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Iraq
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development who decided upon the payments from the Development Fund for Iraq to the US Army Corps of Engineers; what it was for; who the principal contractors were; who decided who the principal contractors would be; and if he will make a statement. [179797]
Hilary Benn: Procurement and contracting under the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI) are the responsibility of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA).
The CPA has contracted the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to carry out certain emergency and essential work in Iraq, which is co-funded by the DFI and the US Government. Most of the DFI contracts, and most of the contract value, for which the USACE is responsible are in rebuilding gas and hydro-electric power plants and oil infrastructure. The principal contractors to date are: Fluor Intercontinental, Washington International, CH2MHILL, Parsons Iraqi Joint Venture and Kellogg Brown and Root.
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list those who have had sole-sourced contracts funded by the Development Fund for Iraq; which contracts are of a value of $1,000,000 or more; and if he will make a statement. [179798]
Hilary Benn: A list of sole-sourced contracts funded by the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI) is not available at this time.
The International Advisory and Monitoring Board (IAMB) is currently undertaking an audit of DFI sole-sourced contracts on behalf of the international community. As a member of the Program Review Board of the DFI, the UK has been a strong advocate of international competitive tendering wherever possible.
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been purchased under the wheat purchase programme funded by the Development Fund for Iraq; at what cost; who was contracted to supply it; what the world price for wheat was at the time of purchase; over what time scale the wheat is supplied; under which disbursement heading it is included; how it is distributed within Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [179799]
Hilary Benn: The Government of Iraq established the public food distribution system in 1990. This system of untargeted rationing has proved to be hugely costly to the Government and has undermined the country's domestic agriculture. DFID hopes to work with the Iraqi Interim Government and other donors to help reform this system, to the benefit of both Iraq's consumers and farmers, as soon as conditions allow.
The amount of wheat actually purchased by the Government each year depends on the content of the "ration basket", which is decided by the Ministry of Trade (MOT) each month, depending on domestic production and existing stocks within the country. Published MOT budget information does not show the breakdown of the costs of individual public food distribution items but it is estimated that 3.5 million metric tonnes of wheat flour is required annually for the standard ration basket. Over the 12 months since the
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creation of the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI), if all of Iraq's public distribution system needs had been met from imports at world prices, the cost would have been around $700 million. This is likely to be an over-estimate since there would be some domestic purchases and use of stocks.
The major suppliers of wheat to Iraq are Australia and the US.
International export prices for wheat vary greatly depending on grade and freight distances but an average figure for 2003–04 is about $200/tonne.
The MOT is responsible for purchasing grain from overseas and from domestic producers, for organising the milling contracts and the transport of the milled wheat flour to food agents.
The following process describes how the food ration is distributed:
1. The MOT announces the food basket for the month and calls forward food agents to collect the ration;
2. Food and flour agents collect the coupons from households and go to the sales centre of warehouses/mills, where they receive an invoice;
3. Food agents collect foodstuffs from the warehouses/distribution centres;
4. Wheat flour is transported to flour/food agents, which is paid for by the MOT;
5. Households then collect the ration from the food/flour agents and pay the nominal fee.
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on what dates the Iraqi Coalition Provisional Authority Program Review Board has met; which meetings were attended by the representative of the Government of the United Kingdom; what votes were conducted at these meetings; what the result was of each vote; and how the UK representative voted on each occasion. [179801]
Hilary Benn: The Program Review Board (PRB) meets once or twice each week. Precise dates are shown on the minutes of each meeting which are published on the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) website: iraqcoalition.org/program review board. The UK is represented at all PRB meetings.
The PRB votes on each project proposal. The minutes do not record the vote of individual members. Proposals pass on a majority or unanimous vote.
The UK votes in a manner consistent with UNSCR 1483, which established the Development Fund for Iraq (DPI) to be "used in a transparent manner to meet the humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people, for the economic reconstruction and repair of Iraq's infrastructure, for the continued disarmament of Iraq, and for the costs of Iraqi civilian administration, and for other purposes benefiting the people of Iraq". In its voting the UK aims to support the intentions of the Iraq Ministries of Finance and Planning and to promote the principles of international competitive tendering.
Harry Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to his answer of 14 June 2004, Official Report, columns 668–69W, on Iraq, if his Department will obtain a copy of the US Government Agency audits of sole-sourced contracts funded by the Development Fund for Iraq; what
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provision there is for consideration of the copy audits when the Coalition Provisional Authority no longer exists; who approves contractors for expenditure proposals approved by the Development Fund for Iraq Program Review Board; and if he will make a statement. [179802]
Hilary Benn: The external audit of the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI) has been delegated by UN Security Council Resolution 1483 (2003) to the International Advisory and Monitoring Board (IAMB). The IAMB acts on behalf of the international community and has requested copies of certain US Government audit reports as part of its current work programme. The IAMB undertakes to make all its proceedings and final reports public (within 30 days of being finalised). UN Security Council Regulation 1546(2004) paragraph 24 provides for the continuation of the IAMB after the dissolution of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) and the return to Iraqi sovereignty.
The approval of contractors for expenditure proposals endorsed by the Program Review Board of the Development Fund for Iraq is undertaken by the CPA.
Morocco (Earthquake)
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the assistance his Department has offered to the Moroccan Government for the victims of the 24 February earthquake in the Rif region. [180133]
Hilary Benn: The earthquake that affected the Al-Hoceima region of Morocco on 24 February 2004 measured 6.5 degrees on the Richter scale. It claimed over 600 lives and injured nearly 1,000.
UK search and rescue teams were put on immediate stand-by but in the event were not required as the Moroccan civil authorities and Red Crescent movement, supported by some international teams, coped adequately with that phase of the relief effort. Following discussion with the Moroccan Government about priority needs, DFID sent an aircraft with 402 winterised family tents to the earthquake area. The tents were distributed to earthquake victims by the Moroccan Protection Civile, supported by two DFID staff. The cost of the relief flight and tents was approximately £155,000. The European Commission also responded to the relief effort committing approximately £650,000 of support. Including the UK share of this support, the overall UK response was around £280,000.
On 24 May 2004, the Moroccan Prime Minister, Driss Jettou, announced that the Moroccan Government have earmarked a £165 million budget to rehabilitate and develop the quake-hit north-eastern region.
Russian Federation
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people employed by his Department have worked on harm reduction programmes (a) for and (b) in the Russian Federation. [179936]
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Hilary Benn: DFID currently employs nine staff which are involved in our work on HIV/AIDS, including managing harm reduction activities, in Russia. Eight are based in the DFID—Russia office in Moscow, one in London. Five are administrators, four are advisers. Also, over the last five years DFID has employed three Consultancy Companies involving 16 individual experts on four harm reduction projects.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the impact on harm reduction programmes supported by his Department in the Russian Federation of the (a) 1995 Federal Law on the Prevention of Dissemination in the Russian Federation of Disease Caused by Human Immunodeficiency Virus and (b) the 1998 Federal Law on Narcotic Means and Psychotropic Substances. [179937]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID funded a project entitled "Building Police Support for Harm Reduction" from August 2001 to December 2003. The project was contracted to International Family Health, and its purpose was to involve the Russian police as an integral part of harm reduction strategies. One output of this work was a report by Professor William E. Butler, Professor of Comparative Law, University of London, which sought to examine and clarify a range of issues on harm reduction in Russia from a legal and judicial perspective.
This report (published by International Family Health : ISBN 0–9545761–0-1) included an assessment of the impact of these and other Russian federal laws on harm reduction programmes in Russia and concluded that the provision of harm reduction services in Russia, in particular services for injecting drug users, is consistent with Russian law. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC), Open Health Institute (OHI), AIDS Foundation East West (AFEW) and others, are continuing to work on the legal issues affecting harm reduction.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what account has been taken by (a) his Department and (b) the European Union of Article 15 (4) of the 1993 Constitution of the Russian Federation in support for harm reduction programmes in the federation. [179938]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID has taken account of the prevailing view among Russian and international jurists that, on the whole, the Russian Federation has properly fulfilled its international legal duties under relevant international law relevant to harm reduction, including the United Nations Narcotics Conventions.
The EU is supporting HIV/AIDS projects in Russia, including information, education and communication campaigns and training for health personnel, but is not supporting the provision of targeted harm reduction services for vulnerable groups.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the HIV/Aids projects in the Russian Federation that received financial support from his Department in 2003–04. [179939]
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Mr. Gareth Thomas: The following HIV/AIDS projects in the Russian Federation, including projects not principally related to HIV/AIDS but which contained an HIV/AIDS component, received financial support from DFID in 2003–04:
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Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the harm reduction projects in the Russian Federation that received financial support from his Department in each of the last seven years. [179940]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID has provided financial support for the following projects related to harm reduction in the past seven years. The projects marked with an asterisk have supported the provision of harm reduction services to high risk groups:
| Project title | Purpose | Duration | DFID funding (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Health Institute Harm Reduction Bridging Project* | To reduce the transmission of HIV among injecting drug users and commercial sex workers in OHI-supported harm reduction sites in the Russian Federation | July 2001- August 2004 | 3,500,000 |
| Knowledge for Action for HIV/AIDS in the Russian Federation | To create the knowledge base on HIV in the Russian Federation necessary to guide effective policy and intervention | September 2002-August 2005 | 1,500,000 |
| United Nations Fund for International Partnerships: Comprehensive Partnership Strategies for HIV/STI Prevention among Young People in the Russian Federation* | To reduce the incidence of HIV/STIs among young people, especially girls and young women, by ensuring the availability of and access to information, education, health services, counselling for HIV, testing and commodities required for young people to develop and exercise effective life skills | June 2002-November 2004 | 1,125,000 |
| Development of a Public Health-based Approach to the Prevention of Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Samara* | To develop sustainable, high quality STI services in Samara and disseminate successful approaches at federal level | September 1998-March 2004 | 981,146 |
| Prevention of HIV/AIDS among Injecting Drug Users in Sverdlovsk Oblast* | To improve and develop preventative public education programmes on HIV/AIDS, with a special focus on injecting drug use | April 1998- April 2003 | 775,334 |
| UNAIDS Regional Harm Reduction Task Force: Capacity Expansion | To strengthen the capacity of the UNAIDS Regional Task Force on HIV prevention among injecting drug users in Eastern Europe | September 2000-November 2002 | 450,000 |
| Comprehensive Targeted HIV Prevention and Control Demonstration Project (Design Phase) | Design phase. Planned purpose was to establish integrated programmes of targeted HIV prevention activities in two localities at a scale sufficient to control the epidemic and in order to convince policymakers that such investment is worthwhile. | October 2002-April 2003 | 337,787 |
| Building Police Support for Harm Reduction | To involve the police as an integral part of harm reduction | August 2001-March 2004 | 489,891 |
| Assistance to the World Bank for the Russia TB/AIDS Control Project | Technical assistance for the design of a $150 million World Bank loan on tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS control. | May 2000- April 2002 | 200,000 |
| Harm Reduction Project | To reduce transmission of HIV among injecting drug users in Sverdlovsk by developing a co-ordinated harm reduction programme | December 1999-March 2001 | 35,949 |
| 11th International Conference on the Reduction of Drug-Related Harm: Project Planning Activities | To assist in developing a large-scale project on reducing drug related harm in Russia | April 2000- April 2001 | 60,081 |
| Harm Reduction Conference, New Delhi | To provide funding for 20 Russian delegates to attend the Harm Reduction Conference in New Delhi | April 2001-October 2001 | 41,405 |
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