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Nile Conference

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the recent conference on the future of the Nile; and what bilateral discussions he has had with each of the participating countries involved in the conference. [160942]

Hilary Benn: Officials and Ministers from the Nile Basin countries meet frequently within the framework of the Nile Basin Initiative to discuss co-operation on the complex issues relating to the Nile.

The annual Nile Council of Ministers meeting begins on 18 March 2004 in Nairobi, and will continue previous discussions on how best to use the Nile basin for poverty alleviation, resource protection, and mutually beneficial gains including promoting regional integration and reducing potential conflict.

The UK has taken part in technical and political discussions in the region and will be participating in the Nile Basin Trust Fund committee meeting in Nairobi

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from 16–18 March, which precedes the Council of Ministers meeting, and includes a session with them on the final day of the conference.

The UK is providing some financial support to the Eastern Nile Technical Regional Office in Addis Ababa for capacity building, and will be providing additional funding through the Nile Basin Trust Fund, to assist with water resources management and socio-economic development across the basin.

Procurement Policy

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development in what ways environmentally sustainable procurement strategies within the Department have driven innovation in the design and supply of products. [159151]

Hilary Benn: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment on 10 March 2004, Official Report, column 1543W.

Rwanda

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the November 2003 agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to repatriate Rwandan Hutus from the east of Congo. [159842]

Hilary Benn: The agreement in November 2003 between Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was part of a follow-up process to the Pretoria Agreement signed between the two countries on 30 July 2002. That agreement provided for the Government of Rwanda to withdraw all its forces from the DRC. It did this by October 2002 and the withdrawal was verified by MONUC (the UN Mission to the DRC). It also provided for the Government of DRC to cease all support for ex-FAR/Interhamwe and to encourage the voluntary repatriation of Rwandans from DRC, particularly combatants. The Government of DRC issued a declaration stating that the FDLR (Forces Democratiques de Liberation du Rwanda) were unwelcome in its territory and arrested two senior genocidaires in 2002. The UK Government fully supports this process as an important means of ending conflict in the region and achieving greater stability.

The UN Security Council has tasked MONUC with the voluntary repatriation of non-Congolese combatants. It has established bases in eastern DRC to effect this. MONUC estimates that, so far, 6,600 Rwandans ex-combatants and their dependants have been repatriated (not all these repatriations have been facilitated directly by MONUC).

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's position is on the Rwandan Government's use of retraining camps known as solidarity camps for former members of the Forces Armées Rwandaises ahead of their reintegration into Rwandan society. [159848]

Hilary Benn: Since 2002, DFID has supported the Rwanda Demobilisation and Reintegration Programme (RDRP) with a grant of £5.5 million. The RDRP's mission statement is

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"to support successful social and economic reintegration of ex-combatants in their respective communities so as to realize national security, reconciliation, and development. This will be achieved through demobilizing ex-combatants and supporting their social and economic reintegration into communities of their own choice for a fresh start, thereby saving economic resources for investment in social and economic development."

DFID judge that the RDRP has been well managed by the Government of Rwanda's Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission (RDRC).

The DFID office in Rwanda has been engaged in working with the RDRC to ensure successful reintegration of ex-combatants. DFID has been particularly active in working to ensure that the RDRP addresses practical social and economic issues; including the perception and acceptance by communities of ex-combatants, the opportunities for skills training and employment of ex-combatants, access to counselling and medical services, and the particular needs of female and child ex-combatants in the reintegration process.

The re-integration sessions that ex-Force Armées Rwandaise (ex-FAR) attend last up to two weeks. These sessions are voluntary and are the same as those attended by those demobilised from the Rwandan Defence Forces (RDF). The sessions are focused on explaining the benefits available to the ex-FAR and ex-RDF under the RDRP, such as the recognition of service allowance, available medical services and counselling as well as whether they are eligible for extra funds if they are assessed as being particularly vulnerable. They are also given advice on how they can best utilise the allowances they receive, for example in how to establish income generating co-operatives and how to prepare project proposals to access loans and grants.

It should be noted that the majority of ex-FAR soldiers have already settled in communities before they attend the RDRP sessions, sometimes for a number of years. Accordingly, their reintegration needs are often not as acute as other ex-combatants and the two week sessions are felt to be sufficient to help them access and utilise their benefits. When back in their communities, ex-FAR, like other demobilised ex-combatants, are able to use the services of the RDRP's Provincial Programme Officers to follow-up on advice and information on the benefits and services available under the RDRP and through other community-wide programmes of support.

Uganda

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's policy is on helping Ugandan crop growers share the benefits of that country's economic growth. [159843]

Hilary Benn: In rural Uganda the main constraint on the farming community's ability to share the benefits of economic growth is the failure of markets to provide good information, farm inputs, and outlets for increased farm production. DFID's policy is to address this

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market failure by supporting public investment in the provision of the goods and services that underpin agricultural development.

The UK supports the Uganda Government's Plan for Modernisation of Agriculture (PMA). The PMA is a framework for Government action in support of smallholder farming households. It directs public resources to ensure that markets operate effectively and provides farmers with access to both agricultural inputs and markets for agricultural produce. Government institutions charged with agricultural service provision have been restructured to ensure they respond effectively to the demands of farmers. PMA priorities include the provision of better information through agricultural research and advice from Government extension workers; the provision of financial services; and physical investment, for example on rural feeder roads, to improve access to markets. Smallholders are supported in accessing regional and international markets. DFID has been closely involved in the design and implementation of the PMA.

Improved export opportunities will be particularly important in the development of Uganda's agricultural sector. We have funded a number of initiatives aimed at strengthening Uganda's trade policy and access to wider international markets.

Westminster Hall

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make it his policy to have senior Ministers reply to debates in Westminster Hall. [159610]

Hilary Benn: I refer the hon. Member for Castle Point to the answer given by the Leader of the House on 8 March 2004, Official Report, column 1234W.

Zimbabwe

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the level of assistance provided by the World Food Programme to urban areas of Zimbabwe in (a) 2002, (b) 2003 and (c) 2004. [160722]

Hilary Benn: The humanitarian and economic situation in Zimbabwe continues to deteriorate, fuelled by the Government of Zimbabwe's poorly implemented fast track land programme and economic policies, as well as the effects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and erratic rainfall.

World Food Programme (WFP) emergency operations in Zimbabwe since 2002 have focused principally on rural areas, where food security is most closely related to agricultural production. General food distribution is rarely the most appropriate intervention in urban environments, where commercial availability and affordability are the principal factors affecting access to food. However, DFID are working with WFP in Bulawayo and Harare to provide targeted feeding to growth-faltering children under five. Recent vulnerability assessments indicate a sharp rise in urban vulnerability levels. The humanitarian community are

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currently discussing the most appropriate interventions. WFP are extending their school feeding programme in urban areas.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will provide (a) chemicals and (b) personnel to the local authority in Harare to improve its water treatment capacity. [160723]

Hilary Benn: DFID recently committed £200,000 to United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for the procurement of water purification chemicals for use by the Harare and Bulawayo city councils. This emergency intervention responds to the lack of foreign currency available to the local authorities in the current economic crisis, preventing them from procuring the necessary chemicals and resulting in the high risk of water-borne disease outbreaks, particularly in the overcrowded suburbs and public institutions, such as hospitals and schools. Technical assistance is being provided by other agencies, notably UNICEF.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the effect on the value of the EU humanitarian aid to Zimbabwe of the method of its conversion into local currency. [160724]

Hilary Benn: Concerns about the exchange rate used by the European Commission were raised in a report of the European Court of Auditors. Our understanding is that those concerns were limited to part of the spending of the European Development Fund (EDF) that was converted into Zimbabwe dollars during 2002. Humanitarian aid, which is largely funded from the EU budget rather than the EDF, was therefore not affected. Humanitarian aid is in any case very largely used to procure food and other goods outside Zimbabwe and would not be converted into Zimbabwe dollars.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations he has received on the need for pharmaceutical supplies in hospitals in Zimbabwe. [160725]

Hilary Benn: Along with the humanitarian programme, Health and HIV/AIDS is a priority for DFID support in Zimbabwe. DFID recently provided £1.8 million for UNICEF to procure vaccines and other essential immunisation programme commodities for use in routine childhood immunisation. DFID has just granted £590,000 to the National Blood Transfusion Services (NBTS) in Zimbabwe for import of test kits and reagents to allow continued provision of safe blood in hospitals, with particular reference to specialised testing for HIV and hepatitis. The European Commission is also providing essential drugs to the health sector. DFID is funding very substantial HIV/AIDS prevention programmes that include provision of hormonal contraceptives in addition to condoms.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if his Department will provide financial assistance to the George VI School and Rehabilitation Centre in Bulawayo to assist its work with disabled and orphaned children. [160727]

Hilary Benn: The George VI School and Rehabilitation Centre can apply for a grant through the UK Government's Small Grant Scheme, administered

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by the British embassy in Harare. Information on the scheme is available on the internet http://www. britainzw.org or from the British embassy at 8th Floor, Corner House, Samora Machel Avenue/Leopold Takawira Street, PO Box 1030, Harare.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the work of the Legal Resources Foundation in Zimbabwe; and if his Department will contribute funds to it. [160731]

Hilary Benn: Our assessment is that the work of the Legal Resources Foundation is excellent and makes an important contribution to civil society in Zimbabwe. At present, DFID's programme in Zimbabwe is focused on humanitarian relief and support to tackling HIV/AIDS, and we therefore do not support the Legal Resources Foundation. Should this change we would be happy to consider providing funding.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to ensure that credit is not claimed by the Zimbabwean Government for aid provided to Zimbabwe by his Department. [160732]

Hilary Benn: British aid to Zimbabwe is channelled through UN agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to provide humanitarian assistance to vulnerable sections of society. In collaboration with our development partners, we operate a policy of zero tolerance towards political interference—including claiming credit for donor food distribution—in humanitarian operations. Procedures in place to reduce the risk of political interference have proved generally effective to date. Any such incidents are quickly identified, reported and followed up, including suspending food distribution where appropriate. We and other donors and agencies also use the media when appropriate to publicise our activities and to explain the extent of donor support to Zimbabwe during the present crisis. Looking ahead to the parliamentary elections anticipated early next year, monitoring of any political interference will be given even higher attention in coming months.

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