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14 Sept 2004 : Column 1521W—continued
Iraq
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on responsibility for the management of the Development Fund for Iraq. [188343]
Hilary Benn: Under the United Nations Security Council resolution 1546 (8 June 2004) resources in the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI) are managed and disbursed solely at the discretion of the Interim Iraqi Government. The International Advisory and Monitoring Board (IAMB) continues its work as an audit oversight body for the DFI. The IAMB oversees audits conducted by international accounting firms of (i) oil export sales, (ii) the accounting for the proceeds from oil export sales, (iii) the DFI financial statements, and (iv) the disbursement procedures for DFI resources.
In March 2004 the IAMB approved the Coalition Provisional Authority's appointment of KPMG to conduct audits in two stages: first for DFI activities up to the end of December 2003, which reported on 15 July; and second for the six months to 28 June 2004, on which KPMG expects to report in early October 2004. As with the first stage audit reports, the IAMB will make the reports of the second stage available on its website (http://www.iamb.info).
Oil export sales and DFI operations after 28 June 2004 will be examined by external auditors to be appointed by the Government of Iraq. The IAMB will work with the Government of Iraq to ensure the early appointment of appropriately qualified external auditors.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the current levels of (a) water and (b) electricity provision in Iraq are; and what the targets for improvement in the next 12 months are. [188351]
Hilary Benn:
Estimates suggest that immediately after the 2003 conflict, 60 per cent. of urban and 30 per cent. of rural populations had access to safe water. In October 2003, the United Nations and World Bank's Needs Assessment of Iraq proposed a 2007 target of increasing water access in urban areas by 30 per cent., and in rural areas by 45 per cent., from immediate post-conflict levels. Considerable work has taken place since May 2003 to improve the quantity, quality and reliability of water supplies.
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In Basra the water supply situation remains difficult but is now better than before the 2003 conflict. Informal estimates by the former Coalition Provisional Authority (South) indicated that, in the south, coverage increased by 10 per cent. to 15 per cent. from May 2003 to July 2004. Major infrastructure work which is mainly US funded is planned over the next year. United Nations agencies are providing up to 800,000 litres of drinking water per day to vulnerable groups and inhabitants of rural areas. Drinking water is also sold by bottle or tanker. The restoration of 14 Basra Governorate water treatment plants is on schedule for completion by the end of October 2004.
In Baghdad, civil engineering work has now been completed at three wastewater treatment plants. The UN is operating water tankers and supplying water purification tablets to meet shortfalls. Water specialists from the USA are working with local government officials in Baghdad Municipality's water department to improve water treatment throughout the city.
The supply of electricity in Iraq has improved since May 2003. Production now averages 4,750 MW, compared with the pre-conflict level of 4,400 MW. Most of Iraq is now receiving between nine and 15 hours of electricity daily.
Significant programmes of long-term rehabilitation of electrical infrastructure are being undertaken alongside planning for the expansion of generating capacity with new plants. However, security problems continue to slow the progress of reconstruction and make precise forecasting difficult. The Interim Iraqi Government has set a target of 6,000 MW by the end of 2004. The United Nations and World Bank's Needs Assessment proposed a target of 8,760 MW by 2007.
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department has allocated to the Adam Smith Institute for work in relation to the reconstruction of Iraq; what the nature of the work is; and if he will make a statement. [188428]
Hilary Benn: DFID has not allocated any funding to the Adam Smith Institute for work in relation to the reconstruction of Iraq.
DFID has contracted the consultants Adam Smith International Ltd. (ASIL) to provide services to assist with reconstruction in Iraq as follows:
| Programme | Contract cost (£) | Programme details |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency Public Administration Programme (EPAP) | 3,181,205 | This programme provides capacity building support to the Iraq public administration. Activities include the provision of long and short-term technical advice, support and training to key central ministries, to enable them to begin the process of re-establishing effective and accountable government in Iraq |
| Technical Support to the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) South | 491,406 | Provision of technical experts to the former Coalition Provisional Authority in southern Iraq in the areas of economic reform and justice. This work completed on 28 June following the handover of sovereignty to the Iraqi Interim Government |
| Total | 3,672,611 |
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Pakistan
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department is providing to Pakistan for the reform of its education system. [188364]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID has made a significant contribution to the reform of Pakistan's education system. During 2003–04, DFID spent £2.2 million on a number of initiatives, including support to the National Education Assessment System, a programme that assessed children's performance nationally and informed education policy. DFID also supported the North West Frontier Province Education Programme, the Northern Areas Education Programme, Sindh Primary Education Project and the Punjab Middle Schooling Project. These programmes have supported the Government of Pakistan to improve the decentralised management of human and financial resources for education, as well as strengthening teacher training for primary education, with particular emphasis on education for girls.
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Housing
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many households were living in temporary accommodation in the Tamworth constituency in each year since 1997; and how many of those households included dependent children. [188125]
Keith Hill:
Information is not collected at constituency level, only at local authority level. A summary of information reported by Tamworth district council about the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation as at 31 March of each year since 1997 is tabled as follows. The number of households in temporary accommodation containing dependent children or expectant mothers has been collected only since March 2002.
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| Total households | Of which: with dependent children(14) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 109 | n/a |
| 1998 | 83 | n/a |
| 1999 | 88 | n/a |
| 2000 | 92 | n/a |
| 2001 | 105 | n/a |
| 2002 | 94 | 90 |
| 2003 | 83 | 75 |
| 2004 | not reported | not reported |
(13) Households in temporary accommodation arranged by the local authority pending inquiries, or after being accepted, under homelessness legislation.
(14) Includes expectant mothers. Data collected only since March 2002.
Source:
ODPM P1E homelessness returns (quarterly).
Indices of Deprivation
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the electoral wards under which each Super Output Area in the Indices of Deprivation 2004 falls. [188272]
Phil Hope: There are 32,000 Super Output Areas and this is too large to send in this format. I have contacted the Office for National Statistics and it will arrange for the hon. Member to receive a copy of these on CD format.
Local Government
Mr. Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many ballots there have been to set up (a) parish and (b) town councils in each of the last three years; and what the result was in each case. [188310]
Mr. Raynsford: In accordance with the provisions set out in the Local Government and Rating Act 1997, the Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister may by Order create parish and town councils following petitions from electors in the area of the proposed parish which are presented to principal local authorities. Where parishes are created, they come into existence on the 1 April of the year following the Order being made. The following table shows for each year since 1 April 2000 the outcome of petitions received from principal local authorities in that year or before.
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Mr. Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what opportunities there will be for parish and town councils in his 10-year vision for local government. [188316]
Mr. Raynsford: The vision for local government sees an important role for citizen engagement and participation so that they have greater influence over the delivery of public services. There are a variety of possible models to give communities a stronger voice at local level, one of which is through parish and town councils. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister intends to issue a discussion document looking at the issue of citizen engagement, including the role of parish and town councils, later this year.
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