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Africa (Humanitarian Relief)

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the capacity of international donor countries to offer humanitarian relief following the UN appraisal of African countries at risk of famine. [55330]

Hilary Benn: The UN has issued a number of reports recently about food shortages and the effects of drought in Africa. We have been among the leaders in responding, and are in close discussion with other donor
 
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countries to ensure that adequate resources are made available to deal with these crises. At the same time we are pushing forward a major initiative to reform the international humanitarian system to improve the timeliness and effectiveness of relief operations.

Burma

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether aid delivery through local civilian administrations referred to in Article 5 of the EU Common Position on Burma includes the Union Solidarity Development Association. [54636]

Mr. Thomas: Aid delivery through local civilian administrations referred to in Article 5 of the EU Common Position on Burma does not include the Union Solidarity Development Association.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of whether (a) UK and (b) EU humanitarian assistance grants in Burma have been used for the purposes for which they were intended. [54644]

Mr. Thomas: DFID provides humanitarian assistance grants to a number of United Nations (UN) agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), all of which are held accountable by DFID for ensuring that funds are used for the intended purpose as specified in project documents. Assessments are made for each project at least once every year as part of a formal review process. There have been no cases of grants being used for other than the purpose intended. We maintain a regular dialogue with EC officials on their humanitarian assistance, but we have not made a formal assessment.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS projects supplying antiretrovirals funded by his Department in Burma; and whether the regime in Burma is allowing effective monitoring of patients supplied with antiretrovirals. [54645]

Mr. Thomas: DFID funds HIV/AIDS projects supplying anti-retrovirals through the UN-managed Joint Programme for HIV/AIDS in Myanmar. The most recent progress report on this programme judged that it was increasing access to and quality of care, treatment and support of people living with HIV/AIDS. In 2004–05, this programme planned to supply anti-retrovirals to 687 people, but was able to reach 734 people. We are not aware of any difficulties in monitoring patients receiving anti-retrovirals.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what humanitarian assistance projects his Department supports in Karen National Union-held territory in Burma. [54647]

Mr. Thomas: DFID provides direct assistance to displaced people in Burma through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to support their work with conflict-affected populations. Spending on specific displaced populations, such as in the Karen National Union-held territory is not identifiable. Since 2000, DFID has provided total funding of £2.3 million to the ICRC (this also includes support for ICRC's prison visits). Several other DFID-funded projects, including
 
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through local non-governmental organisations (NGO)s, also include displaced populations among their recipients.

Cayman Islands

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what financial assistance has been given to Grand Cayman Island following severe hurricanes in 2005. [55945]

Mr. Thomas: DFID provided approximately £250,000 in direct assistance to Cayman Islands in 2004, for emergency supplies and services in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Ivan. DFID also funds a full time Disaster Risk Reduction adviser to the Caribbean Overseas Territories, who provides ongoing expertise to these countries to strengthen and improve their disaster preparedness. Accordingly, he visited the Cayman Islands in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Ivan to advise on recovery planning.

DFID further funded a study of the impact of Hurricane Ivan to help learn from the Cayman Islands' experience of handling the emergency. The adviser has worked in the region throughout the 2005 hurricane season and will continue to do so until August 2006.

DFID also placed a Humanitarian and Disaster Risk Reduction Adviser in the region, based in Barbados, for the 2005 hurricane season. The adviser liaised with, and provided advice to, regional agencies and other development partners dealing with Disaster Risk Reduction and the continuing response to Hurricane Ivan and to Hurricane Emily in July 2005.

The UK also had relief supplies on board one of the frigates based in the Caribbean in preparation for a disaster response in the region.

Chad

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Chad on the appropriate use of oil revenues. [55431]

Hilary Benn: There have been no recent bilateral discussions between DFID and the Government of Chad on the use of oil revenues. The Government of Chad has held recent discussions with the World Bank, including on their intention to implement the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. In January 2006, the World Bank suspended all their lending to Chad due to their concerns about the use of oil revenues. The World Bank are continuing to discuss with Chadian officials how to safeguard the oil revenues intended for poverty reduction programs included in their original agreement.

Common Agricultural Policy

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with his Cabinet colleagues regarding the reform of the common agricultural policy. [55322]

Mr. Thomas: The Government acknowledge the damaging impact that developed countries trade-distorting agricultural subsidies have on developing
 
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countries. In December last year the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and Her Majesty's Treasury (HMT) jointly published a paper on 'A vision for the Common Agricultural Policy'. This sets out the UK Government's vision for European agriculture which is fundamentally sustainable and does not distort international trade. The paper includes an analysis of the impacts of the CAP on developing countries, which DFID contributed to.

Congo-Brazzaville

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of (a) the level of corruption in Congo-Brazzaville, (b) the impact of such corruption on debt relief negotiations and (c) the possible effect of debt relief in entrenching corruption. [55401]

Hilary Benn: DFID does not have a bilateral programme of assistance to the Republic of Congo. We are however aware of long-standing allegations of corruption, including the use of oil revenues, and share the concerns of many about this.

Strengthening governance and tackling corruption in the Republic of Congo are essential if the country is to eradicate poverty and meet its development objectives. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank recognise this, and are addressing the issue through their programmes. We welcome the Republic of Congo government signing up to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, and urge it to continue to improve its performance in this area.

As a heavily indebted poor country (HIPC), the Republic of Congo is eligible for debt relief through the HIPC Initiative. This is currently under discussion at the IMF and the World Bank, and we expect the institutions to make a statement once that discussion has been concluded. To qualify for debt relief, the HIPC Initiative requires countries to demonstrate a track record in poverty reduction and sound economic management; to get irrevocable cancellation countries must also complete a number of important actions and reforms. To date, many HIPC countries have undertaken to strengthen public expenditure management and accountability, as well as making progress in health, education and other areas. The IMF and World Bank are clear that resources released through debt relief must be used to reduce poverty, and they have a range of safeguards to achieve that.

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