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Consultants

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the contracts let by his Department to external consultants that were subsequently sub-let in each of the past five years; and what the value was of each (a) original and (b) sub-let contract. [49220]

 
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Hilary Benn: The Department for international Development (DFID) welcomes consortia and sub-contracting arrangements. However, no business has been sub-contracted in its entirety subsequent to the issue of contract.

Global Fund (Myanmar)

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding has been pledged by the UK to the global fund to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria; how much of that funding has been delivered; and if he will make a statement. [48946]

Mr. Thomas: The UK has pledged £359 million to the Global Fund for the period 2002 to 2008. Our contribution in 2005 was £51 million, which brings our total contribution delivered to date, to £159 million. Over the next two years, we have pledged to provide £100 million to the Global Fund for 2006 and £100 million for 2007 to support the fund's estimated resource needs of US$ 7 billion for this period. The two-year total of £200 million represents 8.4 per cent. of the total pledged to date (i.e. £3.7 billion) and 5.1 percent. of the US$ 7 billion total resource needs. This is above our gross national income (GNI) fair share and is consistent with our past support. The UK is currently the fourth largest donor for the period 2006 and 2007 (after France, the US and Japan) and the second largest in the EU.

There will be a mid-term review of the Global Fund's replenishment process in June. This will be an opportunity for the international community to review further the Global Fund's performance and urge new and existing donors to put in more money. The UK will continue its efforts to encourage additional support for the Global Fund, including from the private sector.

Millennium Development Goals

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department has taken to implement the recommendation in paragraph 3 of the UN General Assembly resolution A/60/L.2 on the World Programme of Action for Youth, relating to Youth and the Millennium Development Goals. [49219]

Hilary Benn: DFID funds programmes that support young people as an integral part of many of its international development programmes. DFID encourages its development partners to adopt an inclusive approach and to involve all groups in society, including young people, in developing and monitoring their Poverty Reduction Strategies.

DFID has provided support for young people's participation in a number of countries. Examples include working with schoolchildren, as well as their carers and teachers, to develop School Improvement Plans in Malawi, and encouraging consultation with children and young people in the development of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo's plan for reducing poverty.

In Sierra Leone, DFID has contributed to youth projects to provide conciliation resources and equip young people with skills to develop their livelihoods;
 
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community re-integration projects, with a focus on child soldiers; and a programme for promoting peace, security and stability, through a radio programme for children, produced by children, and through training young people to use dialogue as a means of resolving or transforming conflict. The UK Government also provides 30 per cent. of the funding for the Commonwealth Youth Programme. Its contribution this year is £650,000.

The Government are committed to the eighth Millennium Development Goal, a Global Partnership for Development, which includes supporting decent and productive work for youth. The Government's support for youth employment is mainly channelled through the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the World Bank.

DFID is also completing a briefing note on post primary education, which will recognise the increasing importance of addressing the educational needs of young men and women.

I have arranged for copies of a recent DFID policy paper entitled 'Reducing Poverty by tackling Social Exclusion' to be placed in the Libraries of the House. DFID will take forward work to encourage participation by young people in decisions that affect their lives as an integral part of its work on social exclusion.

Rwanda

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much bilateral aid the UK spent in Rwanda in each of the past eight years for which records are available; and what the planned figures are for each of the next five years. [49217]

Hilary Benn: The following Table 1 provides the bilateral aid the UK has provided to Rwanda since 1997–98, while Table 2 provides the UK imputed multilateral share to EC. Table 3 provides the planned bilateral aid figures for the next three years.
Table 1: UK's bilateral aid to Rwanda 1999–98 to 2004–05

Fiscal year	Total bilateral gross public expenditure (£000)
1997–98	6,166
1998–99	13,568
1999–2000	14,279
2000–01	32,431
2001–02	26,818
2002–03	31,937
2003–04	26,910
2004–05	45,028

Table 2: UK imputer share to Rwanda through EC

	£ million
1994	5
1995	1.8
1996	5.9
1997	4.4
1998	2.4
1999	3.2
2000	7.3
2001	5.3
2002	3.3
2003	3.7

 
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Table 3: Planned bilateral expenditure for Rwanda

Fiscal year	Total bilateral gross public expenditure–planned (£000)
2005–06	46,000
2006–07	46,000
2007–08	46,000

Sudan

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had on a renewed and strengthened UN mandate on Darfur. [49086]

Hilary Benn: I have had a number of such discussions. DFID welcomes the African Union's (AU) decision at the 12 January Peace and Security Council (PSC) expressing support in principle to handing over its monitoring mission in Darfur (AMIS) to the UN. The UN Security Council has instructed the UN Secretary General to report back to the Council on the options for such a UN operation. We are discussing with the UN and the AU, the possible size, mandate and composition.

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding he has supplied to the African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur; and whether he plans to allocate further funds. [49087]

Hilary Benn: The UK has committed £19 million funding this financial year to the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS). This brings our total contribution to AMIS, since its inception, to almost £32 million. We are using this money to provide equipment (we have purchased a total of over 900 vehicles), as well as military and civilian policing advice, expertise and training. Some of our contribution has also funded airlift of troops into Darfur, and further troop rotation this year. The UK will continue to support AMIS during its deployment, and the AU-led mediation of the Abuja peace talks on Darfur.

WALES

Departmental Expenditure

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the annual expenditure on (a) fixture and fittings, (b) general office expenses and (c) office equipment was of his Department in (i) Wales and (ii) each English region in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06 in each case. [40099]

Mr. Hain: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs on 23 January 2006, Official Report, column 1834W.
 
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Dispensing Appliance Contractors

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the likely effect on services and support for patients in Carmarthen, East and Dinefwr of the review of the system by which dispensing appliance contractors are paid; and whether specialist products for patients will continue (a) to be available and (b) to be paid for by his Department. [43169]

Mr. Hain: This is a matter for the Welsh Assembly Government. I understand that no decision on the way forward in Wales has been made yet. The consultation period on the proposals in England ended on 23 January and the Welsh Assembly Government are currently watching developments and will decide in due course on the most appropriate action for Wales.

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