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EU Development Policy

Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what response the Government has made to the document "Human Security: Placing Development at the Heart of the EU's External Relations" produced by the Irish EU Presidency Project. [158951]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Government have not made any formal response to the "Placing Development at the Heart of the European Union's External Relations" document, produced by the Irish Association of Non-Governmental Development Organisations. However we welcome many of the ideas in the report, such as the focus on multilateralism and on HIV/AIDS.

Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what consultations the Government has had with the Irish Government about their proposals for international development in the recent Irish EU Presidency project document "Human Security: Placing Development at the Heart of the EU's External Relations". [158952]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Government have not had any specific consultations with the Irish Presidency about the "Placing Development at the Heart of the European Union's External Relations" produced by the Irish Association of Non-Governmental Development Organisations. We welcome many of the ideas in the report, such as the focus on multilateralism and on HIV/AIDS.

Haiti

Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much money has been provided to Haiti in the last two years as part of multilateral programmes including those funded by (a) the European Union and (b) the World Bank. [159144]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The data on how much British money has been provided to Haiti in the last two years as part of multilateral programmes is not available.

The last available data is for 2001, where the UK's imputed multilateral share was £4.0 million, of which £1.8 million was through the European Union, and £0.1 million was through the World Bank.

Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department plans to reassess its policy on the provision of bilateral aid to Haiti. [159160]

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Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID has no immediate plans to reassess its present policy on bilateral development assistance to Haiti. DFID will continue to provide direct funds to Haiti through the Small Grants Scheme and the Civil Society Challenge Fund. It will also continue to provide support to Haiti through contributions to international agencies working there.

Given the current crisis, DFID has sent a two person team to Haiti to assess the humanitarian situation and discuss needs with humanitarian agencies, including the United Nations agencies that will shortly be launching a consolidated Flash Appeal.

Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much direct British Government aid has gone to (a) non-government organisations and (b) other civil society groups working in Haiti in the past three years; what other sums have been provided to Haiti; and to whom. [159161]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: In Financial Years 2000–01, 2001–02 and 2002–03, DFID has provided a total of £409,375 in direct British aid to Haiti. This amount includes all disbursements to non-government organisations and civil society groups through the Small Grants Scheme and the Civil Society Challenge Fund. The organisations which have made use of these funds are:

Fraternité Notre Dame

Plan International

Concern

Save the Children

Catholic Relief Services

Action Aid

Oxfam

CARE

Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA)

Médecins du Monde

Nepal

Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what advice his Department gives to British aid workers in Nepal on the Government's policy towards (a) the Government of Nepal and (b) Maoist rebels against the Government of Nepal. [160175]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID seeks to ensure that our assistance does not undermine the Nepal Government's capacity and, where possible, helps to develop it. DFID's new Country Assistance Plan to Nepal will be launched in country in April. It provides support to the Nepal Government with economic and social reform, particularly to improve delivery of basic services to poor people and to address discrimination on grounds of gender and caste. The programme also seeks to deliver development benefits to poor people in rural areas through a variety of channels.

Many DFID funded programmes work directly or indirectly with the Nepal Government. It is important that they are run in the field with operational neutrality including the areas that have a strong Maoist presence. Programmes seek to ensure that developmental benefits reach the poor, and to ensure that our assistance is not

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used for any military, political or sectarian purposes. Our programmes are run transparently and are open to inspection by all.

DFID has had a leading role in creating a multi-donor set of Basic Operating Guidelines, which reflect this advice.

Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on the safety of British aid workers in Nepal. [160176]

Hilary Benn: Both the Foreign Secretary and I attach high priority to the safety of British aid workers in Nepal and this issue has been the subject of regular discussions and correspondence on the government's policy towards the conflict.

Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he has taken to ensure the safety of British aid workers in Nepal. [160177]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID gives the issue of staff safety in Nepal the highest priority. In 2002 we established a Risk Management Office (RMO) to provide risk assessment and crisis management expertise, as well as to provide training, support and advice to all staff associated with our programmes and projects. Since then the RMO has delivered training to over 300 field staff to help them to continue to work in remote and conflict affected parts of the country. The RMO undertakes risk assessments on a regular basis, the results of which are fed back to field managers. Field staff have also received assurances that DFID will support their decisions at any time to withdraw from an area because of concerns about their personal safety.

North Korea

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the levels of food shortages in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. [159225]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates that the North Korean food output falls short of need by 944,000 tonnes, but due to the environment of secrecy and restrictions on agencies operating there, it is difficult to be certain of figures regarding the situation in North Korea. It is the case that around a quarter of the population of 22 million require food aid to meet the recommended daily calorie intake. This leaves many recipients, particularly children, the elderly and the sick, vulnerable to breaks in the supply of assistance.

The World Food Programme has recently re-started cereal distributions following a stall in February brought about by a lack of contributions. It estimates however, that 1.5 million vulnerable people are still likely to go without assistance until the end of March when further contributions are expected. Beyond March, 600,000 core beneficiaries may still not receive cereal rations at least until June.

It is important to tackle the problem of malnutrition through a balanced approach to its causes. Both my Department and the European Commission Humanitarian Office, are concerned that food aid currently accounts for

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90 per cent. to 95 per cent. of requested assistance, while poor water and sanitation increases the prevalence of water-born diseases and diarrhoea, which in turn worsens malnutrition. A significant proportion of the population of 22 million have poor quality water and sanitation and only 52 per cent. have access to safe drinking water. DFID has recently agreed to provide £1.023 million in support of the United Nations Children's Fund for its work in water, sanitation and primary health care (e.g. vaccinations and other essential medical supplies) in North Korea.

The European Commission is funding targeted food aid through the World Food Programme and other organisations. In January it agreed to give Euros5 million. The United Kingdom's share of European Community assistance is approximately £680,000.

Somalia

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the levels of food shortages in Somalia. [159227]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: According to a recent report from the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), cereals availability across Somalia from the most recent harvest is higher than average, totalling 287,000 tonnes; total food aid requirements are lower than average at 70,000 tonnes (of which 18,000 tonnes have been pledged).

The Somalia Food Security Assessment Unit is highlighting serious drought-related food insecurity in the north (in the Sool Plateau, Lower Nugaal, and Togdheer), and in central Somali regions. Most of southern Somalia is free from major food shortages, although some groups remain vulnerable, as indicated by high rates of malnutrition.

In response to nutritional difficulties in Somalia, the UK is providing £480,000 to International Medical Corps for health and nutritional services, and has also given £300,000 to UNICEF for a nutrition project.

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