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26 May 2004 : Column 1669W—continued
Gaza Strip
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the (a) nutritional needs of and (b) the supply of clean water to residents in the Gaza Strip. [175349]
Mr. Gareth Thomas:
A food security assessment conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation and World Food Programme during 2003 found that
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approximately 41 per cent. of the population of the Gaza Strip are "food insecure", with a further 28 per cent. at risk of becoming so. Another nutritional assessment done in 2002 by Johns Hopkins and Al-Quds Universities looked at children six to 59 months, and found that in the Gaza Strip, 13.3 per cent. had acute malnutrition (wasting), and 17.5 per cent. had chronic malnutrition (stunting). The United Nations Relief and Works Agency provides emergency food aid to an estimated 128,000 families.
Palestinians have very low water consumption. Per capita Palestinian water consumption in Gaza is 88 litres/day, compared with a World Health Organisation recommended basic minimum for developing countries of 100 litres/day. The United States Aid to International Development (USAID) is leading a major programme of activities to increase the quantities of water available for water supply in Gaza. This includes protection and management of the coastal aquifer, which is the only local source of freshwater in Gaza. USAID has also agreed to fund the construction of a desalination plant that will purify up to 20 million cubic metres of sea water each year, equivalent to nearly 40 per cent. of Gaza's current municipal consumption. A main water pipeline the length of Gaza will also be constructed to distribute high-quality water throughout the Gaza Strip.
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funds are being made available to send aid to Gaza Strip following recent Israeli action. [175350]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: A UN-led needs assessment in Rafah is currently being finalised. DFID will look closely at this when judging if and how we should respond.
Iraq
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what changes he has made to international aid budgets since the decision to take military action in Iraq. [175205]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: I refer the my hon. Friend to the answer given by the Secretary of State to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman) on 3 November 2003, Official Report, column 493W and the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) on 3 December 2003, Official Report, column 50W.
Funding for the reconstruction of Iraq did not affect planned DFID expenditure for other countries during 2003–04. During 2004–05 and 2005–06, funding for the reconstruction of Iraq includes £50 million reallocated from planned programmes, together with DFID contingency funding of £115 million and contributions from other Departments. In addition, in response to the increased amounts needed for Iraq, which is classified as a middle income country, DFID has adjusted forward plans to move a further estimated £50 million from other middle income country programmes to low income country programmes. This is needed to maintain our commitment to our Public Service Agreement target of raising the share of our bilateral programme going to low income countries to 90 per cent. by 2005–06.
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Details of the middle income countries affected by these changes can be found in the written statement provided to Parliament by the Secretary of State for International Development on 6 November 2003, Official Report, column 42WS. The revised allocations for 2004–05 and 2005–06 are set out in the DFID Departmental Report 2004. DFID will also continue to provide substantial assistance to middle-income countries through multilateral institutions.
These reallocations should be seen in the context of a development assistance budget that will increase by £900 million over the current Spending Review Period 2003–06.
Israel
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government are taking to provide humanitarian aid to those affected by Israel's demolition policy. [174517]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: A UN-led needs assessment in Rafah is currently being finalised. DFID will look closely at this in judging if and how we should respond.
During the past 18 months DFID has provided a technical management team to oversee the reconstruction and repair of demolished and damaged housing in Jenin Refugee Camp. In addition DFID made a £5 million contribution in March to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency's Emergency Appeal, which provides a range of emergency humanitarian support to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. This includes emergency shelter, food and health services in Rafah.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry by how much she estimates prices of (a) gas and (b) electricity for (i) domestic consumers and (ii) industry have changed as a result of Government policy on reducing emissions of carbon dioxide; and what her forecasts are for future price changes. [172528]
Mr. Timms: The Government have put in place a range of measures for reducing emissions of carbon dioxide.
For domestic customers, electricity prices have increased as a result of the introduction of the Non-Fossil Fuel Obligation (NFFO), the Renewables Obligation (RO) and the Energy Efficiency Commitments. The European Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will also have an upward impact on domestic electricity prices. Gas prices have been affected by the Energy Efficiency Commitments.
For business consumers, gas and electricity prices have been affected by the introduction of the Climate Change Levy (CCL) in 2001. Electricity prices have been affected by the NFFO and the Renewables Obligation. The introduction of the ETS in 2005 will also have an effect on electricity prices and the costs of using gas for business consumers.
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Projecting future price increases is highly uncertain. Such impacts will depend on the operation of markets as well as policy measures. The estimates in the following tables are made on particular assumptions and can be indicative only.
Estimated impacts to date and forecasts for the period to 2010 are shown in the following tables:
| Impact to date | Impact 2004–10 | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency Commitments | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 1 | 1 |
| Impact to date | Impact 2004–10 | |
|---|---|---|
| CCL—with Climate Change Agreement (CCA) | 4 | 0 |
| CCL—without CCA | 19 | 0 |
| Emissions Trading | 0 | 8 |
| Total (with CCA) | 4 | 8 |
| Total (without CCA) | 19 | 8 |
| Impact to date | Impact 2004–10 | |
|---|---|---|
| NFFO/Renewables Obligation | 2 | 3 |
| Energy Efficiency Commitments | 1 | 2 |
| Emissions Trading | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 3 | 8 |
| Impact to date | Impact 2004–10 | |
|---|---|---|
| NFFO/Renewables Obligation | 3 | 7 |
| CCL—with Climate Change Agreement (CCA) | 3 | 0 |
| CCL—without CCA | 15 | 0 |
| Emissions Trading | 0 | 6 |
| Total (with CCA) | 6 | 13 |
| Total (without CCA) | 18 | 13 |
Notes:
1. Impact of Emissions Trading Scheme is on gas costs as users of gas will need to hold emission allowances. Not all business users of gas are covered by the EU ETS and those that are will receive an initial free allocation of allowances that will largely cover their projected emissions.
2. Estimates for renewables include the impact of the Non-Fossil Fuel Obligation, which has already impacted on electricity prices.
3. Average impact from Energy Efficiency Commitments. For those benefiting from energy efficiency measures, bills should fall. It is estimated that the average annual on-going financial gain for consumers benefiting from measures in the 2005–08 period, in lower energy bills or increased comfort, would be around £15 a year for the lifetime of the measures. The annual benefit from cavity wall insulation in a standard three bedroom house is likely to be £80 to £100.
4. Impact of Climate Change Levy estimated for those with a Climate Change Agreement who receive an 80 per cent. reduction in the rate of levy and for those without a CCA who pay the full levy. Impact of emissions trading based on a price of €5 per tonne of carbon dioxide.
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