---

24 Jun 2004 : Column 1481W—continued

Afghanistan

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what programmes are supported by his Department to expand and strengthen civil society in Afghanistan. [177118]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID is helping to expand and strengthen civil society in Afghanistan by supporting civil society's engagement in the political process. DFID supported the development of the new constitution in
 
24 Jun 2004 : Column 1482W
 
2003 (£500,000). This included an outreach programme to make the wider community aware of the purpose of the Constitution and providing a reasonable understanding of its key features. DFID are now funding Swiss Peace (£500,000) to provide civic education for the Afghan elections and supporting the development of an independent media through our contributions to the Global Conflict Prevention Pool.

The UK is funding Action Aid (£157,680) to help increase both knowledge and awareness of the rights of women and women's participation in local governance in Afghanistan. Community level women's groups are being established and small grants made available to help build the resources and confidence of women to work together to seek solutions to common problems. These activities are being supplemented and supported by training and information sharing at the provincial level and a nationwide research project looking at the role of women in local governance in Afghanistan.

DFID also funds Government led national development programmes, which are being facilitated by a range of local and international non-governmental organisations. An example is the National Solidarity Programme (£3 million in 2003–04 with additional funding planned), which is building the capacity of hundreds of village development councils across Afghanistan and providing the resources they need to identify and address their own development priorities.

DFID also supports the British Agencies in Afghanistan Group (BAAG) here in the UK. This funding helps BAAG act as an effective umbrella group for non-governmental organisations, registered in the UK and working in Afghanistan and also facilitates information sharing and access to Whitehall Departments.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much (a) aid in kind and (b) monetary aid his Department has (i) pledged and (ii) delivered to (A) the Democratic Republic of the Congo and (B) the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1) in each year since 1997 and (2) in each month since November 2003; and if he will make a statement. [179751]

Hilary Benn: The following table shows what has been delivered to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including as aid in kind and monetary aid, from 1997–98 to 2003–04 (latest, provisional figures).

Until the installation of the Transitional National Government in July last year, most of our assistance had been directed towards meeting the immediate humanitarian needs in DRC, as the table shows. The nature of humanitarian assistance is such that DFID did not pledge an overall amount but delivered assistance as and when it was necessary. Our overall aid framework for DRC in 2003–04 was £23 million—of which over £20 million was delivered, including £3 million as monetary aid.

DFID does not keep central monthly records of pledges or expenditures nor does it break down expenditure specifically by region within the Democratic Republic of Congo.
 
24 Jun 2004 : Column 1483W
 

£000

Financial year	Monetary aid	Technical co-operation	Grants and other aid in kind	Humanitarian assistance	Total DFID expenditure
1997–98	—	48	6,056	807	6,911
1998–99	—	63	118	370	552
1999–2000	—	49	15	1,257	1,322
2000–01	—	23	38	3,036	3,096
2001–02	—	188	63	5,307	5,558
2002–03	—	1,138	83	11,650	12,871
2003–04	2,990	3,878	320	12,946	20,135
Total	2,990	5,387	6,693	35,373	50,445

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what discussions (a) he and (b) members of his Department have had with representatives of non-governmental organisations concerning the humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since he was made Secretary of State for International Development; what concerns were raised; and if he will make a statement; [179752]

(2) what representations his Department has received from non-governmental organisations concerning access to the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and if he will make a statement; [179753]

(3) what assessment his Department has made of the humanitarian implications of the decision by the Government of Rwanda to close its border to the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement; [179754]

(4) what estimate his Department has made of the numbers of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo in (a) Burundi, (b) Rwanda, (c) Uganda and (d) other countries; how these numbers have changed over the last six months; and if he will make a statement; [179755]

(5) what assessment his Department has made of the humanitarian impact of the security situation in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo; how this assessment has changed over the last six months; and if he will make a statement; [179756]

(6) what estimate his Department has made of the number of internally displaced people in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo; how this estimate has changed over the last six months; and if he will make a statement; [179757]

(7) what plans his Department has (a) drawn up and (b) implemented to help overcome the humanitarian crisis in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement. [179758]

Hilary Benn: DFID has regular discussions with the UN agencies and NGOs concerning the humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Last year, DFID's humanitarian spend was £13 million; this year, a similar amount is available.

Following the recent reports of the humanitarian impact of the instability and fighting in Eastern DRC, DFID has sent a humanitarian assessment mission to Goma and Bukavu, which arrived on 22 June 2004. This mission intends to assess and respond to the growing humanitarian problem, working alongside our partner UN agencies and NGOs to assist the most vulnerable populations.
 
24 Jun 2004 : Column 1484W
 

With NGOs and the UN only just getting access into the affected parts of Eastern DRC, there are no verifiable reports on the current numbers of internally displaced people or of refugees in neighbouring countries, or their present locations and requirements. The DFID humanitarian assessment mission hopes to determine both the scale of the problem, and how UK funds can best be used to alleviate this.

I will write to the hon. Member shortly with further details.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on aid the UK is sending (a) unilaterally and (b) as part of the EU to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. [179301]

Hilary Benn: For the financial year 2004–05, DFID has made available £34 million in UK bilateral assistance to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In the financial year 2003–04, UK bilateral assistance amounted to over £20 million.

For 2002–07, the UK-attributed contribution to the European Development Fund framework for the DRC is £17 million. In 2003–04, UK-attributed spend through the EU was £9 million.

Departmental Staff

Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people have left employment in his Department because of (a) anxiety, (b) stress, (c) depression and (d) other mental health reasons in each year since 1997. [175676]

Hilary Benn: Given the very small numbers of staff who have been medically retired from DFID on these grounds since 1997 this information is withheld on grounds of individual confidentiality.

HIV/AIDS

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much (a) his Department and (b) the EU are spending in 2004–05 to counter HIV/AIDS in the Russian Federation. [179951]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID's forecasted bilateral expenditure on HIV/AIDS in the Russian Federation in financial year 2004–05 is £1.83 million. The EU estimate their expenditure in 2004 will be of the order of €2 to 2.5 million.
 
24 Jun 2004 : Column 1485W
 

---