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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 22 July 2004
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Iraq
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what percentage of households in Iraq have (a) working electricity and (b) running water; [184275]
(2) what percentage of the Iraqi population live below the poverty line for the country. [184276]
Hilary Benn: Social statistics available for Iraq are currently limited and unreliable. DFID is considering ways in which to assist building statistical capacity in Iraq and has made available £30 million to the UN, including for statistical support, through the International Reconstruction Fund Facility For Iraq.
The UN is working with the Iraqi Central Statistics Organisation and Ministries to develop up to date statistics. A United Nations Development Plan (UNDP) survey of Living Conditions of Iraqi Households is due to be completed in November this year and will include economic indicators such as income, day to day expenditures, availability of health and education facilities and access to public services. A World Food Programme Baseline Food Security Assessment, due next month, is likely to produce estimates of the amount of poverty in Iraq.
In early July, peak production was averaging around 4,500 MW, just above pre war production levels. Progress has not been as rapid as planned, primarily as a result of sabotage and security constraints. High summer demand due to increased temperatures has resulted in reduced hours of electricity supply to most areas of Iraq. Significant programmes of long-term rehabilitation of electrical infrastructure continue.
Estimates suggest that immediately after the conflict, 60 per cent. of urban and 30 per cent. of rural populations had access to safe water. Considerable work has taken place since the end of the conflict to improve the quantity, quality and reliability of water supplies. There are no reliable statistics of current coverage, but informal estimates by the former Coalition Provisional Authority (South) indicate that, in the south, coverage has increased by 10–15 per cent. since May 2003. Water quality and volume in Basra is expected to exceed pre-conflict levels during the summer of 2004.
The joint UN and World Bank Needs Assessments of last year estimated that of the 70 per cent. of the Iraqi population that live in urban areas, 30 per cent. live near the poverty line. Approximately 60 per cent. of the population is dependent on free food rations under the Public Distribution System (PDS). Poverty in southern Iraq is particularly serious. A 2003 World Food
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Programme study on chronic poverty calculated that approximately 21 per cent. of Iraq's centre/south population were chronically poor or unable to meet their basic needs over long periods of time, even after assistance provided through PDS.
Advertising
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much money was spent on advertising and promotional literature for his Department's initiatives, broken down by year since 1997. [183804]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID's expenditure on publicity, which forms a part of our effort to raise development awareness and understanding of international development issues in the UK, has been as follows:
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 579,916 |
| 1997–98 | 399,755 |
| 1998–99 | 674.531 |
| 1999–2000 | 879,354 |
| 2000–01 | 1,484,281 |
| 2001–02 | 1,286,053 |
| 2002–03 | 1,300,000 |
| 2002–04 | 773,772 |
DFID does not hold a separate advertising budget, the majority of advertising relates to recruitment advertising in newspapers and journals. Figures for the four calendar years 2000–03 are as follows. Expenditure figures for the previous years are not available:
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 751,972 |
| 2001 | 1,208,191 |
| 2002 | 914,571 |
| 2003 | 871,246 |
Africa (Trade)
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what policies the Department has to stimulate trade between African countries. [185838]
Hilary Benn:
The Department for International Development (DFID) is supporting a number of initiatives on developing trade and regional integration between African countries. As part of the G8 Africa Action plan DFID has committed to support African efforts to advance regional economic integration and intra-African trade, including the development of regional institutions. This includes support for the work of the Trade and Regional Integration Department at the UN Economic Commission for Africa, and the Africa Union's Trade, Customs and Immigration Ministerial Committee.
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DFID is also supporting the regional economic communities in Africa to implement free trade areas and customs unions. One example is the £12 million regional trade facilitation programme to help expand trade in Southern Africa, and improve the incomes of poor people by increasing economic opportunities in the region. The programme will cover the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and Common Market for Eastern and Southern African (COMESA) secretariats and member states.
The Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) which are currently being negotiated between the EU and the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries also offer an opportunity to promote regional integration in Africa. One of the key objectives in the Cotonou agreement for EPAs is the development of trade between neighbouring countries. The UK is pressing the European Commission to ensure EPAs progress towards this objective as well as supporting capacity building in African countries to purse this in the negotiations.
Capacity Building Projects
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the institutional and regulatory capacity building projects (a) initiated and (b) funded by his Department each year since 1997 in (i) Asia, (ii) Europe, (iii) Central America, (iv) South America, (v) Oceania and (vi) Africa including the amounts (A) of money and (B) of aid in kind (1) pledged and (2) delivered to each; and if he will make a statement. [186231]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: It is not possible to give this information without incurring a disproportionate cost. DFID's "Policy Information Marker System" does not include specific markers for institutional or regulatory capacity building projects. While a substantial proportion of DFID projects have a capacity building component not all do so. To identify those that do would require examining all projects approved since 1997 individually. Since 1997 over 4,500 individual projects, each with a commitment level exceeding £100,000, have been approved. There are, of course, many other projects that have been approved below this ceiling.
Departmental Expenditure
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost was of running the Overseas Development Administration's canteen facilities in 1996–97; and what the cost of running his Department's canteen facilities was in the latest year for which figures are available. [185568]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: The costs of running DFID's canteen facilities in 1996–97, and for the last financial year, are as follows:
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 51,214 |
| 2003–04 | 181,237 |
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Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost has been of refurbishments to the fabric of buildings owned by his Department (a) in the UK and (b) overseas since May 1997. [185569]
Hilary Benn: Refurbishments to DFID buildings in the UK over the period in question are as follows:
(a) Refurbishment project over the period 2000–01—2001–02, total cost £27 million
(b) Maintenance and repair works to exterior of building, in accordance with
requirements of lease, 2003/04, cost £1.2 million
(c) Refurbishment/replacement of lifts, 2003/04, cost £350,000.
(a) Refurbishment of building over the period 2001–02, total cost £1.2 million.
Abercrombie House, East Kilbride
(a) Refurbishment project over the period 2002–03 to date (due for completion late 2004), total cost £16 million.
Information on refurbishment costs in our overseas offices is not collated centrally and is not readily available. To give the figures requested would incur a disproportionate cost.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether office furniture designated for overseas offices owned by his Department is purchased (a) locally and (b) from the UK. [185570]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: Responsibility for the procurement of furniture in our overseas offices is normally delegated to the head of the office concerned. In the vast majority of cases procurement is carried out locally.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost has been of replacement office furniture within buildings owned by his Department (a) in the UK and (b) overseas since May 1997. [185546]
Hilary Benn: The total cost of replacement furniture within buildings owned by DFID, purchased within the UK since May 1997, is £3,128,000. Information on expenditure on furniture in our overseas offices is not collated centrally; to provide the figures requested would incur a disproportionate cost.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost was of printing (a) Overseas Development Administration headed notepaper in 1996–97 and (b) Department for International Development headed notepaper in the last year for which figures are available. [185561]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID does not use pre-printed headed notepaper, and has not done so for many years, including the period in question. Headed paper is produced using templates on our internal IT systems.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was spent by (a) the Overseas Development Administration in 1996–97 and (b) his Department in the last year for which figures are available on academic consultants;
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and how many academic papers were published as a result of their work in (i) 1996–97 and (ii) the last year for which figures are available. [185562]
Hilary Benn: DFID's headquarters procurement group issued consultancy contracts to universities worth £15,189,439 in 1996–97 and £7,093,078 in 2003–04. Information from overseas offices is not held centrally and could only be provided by incurring a disproportionate cost.
DFID does not maintain a record of academic papers published.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was spent by (a) the Overseas Development Administration in 1996–97 and (b) his Department in the last year for which figures are available on (i) advertising, (ii) public relations consultants and (iii) press officers, broken down by grade. [185563]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID does not hold a separate advertising budget, the majority of advertising relates to recruitment advertising in newspapers and journals. Expenditure figures for years prior to 2000 are not available; the figure for the last calendar year, 2003 is £871,246.
DFID does not keep central records of all staff working on communications across the Department and this information could not be gathered without incurring a disproportionate cost for the years specified. Information on the press office and publicity staff is available from 1996–97 and is set out as follows.
| Number of officers | Grades | Annual cost £ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 6 (press only) | Not available | 195,000 |
| 2003–04 | 10 | 1xA1 4xA2 3xB1 2xB2 | 373,500 |
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