| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
2 Mar 2005 : Column 1148W—continued
Indonesia
Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's estimate is of the number of homeless refugees in the Puncak Jaya region in West Papua. [218846]
Hilary Benn: As at 31 January 2005 the number of homeless refugees in the Puncak Jaya region of West Papua stood at 14,071. DFID obtained this figure from information provided by the UN.
International Conference on Population and Development
Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the plan of action arising from the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD); and what steps the UK Government are taking to help achieve the goals of the ICPD programme. [218665]
Hilary Benn: The UK Government remain firmly committed to the Cairo Programme of Action (POA) and its key goal of reproductive health for all by 2015. The UK believes that sexual and reproductive health are also fundamental human rights. DFID5s recently published position paper on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights makes this position clear and we continue to invest strongly in reproductive health, such as recent multi-year increases in funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Planned Parenthood Foundation (IPPF).
Progress on the POA has been made since 1994. The recent regional International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) plus 10 celebratory events in Asia and Latin America strongly demonstrated country ownership and commitment to the Cairo POA and how this has become a platform for real policy change at country level. The UK Government have also advocated vigorously to maintain the ICPD consensus
2 Mar 2005 : Column 1149W
within the UN and elsewhere. Tony Blair was the first Head of State to sign the World Leaders Statement in support of ICPD plus 10. DFID also continues to support country programmes via budgetary support and project funding to NGOs, and agencies such as the Global Fund, active in reproductive health supply security.
The UK believes that sexual and reproductive health and rights are fundamental to attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Progress towards the attainment of the goals is currently being reviewed. The Sachs Millennium Project Review and accompanying Task Force Reports, all emphasise the importance of reproductive health and rights to the attainment of the MDGs. Access to reproductive health, a key feature of the Cairo POA, is identified within the main Sachs report as one of the quick wins"—solutions to implement now for speeding efforts to reduce poverty. DFID is therefore working with like-minded EU member states to ensure that positive reproductive health and rights messages strongly appear in the Secretary-General's report which is due in March.
Iraq
Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made in the reconstruction of (a) hospitals and (b) civic and judicial buildings in Iraq since the end of the war in 2003; and if he will make a statement. [218532]
Hilary Benn:
The Iraqi Ministry of Health is leading on the rehabilitation of health services in Iraq, working closely with international agencies including the World Health Organisation (WHO). The Ministry of Health reports that more than 75 hospitals and nearly all the primary care clinics which were damaged or looted during and after the 2003 conflict have been rehabilitated. Further work to construct and rehabilitate hospitals in Iraq is under way, and health services are gradually improving. More than $1 billion has been pledged in donor support to the health sector. In 2003, DFID provided £5 million to the WHO to enable it to assist the Iraqis on health issues, including improving the delivery of drugs and medical supplies.
2 Mar 2005 : Column 1150W
DFID is providing further support through its contribution to the United Nations and World Bank International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq, and through the provision of an adviser to the Iraqi Ministry of Health on secondment from the UK Department of Health. United States agencies are renovating 19 hospitals and constructing a new Paediatric Hospital in Basra, and the Japanese Government are funding the rehabilitation of 11 general hospitals.
The WHO is working to improve primary health care and emergency obstetric provision. The World Bank has agreed an emergency health and rehabilitation project to finance the rehabilitation of emergency services in 12 hospitals. Nevertheless, it will still take several years for Iraq's health sector to recover fully from the under-investment and poor management which it suffered under Saddam Hussein's regime, and approach the standards experienced in developed countries.
Comprehensive figures on the numbers of civic and judicial buildings which have been rehabilitated in Iraq since May 2003 are not readily available. However, considerable progress has been made in rebuilding Iraq's civic infrastructure. In the first year after the conflict, DFID renovated over 50 public buildings in southern Iraq including hospitals, universities and governorate offices, enabling the resumption of public sector work and the continued provision of services to the Iraqi people. United States agencies carried out similar work in other parts of Iraq, are currently renovating buildings for three Ministries in Baghdad, and are planning the construction of new facilities for the Council of Judges, Court of Cassation and Central Criminal Court .
St. Helena
Mr. MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the progress of the establishment of an airport on St.Helena. [218967]
Mr. Gareth Thomas:
Options to maintain future access for St. Helena are under consideration. Decisions will be taken, in consultation with the St. Helena Government, as soon as it is possible to do so.
2 Mar 2005 : Column 1151W
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Bovine TB
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when her Department was notified of the results of the four counties study on bovine tuberculosis in Ireland. [214124]
Mr. Bradshaw: My Department was notified of the final results of the Irish four area trial at the time of publication in Preventive Veterinary Medicine on 5 January.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many outbreaks of bovine tuberculosis in cattle herds in Cumbria were judged by her officials to be caused by infection transmitted by purchased stock during 2004. [214127]
Mr. Bradshaw: Seven of the 16 confirmed bovine tuberculosis breakdowns disclosed in Cumbria during 2004, were judged, to have been introduced through purchased stock. In a further incident, the source of infection was not definitive, however, purchased stock or contiguous contact were considered to be potential sources of infection. This number is provisional pending culture results for incidents disclosed in the last quarter of 2004.
BSE
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cases of BSE in cattle were reported (a) in the UK and (b) in each EU country in the last year for which figures are available. [217532]
Mr. Bradshaw: The information is as follows:
(a) The number of BSE cases reported in the United Kingdom for 2004 is as follows:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| Great Britain | 309 |
| Northern Ireland | 34 |
| United Kingdom | 343 |
Source:
DEFRA & DARD
(b) The number of BSE cases reported in European Union member states in 2004 is as follows:
Source:
OIE
2 Mar 2005 : Column 1152W
Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what estimate she has made of the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by private pleasure craft in each year since the Energy Products Directive came into force; [218535]
(2) what estimate she has made of the annual change in the level of carbon dioxide emissions that would take place if the rebate on diesel for private leisure craft under the Energy Products Directive were to end in 2006. [218536]
John Healey: This information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |