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Palestinian Authority (Funding)/Territories

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what measures his Department
 
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is taking to ensure transparency and accountability of (a) European Union and (b) other international funding to the Palestinian Authority. [185093]

Hilary Benn: Substantial progress has been made since 2002 in improving the transparency and accountability of the Palestinian Authority's (PA) financial management systems. This has largely been driven by the Palestinian Finance Minister with donor encouragement.

DFID supported a World Bank Country Financial Accountability Assessment which endorsed the major improvements made. It also identified key actions needed to further improve the systems. The recently established World Bank Public Financial Management Reform Trust Fund will also encourage further financial reform.

Disbursement of funding is conditional on the PA's achievement of certain agreed benchmarks. DFID has contributed, and the EC plans to contribute, to the trust fund. The World Bank and donors will carefully monitor the use of donor funds. This benchmark approach was also successfully used by the EC in its earlier budget support to the PA. Allegations about the misuse of these funds have been looked at in great detail, but no evidence has been found that EC funds have been used for anything other than their original purpose.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to monitor the extent of poverty in the Palestinian Territories. [185092]

Hilary Benn: Poverty in the Palestinian Territory has increased dramatically since the intifada started in September 2000. According to the latest World Bank report approximately 50 per cent. of Palestinians are living in poverty on less than $2.1 per day. 16 per cent. of the total population currently live in deep or absolute poverty on less than $1.5 per day. DFID monitors the situation closely through our engagement with, and support to, Palestinian partners and like-minded donors who seek to analyse and find ways of addressing the deepening crisis.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid his Department has given to the Palestinian Territories. [185094]

Hilary Benn: DFID provides technical and financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, and Palestinian civil society. It aims to enhance the prospects for peace, make Palestinian governance and institutions more effective and accountable, and encourage more harmonised delivery of humanitarian and development assistance. DFID plans to spend £28.5 million on support to Palestinians in the current financial year.

South America (Aid)

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will restore development aid to South American countries, with particular reference to Peru. [184887]

 
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Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID will continue to provide development assistance to South America through our contributions to multilateral institutions; through a regional bilateral programme, which will include support for Brazil and the Andean region to be managed out of our office in La Paz (from which Peru will benefit); and through central DFID support for non-governmental organisations working in the region. DFID remains committed to supporting poverty reduction in Peru through all these channels.

Sudan

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with the United States Agency for International Development about joint approaches to other nations to seek contributions to humanitarian relief in Darfur. [185583]

Hilary Benn: The Department For International Development has a good working relationship with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is in frequent contact, both in-country and between capitals, to ensure a co-ordinated approach when encouraging other donors to contribute to the humanitarian relief effort in Darfur. DFID plans to continue working with USAID on a donor lobbying strategy.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the number of displaced women in Darfur, Western Sudan. [185584]

Hilary Benn: The United Nations has estimated the total number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Darfur, Western Sudan at 1.2 million. UN agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are currently on the ground assessing the food, shelter and sanitation needs of these people. However, at this time the exact ratio of male to female IDPs is unknown.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the number of deaths resulting from bombing by Sudanese Government aircraft of locations in Darfur near Chadian border towns in the first three weeks of June. [185586]

Hilary Benn: At present there is no information to confirm the bombing by Government aircraft of locations in Darfur near Chadian border towns. The ongoing deployment of the African Union-led Ceasefire Commission, to which DFID has contributed £2 million, should help increase the information from the ground.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the number of villages in Darfur, Western Sudan, that have been destroyed by Sudanese Government forces and Janjaweed militias. [185587]

Hilary Benn: DFID is not able to verify which settlements have been destroyed by the Government of Sudan, Janjaweed militias, Sudanese Liberation Army
 
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(SLA) or Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) forces. The Humanitarian Information Unit of the United States Department of State currently estimates the total number of villages destroyed at approximately 347. A further 96 are estimated to have been damaged but not destroyed.

It is not possible at this stage to determine the ethnicity of the people that occupied destroyed or damaged settlements. The African Union has begun
 
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investigations into reported infringements of the ceasefire. These investigations will help determine who is responsible for such infringements.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) financial and (b) other support has been provided by his Department to Sudan in each year since 1997. [185588]

Hilary Benn: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the following table.
£000

	Project or sector aid	Programme aid	Technical cooperation	Aid and trade provision	Grants and other aid in kind	Humanitarian assistance
1997–98	137	—	369	—	491	4,337
1998–99	115	—	176	—	413	23,497
1999–2000	106	—	15	—	319	2,755
2000–01	97	—	14	—	309	4,491
2001–02	93	—	34	—	322	5,149
2002–03	87	—	407	—	2,696	16,032
2003–04	90	—	291	—	3,445	20,836

	DFID debt relief	Total DFID programme	CDC investments	Other	Total gross public expenditure
1997–98	342	5,677	—	—	5,677
1998–99	—	24,201	—	—	24,201
1999–2000	—	3,196	—	—	3,196
2000–01	—	4,912	—	—	4,912
2001–02	—	5,598	—	—	5,598
2002–03	—	19,222	—	—	19,222
2003–04	—	24,663	—	—	24,663

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations he has made to the Government of Sudan about (a) the ratification of the International Labour Organisation Convention on the Prohibition and Elimination of the Worst Form of Child Labour and (b) the reflection of that ratification in national legislation. [185592]

Hilary Benn: Sudan ratified the International Labour Organisation Convention on the Prohibition and Elimination of the Worst Form of Child Labour on 7 March 2002. DFID's embassy in Khartoum raises human rights issues on a regular basis both bilaterally and multilaterally as part of the EU-Sudan dialogue.

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