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7 Mar 2006 : Column 1401W—continued
Spending Review (Efficiency Targets)
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what interim targets he has set for achieving (a) the agreed efficiency target for his Department and (b) the civil service work force reductions targets for (i) gross reductions in posts, (ii) net reductions in posts and (iii) relocations for his Department, as set out in the 2004 Spending Review; what the baseline figures are against which these interim targets are assessed; on what dates they will take effect; and by what dates these interim targets are intended to be met. [52910]
Hilary Benn: DFID has agreed the following interim targets and dates:
(a) For the agreed efficiency target of £420 million by March 2008, the Department has set intermediate targets of £160 million by March 2006 and £303 million by March 2007.
(b) For civil service work force numbers the interim targets set by the Department are 1,820 by March 2006 and 1,715 by March 2007. The final target of 1,610 will be achieved by March 2008. The gross reduction compared to the April 2004 baseline of 1,780 therefore represents 170 staff. DFID does not have targets for net reductions in post. On relocations 75 posts will have been moved by March 2006 with the full target of 85 achieved by March 2007.
In December 2005, DFID agreed a revised Efficiency Technical Note which contains baseline figures for all its efficiency targets. The Technical Note is available to the public on DFID's website (http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/efficiency-technical-note.pdf).
Mrs. Villiers:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what baseline figures he is using for assessing progress on his Department's targets to (a) increase the percentage of bilateral programme spending going to budget support, (b) improve the value for money of aid projects, (c) increase the level of
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EC aid going to low income countries, (d) raise support for the International Development Association replenishment round, (e) deliver cashable savings on administration costs and (f) improve procurement; what progress has been made towards these targets to date; and what the total efficiency savings achieved to date are for these targets. [52927]
Hilary Benn: In December 2005 DFID agreed a revised Efficiency Technical Note which contains baseline figures for all its efficiency targets. The Technical Note is available to the public on DFID's website (http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/efficiency-technical-note.pdf).
To 31 December 2005, DFID has achieved £41.1 million of efficiency gains. Against each target, progress is as follows:
(a) For the percentage of bilateral programme spending going to budget support: Figures remain provisional until the end of year outturns after the end of March 2006. Forecasts for 2005–06 predict that £922 million will be channelled through programmatic support, an increase of £242 million over the baseline. Efficiencies in the first nine months therefore amount to £36 million.
(b) For the value for money of bilateral projects: Data from quarter 3 2005–06 does not yet show any improvement on the baseline.
(c) For the level of EC aid going to low income countries: Figures will become available from the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Development (OECD) after the end of the financial year.
(d) For DFID's contribution to the International Development Association: The conclusion of negotiations for IDA 14 (the latest replenishment, covering the period 2005–08) has resulted in a 59 per cent. increase in the basic contribution over IDA 13. Efficiency gains will be declared as promissory notes are drawn down. This will now take place in 2006–07.
(f) For procurement savings: Results from the last nine months show greater than expected success, with £5.1 million of cashable savings made against a target of £3 million by March 2006.
St. Helena
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid has been given to St. Helena in each of the last eight years. [56865]
Mr. Thomas: DFID has provided the following aid to St. Helena over the last eight years:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 8,765,000 |
| 1998–99 | 8,806,000 |
| 1999–2000 | 9,362,000 |
| 2000–01 | 10,115,000 |
| 2001–02 | 10,106,000 |
| 2002–03 | 9,555,000 |
| 2003–04 | 10,525,000 |
| 2004–05 | 14,481,000 |
St. Helena also benefits from DFID's 'regional' Overseas Territories programme. Individual country shares of this cannot be attributed without incurring a disproportionate cost.
The European Development Fund also allocates funds for the UK Overseas Territories. Cumulative allocations since 1993 total approximately €86.33 million (the UK share of which is about €10.79 million or about £7.2 million). This sum, some of which is still being committed to or spent on approved development activities, has been shared among eligible UK Overseas Territories. St. Helena's share (which includes provision for Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha) is €18,150 million (approximately £12.3 million).
Sudan
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the UN mandate in respect of Darfur. [55327]
Hilary Benn: There is currently no UN mandate covering peacekeeping operations in Darfur. Peace support operations there are at present being conducted by African Union personnel (AMIS) on the basis of a Memorandum of Understanding between the African Union (AU) and the Government of Sudan. The UK and other international partners recently participated in a joint assessment mission with the AU. This concluded that AMIS' current mandate is adequate but that the African Union Mission's capacity needs to develop further if it is to be able to carry out the tasks required. We will continue to assist the AU in this.
Tax Competition
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the impact of tax competition on developing countries. [55056]
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Mr. Thomas: The Department for International Development's (DFID) second White Paper, Eliminating World Poverty: Making Globalisation Work for the Poor", December 2000, drew attention to the dangers for developing countries of tax competition—the process whereby Governments offer ever more generous tax concessions (such as tax holidays) in an attempt to attract new investment.
Tax competition can have harmful effects if it compromises Governments' ability to raise revenue to fund essential services.
DFID has supported several international studies in this area (for example, by the World Bank and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). While specific features of a tax regime may influence some investment decisions in some countries at some times, the general conclusion of this work is that selective tax incentives can unnecessarily reduce Government revenues while having little effect in attracting new investment. Consistent with this finding, DFID's policy work emphasises that developing countries should focus on improving the quality of their overall investment climates for domestic and foreign investors alike, rather than competing on taxes.
UN Peacebuilding Commission
Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the establishment of a UN peacebuilding commission. [55922]
Hilary Benn: The UN Millennium Review Summit agreed to establish the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) on 16 September 2005. The Commission was brought into being on 20 December 2005 by joint decision of the UN Security Council and General Assembly. Its functions are to (a) marshal resources for peacebuilding; (b) advise and approve strategies for reconstruction and institution building and (c) extend the period of international attention on peacebuilding in countries emerging from conflict.
Work to appoint the members of the Peacebuilding Commission's organisational committee is currently under way. Once the remaining members are chosen, we expect the Commission to rapidly identify priority countries for its support.
I believe that the establishment of the Peacebuilding Commission is a significant step forward in assisting countries to emerge from conflict and towards sustainable development. The Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are working closely with the UN Secretariat to ensure that the Commission is able to start its work as soon as possible.
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