---

 
12 May 2004 : Column 337
 

House of Commons

Wednesday 12 May 2004

The House met at half-past Eleven o'clock

PRAYERS

[Mr. Speaker in the Chair]

Oral Answers to Questions

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The Secretary of State was asked—

Ethiopia

1. Dr. Doug Naysmith (Bristol, North-West) (Lab/Co-op): What measures the Government are taking to help the people of Ethiopia to overcome famine and other development problems. [172235]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development (Mr. Gareth Thomas): The UK is committed to supporting Ethiopia's efforts to reduce poverty and address its continuing problems of food insecurity. Our programme is set to expand significantly in the next few years, rising from some £44 million in the last financial year to some £85 million in 2005–06.

Dr. Naysmith : I thank my hon. Friend for that interesting and informative reply. It is clear that the Department for International Development is making a significant contribution in that regard. He mentioned land security, or the perception of land security. That is a matter that arises in other African countries too. Are there any lessons of wider significance to be learned from what is happening in Ethiopia?

Mr. Thomas: As my hon. Friend suggests, there have been problems in Ethiopia, not least because of people's perception and memory of previous efforts to redistribute land in that area. Research that we commissioned with the Ethiopian Economic Association has helped to change the attitude of the Government of Ethiopia, who are now supporting a comprehensive system of land certification, which will enable farmers to develop their land, to rent it out, to pass it on to their children and, as a result, to invest in the soil and hence increase the agricultural productivity of the country.

Mr. Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury) (Con): The Minister will be aware that in Ethiopia the problem of poverty is far more acute where families are headed by women than where families are headed by men, bad though it is in that case. The situation is worsened by the fact that young girls have to spend almost all their time
 
12 May 2004 : Column 338
 
travelling to villages many miles away simply to bring back water. Does the Minister agree, therefore, that education, particularly of young girls, is of paramount importance in Ethiopia?

Mr. Thomas: The hon. Gentleman is right to allude not only to the particular difficulties that women face in Ethiopia, but to the challenges of making water more available to more of the people there. He will be pleased to know that the Government of Ethiopia have started to prioritise small-scale irrigation projects in areas that are most vulnerable to drought. The £30 million worth of budget support that we are putting in to help the Government of Ethiopia should, we hope, help the Government of Ethiopia to increase their capacity to roll out such investment.

Middle East

2. Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield) (Lab): What progress he is making with the country assistance plan for Palestine. [172236]

The Secretary of State for International Development (Hilary Benn): Following extensive consultations with a wide range of partners in the UK, Palestine and Israel, I have now approved the final version of the plan. It will be formally published in early June, and I will make a copy available in the Library as soon as it is printed. A copy will also be available on our website.

Richard Burden : The draft country assistance plan rightly placed a great deal of emphasis on promoting the peace process in order to achieve development assistance effectively. I welcome the assistance given by the Department and by the international community to the support unit of the Palestinian Negotiation Affairs Department, which plays a vital role in assisting the Palestinians to develop and present their case and to develop a generation of leaders committed to peace. Does my right hon. Friend share my concern that there appears to be a fairly concerted lobbying effort by those close to the Israeli embassy—we may even see it today—to get that funding cut, presumably to deny to the stateless Palestinians the capacity to make the kind of articulate and moderate presentation of their case that a powerful state like Israel can fund for itself?

Hilary Benn: The decision that we took, together with four other donors, to fund the negotiation support unit was taken precisely because it is right and proper that the Palestinian Authority should have access to good advice. It was always explicit in the establishment of the unit that that role would include communicating to the wider world the views of the Palestinian Authority. I join my hon. Friend in paying tribute to the work of the negotiation support unit, because it has received praise from many quarters, including from the Governments of Israel and of the United States. I agree with my hon. Friend, however, about the importance of moderation in presentation because it is right and proper that that work should be done in the spirit in which the negotiation support unit was established, but it is undoubtedly playing a valuable role in trying to help create the conditions in which the peace process can develop.

Mr. Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): Does the Minister detect that the refusal of the United
 
12 May 2004 : Column 339
 
Kingdom to condemn in the United Nations the ex-judicial assassination of Palestinian leaders and the Prime Minister's support for the Bush-Sharon initiative has interfered with this country's reputation as an honest broker that can help the Palestinian people? Does the Minister think that the continuation of that approach to the middle east problem and the departure from the traditional attitude will interfere with the country assistance plan and other initiatives?

Hilary Benn: I do not accept the hon. Gentleman's characterisation of the Government's position on the two issues that he has outlined. We have always made it clear, and we continue to make it clear, that all those issues must form part of the final status negotiations between the Palestinians and the Government of Israel. From my position of responsibility, I do not detect that anything has got in the way of the appreciation for UK support by the Palestinian Authority and others in the occupied territories—on the contrary, the UK help is much appreciated. The practical assistance that we are providing is set out in the country assistance plan, copies of which will be available shortly.

Mrs. Louise Ellman (Liverpool, Riverside) (Lab/Co-op): How can my right hon. Friend ensure that funds intended for the development of Palestinian society are not used to support terror, the use of which is intended to stop peace ever being achieved? Does the film, "The Farewell Letter", which is shown repeatedly on Palestinian television, concern him? It extols the virtues of suicide bombing, and ends with a young boy, who, having successfully completed a suicide-bombing mission, falls on the ground and says, "Martyrdom is sweet."

Hilary Benn: I have not seen that particular film, but suicide bombing has nothing to offer the peace process, and all hon. Members on both sides of the House utterly condemn it. On the first part of my hon. Friend's question, a reform process is occurring within the Palestinian Authority. Indeed—this relates to the previous question—the support that the UK gives is partly directed at that reform process. Real strides have been made, which is why praise has been universal for the efforts of Salam Fayyad, the Minister of Finance in the Palestinian Authority, who has made great strides in bringing order, openness, scrutiny and accountability to the Palestinian Authority's expenditure. We strongly support the continuation of that process, which helps to deal with my hon. Friend's concerns. Every accusation that money has been directed towards terrorism has been investigated, but none of them has been proven.

Sudan

3. Rob Marris (Wolverhampton, South-West) (Lab): What contribution his Department is making to achieving peace and resolving the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. [172237]

The Secretary of State for International Development (Hilary Benn): The peace talks in Naivasha seem to be reaching their final stages and I hope that the parties will reach a framework agreement soon. I am gravely
 
12 May 2004 : Column 340
 
concerned about the situation in Darfur, western Sudan, where there have been killings, rape and the destruction of villages. More than 1 million people have been displaced, and 130,000 people have fled to Chad to escape the fighting. We must act now to avert a humanitarian catastrophe. The UK has committed more than £16.5 million to humanitarian agencies and is the second largest donor to Darfur, after the United States of America. Yesterday, I met the Sudanese Foreign Minister and impressed on him the urgent need to ensure security for the population and humanitarian access.

Rob Marris : I thank my right hon. Friend for that answer. The UK Government have made sterling efforts in Sudan, and particularly in Darfur. At the end of this month, the seasonal rains will come to Darfur, which is an area in the west of Sudan that is a similar size to Britain. Can my right hon. Friend hold out any hope of increased aid, because those seasonal rains will create delivery difficulties?

Hilary Benn: My hon. Friend is right that the situation is urgent because of the imminent onset of the rains. Last week, I announced an additional £10 million for humanitarian aid, and I pay tribute to my officials, who have been working extremely hard over the past 24 hours to agree further funding. We are providing extra funding to the World Food Programme for emergency food assistance and logistical support. In addition, £1.5 million is going to the World Health Organisation for emergency primary health care and for measles vaccination, and £1.5 million is going to UNICEF for feeding, health care and child protection, particularly for those children who are displaced. It is vital that that assistance gets in, and that non-governmental organisations and other UN agencies access the area to make sure that the aid—the UK contribution is important—gets to the people who need it.

Mr. John Bercow (Buckingham) (Con): What undertakings on the maintenance of the ceasefire, respect for human rights and access for humanitarian aid were sought and received from the Government of Sudan before the British Government accepted the re-election of Sudan as a member of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights?

Hilary Benn: I raised the points that the hon. Gentleman mentions in my meeting yesterday with Foreign Minister Ismail. It appears that the ceasefire is holding in part, but not completely. For the Government of Sudan, the first priority is to ensure that they rein in the Janjaweed, who have caused a lot of the suffering that has been taking place. Secondly, they should ensure that African Union monitors are able to get into the area to ensure that the ceasefire is maintained. A reconnaissance team from the African Union is in Darfur as we speak. Thirdly—I raised this point specifically with the Foreign Minister—they should significantly speed up the time that it takes to issue travel visas and travel permits to enable the humanitarian agencies to gain access to Darfur so that they can do their job.

Mr. Bercow: I am extremely grateful to the Secretary of State for that comprehensive and helpful reply. Given
 
12 May 2004 : Column 341
 
that mass murder, rape, pillage and the destruction of crops have already taken place in Darfur; that food, water, medicine and shelter are desperately needed there; and that the UN co-ordinator on humanitarian affairs for Sudan has described the situation as the worst humanitarian and human rights catastrophe in the world, when does the right hon. Gentleman expect to see in place the international monitoring of the ceasefire that is an indispensable prerequisite of the effective distribution of humanitarian aid?

Hilary Benn: The answer to the last part of the hon. Gentleman's question is: as quickly as possible. The day before yesterday, I spoke to Said Djinnit, the peace and security commissioner of the African Union, who is very exercised about the current situation. It was he who told me that the team is already in place. As soon as they can get the support and logistical arrangements that they need, the African Union is ready to deploy the monitors who, as the hon. Gentleman rightly says, are needed in order to satisfy the African Union and the international community, including Members of this House, that the ceasefire is being upheld. That is the essential first step towards securing access to all areas of Darfur so that humanitarian aid can get in.

Mr. Tom Clarke (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): I thank my right hon. Friend for his immense involvement in a very difficult problem. Does he agree that one of the difficulties in respect of Rwanda more than a decade ago was that the necessary amount of intelligence was unavailable to the international community? In the context of what the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) rightly said about the necessity of international involvement and scrutiny, is my right hon. Friend satisfied that we have enough intelligence about what is going on, and will he continue to influence the United Nations and its agencies to make their contribution?

Hilary Benn: In direct answer to my right hon. Friend, no, I am not satisfied that we know the full picture. That is partly because not all parts of Darfur are accessible, hence the importance of the ceasefire being maintained, the monitors getting in, humanitarian aid arriving, and NGOs and other UN bodies being able to access all areas. As we await the report from the UN human rights team that is investigating the situation, we fear that it may be even worse than current indications suggest. That is why not a moment can be lost in ensuring that the world community responds by giving the practical assistance that is required to ensure that these people, who have already suffered a great deal, do not suffer any more.

Tom Brake (Carshalton and Wallington) (LD): The Secretary of State will be aware that at the end of April a UN team was nearly blocked from going to Darfur; that the Sudanese Government contrived to ensure that a discussion about their human rights abuses did not take place at the UN Human Rights Committee; and that the ceasefire ends in 13 days. Given that the UK Government have decided that a resolution under chapter VII of the United Nations charter, which could ultimately lead to military action, is inappropriate does the Secretary of State agree with the idea proposed by
 
12 May 2004 : Column 342
 
the UN that a UN human rights commission should go to Sudan to investigate whether human rights abuses, war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed? If so, what does he think the UK Government can do to assist that process and to ensure that that commission gains access to Darfur? [Interruption.]

Mr. Speaker: Order. Before the Secretary of State answers, I emphasise that those on the Front Bench have a privilege that they should not abuse. I have the right not to call Front-Bench Members; calling them is a favour that I do them.

Hilary Benn: In the spirit of your strictures, Mr. Speaker, I refer the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Tom Brake) to my earlier answer about the human rights team from the United Nations that is currently investigating. We look forward to its report, which will help to answer his question. The most important contribution that can be made is maintaining the ceasefire. At least there is a ceasefire agreement; we now need to ensure that it is enforced. The greatest contribution to that is getting the monitors in, because the world can then be told whether it is holding.

---