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17 July 2006 : Column 48W—continued
Inclusive Education
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development in what ways his Department is supporting (a) inclusive education and (b) inclusive education in teacher training in developing countries. [85359]
Hilary Benn:
DFID is committed to inclusive education and teacher training related to this, being part of education sector investment plans. In addition, DFID provides targeted support; for example in Vietnam, DFID has co-financed with the Government of Vietnam, the World Bank and other donors the Primary Education for Disadvantaged Children programme, a £243 million project which was launched
in October 2003 and includes a strong focus on inclusive education. In Kenya, DFID is supporting an innovative pilot project with Sightsavers and the Ministry of Education to provide assistive technology to all totally blind and severe low-vision students at Kenyatta University and three Teacher Training Colleagues.
Iraq
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate he has made of the number of internally displaced people in Iraq. [84201]
Hilary Benn: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) published figures in June 2006, which give an overall estimate of 1.3 million people internally displaced in Iraq.
Of these, the IOM believes that nearly 100,000 people have been displaced in Iraq’s central and southern governorates since the bombing of the shrine at Samara on 22 February.
The IOM add that numbers are estimates only and are continually changing. More information and updates are available on the IOM website (http://www.iom.int).
Since the 2003 conflict, DFID has provided £85 million humanitarian assistance for Iraq, to help avert a major humanitarian crisis and to assist in the restoration of essential services. DFID has also contributed £32 million to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement in Iraq, and provided £7.2 million to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for humanitarian work, including work to assist displaced people.
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the availability of medicine in hospitals in Iraq. [85873]
Hilary Benn: In 2003, following increasing concerns regarding drug shortages in Iraq, the World Health Organisation (WHO) set up a task force to look at of the problem.
Since then WHO has been working with the Ministry of Health in Iraq to improve drug supply systems. In addition to training staff, WHO is working with Iraqis to build new systems, monitor and plan the supply of essential drugs, establish quality control, and assist emergency planning. This has included direct supply of some essential medicines to Iraq.
Shortages remain and WHO advises that the national drug supply management system is still in need of technical and logistical assistance.
DFID has given most of its assistance to the Iraqi health sector through financial contributions to
international organisations, including WHO, that have particular expertise in health. These contributions include:
£5 million to WHO, which has helped to fund the delivery of emergency medical supplies, supported clinics and hospitals in Baghdad and Basra, and supports the Iraqi Government's Health Sector Working Group. More information can be found at: http://www.who.int/en
£32 million to the International Red Cross for immediate humanitarian assistance
£70 million to the United Nations and World Bank multi-donor trust funds for Iraq. These trust funds finance reconstruction in a number of areas including health. The UN trust fund has approved 10 health and nutrition projects, in total valued at $96 million. The World Bank trust fund also has a $25 million health rehabilitation project which finances priority emergency services, including basic medical equipment and essential drugs. More information on both trust funds can be found at: http://www.irffi.org
Kosovo and Somalia (Aid)
Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid his Department (a) has given in each of the last three financial years and (b) plans to give in each of the next three financial years to (i) Kosovo and (ii) Somalia; and what percentage (A) was and (B) is planned to be allocated (1) as bilateral aid, (2) as multilateral aid via the EU, (3) as multilateral aid via the UN, (4) as multilateral aid via Bretton Woods institutions and (5) through non-governmental organisations and other voluntary and charity sector organisations. [84128]
Mr. Thomas: In the three financial years from 2002-03, DFID spent £3.1 million, £2.5 million and £2.12 million in Kosovo, all on technical assistance. Our allocation for 2005-06 was £2.7 million. Expenditure figures are being finalised. We intend to provide approximately £3 million in 2006-07 and expect this level to continue for the next two financial years. Virtually all EC support to Kosovo is given through the European Agency for Reconstruction which provided €63 million in 2003, €73 million in 2004 and €77 million in 2005. The UK’s share of this assistance is 19 per cent. Data for future years are not available. We do not have disaggregated data for expenditure on Kosovo by UN agencies and the World Bank.
DFID’s programme of funding for Somalia for the last three financial years and by percentage is set out in the following table. Official figures for the financial year 2005-06 have yet to be published but the allocation was provisionally £13.2 million. Planned programme allocations for the next two financial years’ are as follows:
| £ million | |
It is currently not possible to disaggregate spending to institutions as our programme is developing in light of the ongoing Joint Needs Assessment.
Future allocations beyond 2007-08 will be announced next year following completion of the current Spending Round.
| DFID Bilateral Aid and Imputed UK Share of Multilateral Aid to Somalia | |||||||||
| £ million | |||||||||
| Total DFID Bilateral Programme | Percentage | Imputed UK share via EC | Percentage | Imputed UK share via UN | Percentage | UK share via WB | Percentage | Total | |
| Note: Imputed multilateral shares are available by calendar year only so these taken as proxy for financial years. Date: 10 July2006 The majority of our bilateral aid in 2002-03 and 2003-04 was channelled through either non-governmental organisations or humanitarian agencies Source: Statistics on International Development 2005 and Imputed Multilateral Shares | |||||||||
Oxfam Offices (Darfur)
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the implications of the decision of Oxfam to close two of its offices in Darfur because of the lack of security there; and if he will make a statement. [85095]
Hilary Benn: We share Oxfam’s concern that the declining security situation in one area of North Darfur has forced them to close two of their local offices there. They hope their withdrawal will only be temporary, and are doing everything they can to reduce the humanitarian impact. Part of Oxfam’s work is building local capacity to manage emergency water and sanitation systems, and they are confident that the water supply will not deteriorate significantly in the immediate term.
We continue to press all parties in Darfur to implement the May 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) and the 2004 N'Djamena ceasefire to which the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) as a whole and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) agreed.
Palestinian Territories
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to his answer of 8 June 2006, Official Report, column 772W, on the Palestinian Territories, if he will place in the Library a copy of the UN's updated consolidated appeal for humanitarian assistance of 31 May. [84179]
Hilary Benn: I have arranged for the document entitled “Revised Emergency Appeal, 31 May 2006: Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP); Occupied Palestinian Territory”, to be placed in the Libraries of the House.
This report can also be accessed via the Humanitarian Information Centres website at http://www.humanitarianinfo.org/opt/docs/UN/OCHA/CAP06_Revised_emergency_30May06.pdf.
Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what UK Government representation there is at the Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility; what UK involvement there is in its decision-making; and if he will make a statement; [82471]
(2) what assessment he has made of (a) the value for money supplied from UK public funds of the Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility and (b) whether the facility provides quality development assistance which has positive impacts on citizens in developing countries by helping to relieve poverty; and on what evidence those assessments are based; [82472]
(3) when the Government last reviewed their involvement in the Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility; and what the results were of the review; [82473]
(4) what recent assessment he has made of the (a) role and (b) value of the consensus-building activities of the Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility; and if he will make a statement; [82474]
(5) what the timetable is for decision-making on the annual allocation of funds to the Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility; and what public consultation will take place prior to any decision on this allocation. [82749]
Hilary Benn: Improving infrastructure is essential for achieving economic growth in developing countries. There is also a pressing need to increase the efficiency of infrastructure to give greater access to the poor and better value for money. Current investment flows are insufficient to fund these additional needs and the public sector alone cannot bridge the financing and efficiency gaps. A significant contribution from the private sector will be required. However, attracting private capital and participation is difficult—according to World Bank figures, private investment in developing country infrastructure fell from US$ 49.6 billion in 1997 to US$ 12.5 billion in 2003.
Among the main constraints to successful private sector participation in infrastructure are the lack of appropriate policies, laws, regulations and institutions and the weak capacity of the public sector to effectively manage private sector involvement. The PPIAF is a global technical assistance facility managed by the World Bank to address these constraints and, where requested to do so by developing country governments, facilitate and, where appropriate, raise the quality of private sector involvement in infrastructure. The PPIAF is a good example of successful donor harmonization in development. It is supported by 14 donors with a wide range of skills, knowledge and experience. As of April 2006, it had approved US$ 108.7 million funding for 495 activities in 101 countries. This funding mobilised an additional US$ 59.8 million co-financing from Governments and other donors.
A particular strength of the PPIAF is its open and transparent systems of governance. These include procedures governing the application for, and allocation of, activity funds. As a partner in a multilateral facility, DFID abides by the endorsed systems and governance arrangements.
DFID fully endorses the PPIAF's objective to help developing countries to improve the quality of their infrastructure to the benefit of the poor through effective public-private partnerships. In practice, this is largely achieved by helping Governments improve their policies, laws, regulations and institutions (their “enabling environment”). Our other objectives are to encourage greater donor coordination in designing solutions to meet the demands of developing countries, reducing transaction costs for developing countries and effective dissemination of lessons learned.
DFID does not earmark its contribution to the PPIAF. Funding is pooled with that of other donors. The breakdown of total PPIAF expenditure in US$ by sector for each of the last three years is provided in the table. Future allocations will depend on demand from Governments of developing countries.
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