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7 Dec 2005 : Column 1284W—continued
Global Fund
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with his G8 colleagues about funding for the Global Fund since the London conference on 5 and 6 September 2005, what assessment he has made about the level of money pledged to the Global Funds as a result of the London conference; what firm pledges have been received from donor countries to the Global Fund who were unable to make commitments at the London conference; and if he will make a statement on the UK's commitment to the Global Fund. [33994]
Mr. Thomas:
Since the London Replenishment Conference for the Global Fund, the UK has continued discussions with G8 partners, through G8 officials'
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meetings, to ensure that the Gleneagles commitment to the Global Fund is met. We will also re-double our efforts to make Global Fund resources work better and demonstrate good results. This is crucial if the Global Fund is to widen its funding base and achieve the longer term sustainability it needs.
At the London conference, donors pledged US$ 3.7 billion for the two-year period 2006–2007, more than half the estimated US $7 billion needed to replenish the Global Fund for this period. This is a significant achievement which has enabled all existing Global Fund projects to continue plus provided funding for a small number of new projects. The Replenishment conference also focused on improving the Global Fund performance at global and country level. To make the Global Fund's money work effectively, the UK also pledged at the Replenishment conference, to double our contribution to the Joint United Nations Programme for HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) from £8 million to £16 million for the financial year 2005–6. Replenishment of the Global Fund is an on-going process. A follow-up Conference will be held in June 2006 to secure additional pledges.
Donors who were unable to make pledges at the London conference (due to their funding cycles) included Canada, the US and the EC. Since the conference, Canada announced a firm pledge of Can$ 250 million (around US$ 213 million) (this was included in the US$ 3.7 billion pledging figure). The US House and Senate Conference Committee have now approved US$ 450 million for the Global Fund for 2006. This is US$150 million more than was anticipated in London. In addition, the US may appropriate more through the forthcoming Health and Human Services Bill. The European Commission's 2006 budget is still being finalised and the Financial Perspectives governing the budget from 2007 are yet to be agreed. Currently the European Union (including the Commission and members states) has pledged almost 60 per cent. of the commitments made at the conference to the Global Fund's finances for 2006 and 2007.
At the Replenishment Conference, the UK doubled its funding to the Global Fund from £51 million for 2006 and £51 million in 2007, to £100 million for 2006 and £100 million for 2007. Our contribution amounted to some 10 per cent. of the total US$3.7 billion pledged. Overall the UK has pledged 359 million (US$ 640 million) to the Global Fund over seven years (2002–08). DFID will continue to encourage donors to do as much as they can to substantially increase their contributions to the Global Fund.
Global Tariffs
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the likely implications for developing countries of President Bush's recent comments on reducing global tariffs. [34882]
Mr. Thomas:
DFID would welcome moves to reduce tariffs, subsidies and other barriers to the free flow of goods and services. The UK has made assessments based
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on studies from the World Bank, the United Nations and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that suggest substantial gains for developing countries resulting from developed country liberalisation of agricultural and industrial trade. Of course, the level of gains for developing countries depends on the level of reform in developed country agriculture policies and liberalisation efforts undertaken by developing countries themselves. If the current round of trade talks are really to deliver their Development objectives, then clearly, as the Prime Minister has said, all sides need to move further and allow poor countries to trade their way out of poverty.
Humanitarian/Reconstruction Assistance
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much and what proportion of his Department's spending has been allocated to humanitarian and reconstruction assistance in (a) Africa, (b) Sub-Saharan Africa, (c) Iraq and (d) Afghanistan in each year since 1997. [34843]
Hilary Benn: The amounts and proportion of DFID spending allocated to humanitarian assistance in Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, Iraq and Afghanistan are shown in the table.
DFID does not centrally track specific expenditure on reconstruction assistance. It would incur a disproportionate cost for all country offices to undertake this analysis.
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Maladministration
Mr. Laws:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many payments for maladministration have been made by (a) his
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Department, (b) its agencies, (c) its non-departmental public bodies and (d) other bodies for which his Department has responsibility in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [32242]
Hilary Benn: It is the policy of DFID to make financial redress for maladministration in accordance with the guidance set out in Chapter 18.7 and Annexes 18.1 and 18.2 of Government Accounting.
The number of payments made by DFID in each of the last five years is set out in the following table. It should be noted that of these cases, over the five year period, only six related to DFID operation, the remaining majority related to payments to pensioners and dependants through the Overseas Superannuation Department:
| DFID | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | 2004–05 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department | 4 | 21 | 6 | 7 | 12 |
| Agencies(1) | — | — | — | — | — |
| NDPBs(1) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bodies sponsored by Department(1) | — | — | — | — | — |
(1) DFID has no agencies, non-departmental public bodies, or other bodies for which it has responsibility, to be included in this report.
Malawi
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the UK has taken (a) to respond to (i) the food shortages and (ii) other humanitarian needs in Malawi and (b) prevent further food crisis in the country in 2006. [33988]
Hilary Benn: The UK Government have contributed £18.2 million to address Malawi's food shortages this year. These funds will pay for around 55,000 tons of maize with pulses and oil to provide a balanced diet. This food will be distributed with the help of non-governmental organisations on the ground to poor people whose harvests have failed and who do not have money to buy food. Our funds also paid options for the Government of Malawi on a further 60,000 tons of maize, the purchase of seeds for the harvest in 2006 and Government capacity building, including financing a logistics unit to distribute food on behalf of the Government.
On other humanitarian requirements, the UK Government are providing support to UNICEF for the treatment of severely malnourished children. In addition, the £100 million that the UK Government are contributing to the health sector over six years is helping to address related health problems, such as cholera 'outbreaks, which have been dealt with successfully.
The prospects for food production in 2006 depend principally on the weather, for which the long-term forecasts are encouraging. The UK and other donors are meeting with the Government of Malawi on 7 and 8 December to examine the effectiveness of existing policies for agriculture and safety nets and to identify new approaches that will be more effective in addressing the underlying problems through faster growth and better support to reduce chronic problems of hunger.
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