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28 Oct 2005 : Column 626W—continued
Low-income Countries
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support his Department (a) is providing and (b) intends to provide for the implementation of anti-corruption measures in (i)countries which have qualified for debt relief under the heavily indebted poor countries programme and (ii)other countries; and if he will make a statement. [21613]
Hilary Benn: DFID anti corruption strategies make no distinction between heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) and other countries. The approach must be tailored to the specific circumstances prevalent in each individual country.
Countries qualify for HIPC debt relief where they can demonstrate their commitment to poverty reduction and to sound macro economic management. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) also assess public financial management and agree actions that countries will take to improve these systems. Where DFID gives direct budgetary support as part of our bilateral programmes in HIPC and non-HIPC countries, we undertake a comprehensive fiduciary risk assessment based on a thorough evaluation of partner Government public financial management systems, which include a specific evaluation of corruption. Where weaknesses are identified, appropriate anti corruption interventions are designed accordingly.
Corruption is both a symptom and a cause of poor governance. Therefore, DFID bilateral programmes typically include support to a range of governance reforms. Support has been given to improve judicial systems, for example in Kenya, Nigeria Uganda and Sierra Leone. DFID has also provided technical and financial support to dedicated anti-corruption commissions in Sierra Leone, Malawi, Uganda and Zambia. DFID also supports a number of regional anti-corruption related initiatives spanning many of the HIPC countries, such as the regional anti-money laundering groups representing eastern and southern Africa (ESAAMLG) and western Africa (GIABBA).
Non-departmental Public Bodies
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list those of his Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies which the Government are required (a) to consult prior to legislative proposals and (b) to publish their response to advice from. [20154]
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Mr. Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) is responsible for one advisory non-departmental public body, the Overseas Service Pensions Scheme Advisory Board (OSPSAB).
The Overseas Service Pensions Scheme Advisory Board was created to advise the Secretary of State for International Development on the administration of the overseas service pensions scheme 1985 and the investment of the fund's assets.
The overseas service pensions scheme 1985 is now in the process of being defunded. On completion of this, the Advisory Board will be dissolved.
The Secretary of State is not required (a) to consult the Advisory Board prior to legislative proposals, nor (b) to publish his response to the Advisory Board's advice.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department have a statutory base; which (a) publish their advice to Government, (b) publish an annual report and (c) lay an annual report before Parliament; and whether it is under a statutory requirement in each case. [20155]
Mr. Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) is responsible for one advisory non-departmental public body, the Overseas Service Pensions Scheme Advisory Board (OSPSAB).
The Overseas Service Pensions Scheme Advisory Board was created to advise the Secretary of State for International Development on the administration of the overseas service pensions scheme 1985 and the investment of the fund's assets.
The overseas service pensions scheme 1985 is now in the process of being defunded. On completion of this, the Advisory Board will be dissolved.
The Advisory Board (a) publishes its advice in the minutes of meetings, under the terms of its freedom of information publication scheme, (b) publishes an annual report and accounts which (c) are laid in Parliament, as required by the Pensions Act, 1995.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department (a) hold public meetings, (b) conduct public consultation exercises, (c) conduct consultation exercises with outside commercial interests, (d) publish a register of members' interests, (e) publish agendas for meetings and (f) publish the minutes of meetings; and whether it is under a statutory requirement in each case. [20156]
Mr. Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) is responsible for one advisory non-departmental public body, the Overseas Service Pensions Scheme Advisory Board (OSPSAB).
The Overseas Service Pensions Scheme Advisory Board was created to advise the Secretary of State for International Development on the administration of the overseas service pensions scheme 1985 and the investment of the fund's assets.
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The overseas service pensions scheme 1985 is now in the process of being defunded. On completion of this, the Advisory Board will be dissolved.
The Advisory Board does not hold public meetings, conduct public consultation exercises, conduct consultation exercises with outside commercial interests, or publish a register of members' interests. It does, however, publish agendas for meetings and publish minutes of meetings under the terms of the overseas service pensions scheme's freedom of information publication scheme.
Overseas Aid
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how the Department decides how much money to allocate to different projects within each country; and if he will make a statement. [21949]
Hilary Benn: DFID country assistance plans (CAPs) set out the details of how DFID, together with its development partners will support developing countries to implement their poverty reduction strategies. These plans are mandatory for programmes incurring DFID expenditure of over £20 million a year. All CAPs are publicly available.
The plans are updated every three to five years and comprise an analysis of what needs to be done to reduce poverty; and the actions which are currently planned by both the partner Government and other donors to address this. The CAP then provides an assessment of how DFID can effectively complement these activities and where the deployment of our resources can make most impact. DFID's allocations to projects and programmes flow from this analysis.
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the overseas projects funded by his Department, ranked in order of their impact on poverty. [21950]
Hilary Benn: All DFID projects and programmes valued over £1 million are assessed annually on their individual performance rather than being ranked. The direct impact of DFID's overall activities and their impact on poverty is covered in the two main departmental publications, the departmental and autumn performance reports.
DFID's 2004 autumn performance report and the 2005 departmental report are available the Libraries of both Houses. The 2005 autumn performance report, which is expected to be published at the beginning of December, specifically highlights the actions and activities that DFID is taking forward to address under-performance against the millennium development goals (MDG)s. I will arrange for copies of the 2005 report to be deposited the Libraries of both Houses once they have been made available.
Poorly Performing Projects
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding was (a) reduced for relatively poor performing projects and (b) increased for more effective projects in each of the last eight financial years. [21946]
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Hilary Benn: DFID manages its budget to ensure resources are used effectively, guided by agreed strategic priorities and by any adjustments to individual projects and programmes agreed following regular monitoring. We do not keep a record of adjustments between individual projects.
Poverty Reduction
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how the Department measures the relative performance of the projects it funds in terms of their effectiveness in reducing poverty. [21945]
Hilary Benn: DFID's Public Service Agreement with HM Treasury commits us to continuous improvement . All DFID projects and programmes have specific and measurable development objectives Those above £1 million in cost are subject to formal monitoring and performance assessment annually, using DFID's project recording and information system for management (PRISM). We also produce project completion reports and run an extensive programme of evaluation to learn and disseminate lessons.
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