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26 Oct 2004 : Column 1142W—continued

Green Ministers

Mr. Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many meetings of the Ministerial Sub-Committee of Green Ministers were attended by the Department's Green Minister in (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04. [190848]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: None.

Humanitarian Accountability Partnership International

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what input his Department had into the establishment of the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership International (HAP-I); what programmes his Department is funding to encourage membership of HAP-I by (a) UK and (b) EU non-governmental organisations; and if he will make a statement. [193018]

Hilary Benn: Between 2001 and 2003, DFID has contributed almost £650,000 towards the establishment of the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership International (HAP-I). DFID was also involved in the initial design of HAP-I through its steering committee membership of the related accountability initiative, Humanitarian Accountability Project. DFID is now an Associate member of HAP-I.

Through accountable practice and example, DFID believes that confidence in and support for HAP-I's member agencies will be enhanced. This approach is consistent with HAP-I's own ethos of improving the quality, effectiveness and accountability of humanitarian work through example, as well as through programme design and implementation.

Illegal Logging

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is for dealing with illegal logging; and if he will make a statement. [193509]

 
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Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID's policy is to tackle illegal logging and its associated trade, in partnership with timber-producing countries. This requires action on demand as well as supply. The UK, as a significant consumer of timber products, shares responsibility with these countries to find solutions to this global problem.

DFID supports regional forest law enforcement and governance processes in Asia and Africa that help build awareness of the problems of illegal logging and the political commitment to tackle them. DFID has also recently started work with Russia on a forest law enforcement and governance process covering Eastern Europe and North Asia. In Indonesia DFID has a programme of work under a Memorandum of Understanding that commits both governments to tackle illegal logging and associated trade.

The UK Government are playing an active role in implementing the EU Forest Law Enforcement and Governance and Trade Action Plan. This includes development of EU legislation to prevent imports of illegally logged timber into the single market and support for timber producing countries to improve their forest governance. UK Central Government are also working towards ensuring that timber and timber products are procured from legal and sustainable sources.

In all of this work, DFID co-operates closely with other parts of Government, particularly Defra and FCO, as well as the private sector and NGOs.

International Development Assistance

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the 20 countries with the lowest GDP per capita; how much the international development assistance per capita was made available by the UK in each case in the latest year for which information is available; and if he will make a statement. [192071]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The following table includes a list of the 20 countries with the lowest recorded GDP per capita (the country with the lowest GDP is at the top of the list). In addition DFID has included Afghanistan, which is expected to be in this group although GDP data is currently unavailable.

The following table also shows the bilateral development assistance provided by the UK to these countries in 2003–04 (on a per capita basis) and an estimate of the UK's share of multilateral aid to these countries in 2002 (the latest year for which we have data).

The UK has a commitment to increase the share of our bilateral programme going to low income countries to 90 per cent. by 2005–06. In deciding where to allocate bilateral resources the UK is keen to work in partnership with countries where we have long-standing relationships and is able to have the most impact. DFID also prioritise countries that are able to display evidence of good governance to ensure that our funds are spent appropriately.
 
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In examining the figures in the table, it is worth noting that while the aid per capita is quite small in some highly populated countries such as Nigeria, the total aid allocated to these countries is substantial.
£

Countries with lowest GDP per Capita	UK bilateral aid/capita 2003–04	Imputed UK multilateral share/capita 2002
Congo, Dem. Rep.	2.92	0.20
Ethiopia	0.65	0.28
Burundi	0.49	0.53
Guinea-Bissau	0.00	2.00
Malawi	5.25	0.53
Eritrea	0.59	0.63
Sierra Leone	6.89	0.86
Liberia	2.41	0.43
Niger	0.02	0.56
Tanzania	4.64	0.31
Madagascar	0.20	0.36
Mozambique	2.05	0.90
Nepal	1.33	0.10
Chad	0.38	0.74
Nigeria	0.25	0.04
Tajikistan	0.11	0.22
Burkina Faso	0.01	0.73
Rwanda	3.37	0.59
Central African Republic	0.00	0.25
Kenya	0.93	0.11
Afghanistan	3.02	0.59

Kenya

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the Department's priorities for working with the Government of Kenya. [193473]

Hilary Benn: DFID's assistance is designed to support long-term change in Kenya that will lead to improved governance, and to help Kenya make sustainable progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. The Country Assistance Plan (CAP) launched in June, outlines our commitment to support the implementation of the Government of Kenya's Economic Recovery Strategy (ERS).

DFID's priorities in the CAP include support to the Government's drive towards universal free primary education, HIV/AIDS prevention and care, reproductive health care, malaria prevention, private sector development, land and agriculture reform, environmental governance, public sector reform, initiatives to promote civic education and improved access to justice for poor people. DFID plans to provide £37 million of assistance this year.

The faster and more credible the pace of reform, the more DFID can support the Kenyan Government's own priorities through their own systems, and the faster progress we will make.

Latin America

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the aid budget for Latin America was in the years (a) 2000–01, (b) 2001–02, (c) 2002–03 and (d) 2003–04; and what it is for 2004–05. [190303]

 
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Gareth Thomas: DFID's Latin America bilateral aid budget was as follows:
Bilateral (£ million)

	Latin America dept budget allocation	Total 1 DFID Actual expenditure in Latin America
2000–01	31.0	31.2
2001–02	36.0	37.6
2002–03	28.3	36.1
2003–04	23.2	27.2
2004–05	19.0	—

⁽⁸⁾ These figures include central DFID funding, such as humanitarian assistance, debt relief and NGO activities supported by the Civil Society Challenge Fund, which have benefited the region. £7 million per year, from 2005–06 onwards, was recently approved for selected non-government organisations that have Programme Partnership Agreements with DFID.

Share of Multilateral:

DFID provided the following concessional funding through multilateral to specific countries (ie World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, European Community and UN organisations):
£ million

	Latin America specific	Americas regional (including Caribbean)
2000	51.4	12.2
2001	92.0	9.0
2002	36.0	5.5

Figures are not yet available for 2003.

Relief Work (SPHERE Standards)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the SPHERE standards for relief work; and if he will make a statement. [193017]

Hilary Benn: DFID has not undertaken its own assessment of SPHERE standards. However, DFID values the work of SPHERE, with its aim of improving the quality of assistance, and enhancing the accountability of the humanitarian system in disaster response. DFID has supported the project with £20,000 since 2001. Many partner that DFID supports or with whom we collaborate are signed up members to SPHERE, and we would expect them to adhere to the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response.

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