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19 Dec 2005 : Column 2516W—continued

South Asia Earthquake

Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the main categories of aid and supplies the UK has pledged to help victims of the South Asia Earthquake; and how much of each category which has been pledged has been delivered. [39304]

Mr. Thomas: Following the 8 October earthquake, DFID has pledged a total of £58 million to the immediate relief phase. The following table gives details of DFID allocations to date. These can be found in our regularly updated situation reports placed on the DFID website, www.dfid.gov.uk. In addition, DFID has pledged £70 million to support reconstruction and longer-term recovery.
DFID funding allocations

Partner	Activity	Amount (£)
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
Oxfam	3,500 winterised family tents, 19,700 collapsible 10-litre jerry cans, 7,530 wool blankets, 40,000 sleeping mats, 20,000 tarpaulins	(42)998,448
Oxfam	Water/sanitation	560,000
Islamic Relief	10,000 tarpaulins, 20,000 blankets, 1,000 winterised family tents	(42)258,000
Christian Aid/Church World Services	1,000 winterised tents in-kind; programme for shelter, food and first aid. 2,000 tarpaulins from Lahore (£10,000)	(43)310,000
Save the Children UK	Provision of shelter, blankets, clothing, primary health care, psycho social support to children	300,000
Save the Children UK	Shelter	600,000
Save the Children India	Shelter for India administered Kashmir	500,000
Action Aid	Food packages, health centres, psycho social support, and shelter; 1,250 tarpaulins from Lahore (£6,100)	306,100
Rural Support Programmes Network	Tents, food, sanitation, water; 2,750 tarpaulins from Lahore (£13,500)	313,500
Mercy Corps	Health units, emergency obstetrics and outreach	212,000
International Health Partners	Provision of various emergency medicines	50,000
Norwegian Refugee Council	Stoves and fuel	300,000
Norwegian Refugee Council	Shelter	700,000
CAFOD	Water and sanitation and shelter, and cash for work; 2,000 tarps from Lahore (£10,000)	310,000
International Medical Corps	Mobile health clinics, primary health care training, distribution of hygiene kits	289,000
GOAL	2,000 tarpaulins from Lahore	10,000
ACTED	Shelter, toolkits and latrines	300,000
Action Against Hunger	Wat/san	337,123
Internews	Communication, support to journalist training, radio distribution	300,000
Tearfund	Shelter	498,964
Merlin	To set up two field trauma units in the Panj Kot valley. Support to four primary health centres and health outreach via mobile units.	800,000
Australian Aid International	Health	199,424
Handicap International	Health assistance and rehabilitation to disabled population	300,000
Humanitarian Accountability Partnership International	Support to agency accountability mechanisms	45,402
International Rescue Corps	Health assistance	300,000
Solidarite	Water/sanitation	314,055
Sub-total		9,412,016
UN Agencies
Flash Appeal: $549 million requested for 6 months
WHO	Shipment of health and trauma kits to Pakistan (covering 40,000 people for 3 months) and programme surveillance and response teams. 1 staff secondment 3 months.	670,000
OCHA	Humanitarian Information Centre module + vehicle; other in-kind support (vehicles, staff secondments)	(42)350,000
OCHA	Coordination and additional support to the Humanitarian Information Centre	750,000
OCHA	Support to Security Communications via information communications technology	500,000
UNHAS	Support for helicopters, one refueler	2,258,250
UNHAS	Helicopter support	1,400,000
UNJLC	Staff secondments	50,000
WFP	Logistics support	800,000
WFP	Food support	650,000
UNDSS	Four vehicles to support United Nations Department for Safety and Security and relief worker safety and security	(42)150,000
IOM	Shelter packages including tents, stoves and cooking equipment, including 2 staff secondments	830,000
IOM	Shelter materials and personnel support	1,000,000
UNICEF	Water and sanitation, staff secondment	1,080,000
UNHCR	Camp management, staff secondments	1,250,000
UNHCR	Airlift for 27,000 stoves	126,493
Details of DFID secondments	DFID secondments: liaison officer for Humanitarian Information Centre (OCHA); air operations expert (UN Joint Logistics Centre); 3 shelter experts (IOM); 1 Civ/mil officer (OCHA Military Civil Defence Agency); 1 logistician (WHO); 4 military logistical planners (UNJLC); 1 GIS officer for HIC (OCHA); 1 air ops (UNHAS); 2 water supply specialists (UNICEF); 1 senior site planner (UNHCR).
Sub-total allocated		11,864,743
Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
ICRC	Helicopters, winter clothing, tents and food in Pakistan administered Kashmir; one refueler	2,578,250
Federation	Relief supplies for NWFP Pakistan	2,000,000
Sub-total		4,578,250
MOD Operations; DFID marginal costs
MOD	Three Chinooks deployed for 28 days until 25 November
MOD	C130 airlift of rations and water from Kabul
MOD	40 tonnes of vegetarian rations and transport from UK to NATO Air Bridge
MOD	Airlift of 2 PUMA helicopters from Spain for use by ICRC
Sub-total allocated		(44)3,000,000
DEC airlift
DEC	Merlin (26 flights)	228,751
DEC	British Red Cross (21 flights)	1,730,437
DEC	Save the Children (10 flights)	503,162
DEC	Oxfam (7 flights)	354,875
DEC	Islamic Relief (4 flights)	420,000
DEC	World Vision (5 flights)	218,766
DEC	Christian Aid (3 flights)	346,080
DEC	Pakistan High Commission (1 flight)	126,000
DEC	Miscellaneous costs	75,671
Sub-total allocated		4,003,433
NATO support
NATO	Charter heavy lift aircraft to transport priority relief items from UN warehouses in Europe and the Middle East to Pakistan	(45)2,000,000
NATO	59 Independent Commando Squadron, Royal Engineers to work under NATO command for shelter construction in high areas	(45)2,500,000
ECHO
ECHO	DFID contribution towards European Commission Humanitarian Office funding	1,600,000
DFID Pakistan
Various organisations	To be programmed to support local humanitarian efforts	(45)1,000,000
Birdlife International	Immediate relief activities	17,000
Rural water supply and sanitation programme	Water/sanitation	385,587
Helicopter operation
Helicopters	4 Mil-8 medium lift helicopters to the UNHAS operation four months	4,100,000
DFID direct costs
Direct costs	Search and Rescue teams; DFID assessment teams, operating costs	2,050,000
Total		46,108,442

⁽⁴²⁾In kind.
⁽⁴³⁾Including £115,000 in kind.
⁽⁴⁴⁾Estimated.
⁽⁴⁵⁾Allocated.



 
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Sunset Clauses

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is in respect of the use of sunset clauses in legislation. [37392]

Hilary Benn: The appropriateness of a sunset clause for the whole or part of any proposed legislation is considered on a case by case basis. It is also addressed when a regulatory impact assessment relation to legislation is being prepared.

DFID is not currently taking any legislation through Parliament.

Uganda

Mr. Joyce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he plans to press for the United Nations Security Council to discuss and adopt a resolution on the conflict in northern Uganda during the UK's presidency. [35701]

Hilary Benn: The UK is committed to find a resolution to the conflict in northern Uganda. I am aware a number of non-governmental organisations have written to my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, advocating a UN Security Council Resolution during the UK's Presidency of the Security Council in December. These ideas are currently being considered.

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken by his Department to tackle the use of child soldiers in northern Uganda. [35738]

 
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Hilary Benn: The UK Government deplores the use of child soldiers. Child abduction is the rebel Lord's Resistance Army's (LRA) principle recruitment method. Although a recent World Health Organisation Survey in parts of northern Uganda indicated a significant decline in LRA abduction rates in 2005, the problem remains serious. Large numbers of children are forced to commute into town centres at night to avoid abduction by the LRA. We are helping UNICEF provide safe shelters in which these children can sleep. We are also helping UNICEF re-integrate child soldiers that escape or are rescued from the LRA through counselling, help with tracing families and specific initiatives to deal with the social challenges of re-integration.

We remain concerned about continued reports of a small number of under age recruits in the Ugandan army. Uganda has ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which prohibits recruitment into the armed forces under the age of 18. The Government of Uganda works with agencies such as UNICEF to ensure underage recruits are identified and demobilised. UK officials in Kampala continue to monitor the situation closely.

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