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Tax Credits

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from (a) the Child Poverty Action Group and (b) other charities regarding (i) the administration of the Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit since 6 April 2003 and (ii) take-up rates of tax credits. [158266]

Dawn Primarolo: Officials from the Inland Revenue, HM Treasury and the Department for Work and Pensions meet the Child Poverty Action Group and other interest groups regularly to discuss a range of tax credits issues.

Income Tax

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to public funds would be of reducing the standard rate of income tax to 21 per cent. [157571]

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to table 1.6 "Direct effects of illustrative tax changes" on the Inland Revenue website www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/tax expenditures/ table-16.pdf.

Thalidomide Trust

Mr. Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the current draft agreement between the Inland Revenue and the Thalidomide Trust. [158750]

Dawn Primarolo: The tax affairs of the Thalidomide Trust, like those of all taxpayers, are confidential and a matter for the trustees and the Inland Revenue. If the

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trustees wish to make a statement about any discussions they have had with the Inland Revenue that is for them to decide.

UK Presidencies (G8/EU)

Tom Brake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues in the last 12 months on the priorities the Government intend to pursue when the UK assumes the presidencies of the (a) G8 and (b) EU. [156182]

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Minister for Europe gave him on 26 February 2004, Official Report, column 483W.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Bangladesh

6. Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contribution his Department is making to the development of education in Bangladesh. [157876]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: My right hon. Friend approved a grant of £100 million over six years as the UK contribution to a sector-wide programme for primary education in Bangladesh which I was able to announce during my visit to Bangladesh in January. This is the largest single grant that DFID has ever made to Bangladesh. Its purpose is to help increase access to education for 2 to 3 million extra children. In addition, DFID also supports two other Government programmes and a number of education programmes run by NGOs aimed specifically at providing education to hard to reach children who would otherwise miss out, for example working children.

Haiti

7. Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on aid to Haiti. [157877]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: A Small Grants Scheme finances development activities in basic sanitation, HIV/AIDS and rural livelihoods. Haiti also benefits from projects financed by the DFID Civil Society Challenge Fund.

The UK's main support to Haiti is provided through the European Union. The UK finances approximately 13 per cent. of the European Development Fund budget (Haiti's allocation under the latest EOF is frozen pending political progress). The UK also provides support to Haiti through its membership of the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank; the latter resumed lending to Haiti in 2003.

DFID will consider the imminent United Nations Flash Appeal when launched.

Democratic Republic of Congo

8. Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has held with the Department of Trade and Industry concerning the involvement of UK companies in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [157878]

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Hilary Benn: I have raised the issue with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and we will be discussing it further later this month.

India

9. Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has to increase aid to India. [157879]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID provided £161 million of bilateral development assistance to India in 2002–03. In the New Delhi Declaration of January 2002 the two Prime Ministers, Tony Blair and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, looked forward to expenditure of over £300 million. We are making progress towards this budget and expect to be able to disburse some £200 million in 2003–04.

Doha Trade Round

10. Mr. Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the significance for developing countries of completing the Doha trade round. [157880]

Hilary Benn: The benefits of the Doha round for developing countries will depend on the final outcome at the conclusion of the negotiations. This was originally scheduled for January 2005 but it is unlikely with the collapse of the WTO ministerial at Cancun that this deadline will be met. It is widely acknowledge that multilateral trade reform can have significant benefits for developing countries. For example, the World Bank estimates that eliminating all barriers to trade in goods would generate an extra US$250 billion to US$620 billion in global income, up to half of which would go to developing countries. In terms of poverty reduction, this could lift over 300 million people out of poverty by 2015.

Nonetheless, while the reforms may lead to aggregate gains in a country's economic welfare, they inevitably create losers. As well as undertaking studies on the effects of trade reform on livelihoods and food security of the poor segments of the population in developing countries, DFID is working with a number of developing country partners and through the multilateral system to link the trade agenda within countries' own development strategies. The intention is to ensure that liberalisation is accompanied by other policies to help maximise the economic opportunities for all and mitigate adverse impacts on poor households.

Uganda

11. Valerie Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the extent is of collaboration with other EU donors to ensure that humanitarian aid to Uganda is effective. [157881]

Hilary Benn: DFID works closely with other European Union partners and the European Commission to ensure that humanitarian assistance provided to northern Uganda is as effective as possible. European Union Heads of Mission and technical advisers based in Kampala meet regularly to consider the latest developments on the ground and to coordinate assistance to all affected areas. On a number of occasions EU donors have made joint assessment visits

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to the north. The DFID office in Uganda stays in close touch with the European Community Humanitarian Office for East Africa based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Collaboration between EU member states is part of wider arrangements for coordination of humanitarian assistance to northern Uganda. In this context EU member states, as a group, work particularly closely with UN agencies and other donors.

Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the humanitarian crisis in northern Uganda; and what action he is taking to address it. [157614]

Hilary Benn: The humanitarian impact of the conflict in northern Uganda is severe. About 1.4 million people have been displaced across the region. Over the past 18 years, more than 20,000 children have been abducted by the brutal Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).

While the conflict persists, we will continue to play a strong role in addressing its humanitarian consequences. Over the last year we have provided £8.4 million of humanitarian assistance, which has been channelled through the World Food Programme, UNICEF and the Uganda Red Cross Society. In addition, we are supporting a number of programmes responding to the plight of children affected by the conflict. With our help, UNICEF and Save the Children Fund are improving the conditions for the large number of unaccompanied children who are sleeping in town centres at night to avoid abduction. We are helping to re-integrate ex-LRA child combatants with their families and local communities.

Along with other colleagues in the donor community including UN agencies and NGOs, we continue to monitor and assess the humanitarian impact of the situation and to consider what more we can do to assist those affected.

Commonwealth

12. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of his Department's budget will be spent in Commonwealth countries in 2003–04; and what percentage change upon the budget for 1998–99 this represents. [157882]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: Of the proportion of the DFID programme which goes to specific geographical destinations, Commonwealth countries received £624 million (65 per cent.) in 1998–99 and £877 million (59 per cent.) in 2002–03. This is a 40 per cent. increase in cash terms. Figures for 2003–04 are not yet available.

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