain contributes substantially through multilateral agencies, including over £4 million towards EC budget support for Kenya provided in June 2003.

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