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24 July 2006 : Column 984W—continued
Timor-Leste
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Cynon Valley (Ann Clwyd) of 5 June 2006, Official Report, column 315W, on East Timor, in what ways the joint UK-Australian police training initiative will augment past UN police training of forces in Timor-Leste; and what measures are in place to ensure integration of the UK-Australian initiative with the existing UN operation in Timor-Leste. [87088]
Mr. McCartney:
The UK-Australian Timor-Leste Police Development programme (TLPDP) has been running since July 2004. The programme is designed to strengthen the capacity of the East Timorese police service to maintain law and order effectively and professionally with full respect for human rights. The TLPDP complements other past and current police training undertaken by the UN and bilaterally. The
programme has had a number of successes, including the design of a new curriculum at the police academy to incorporate human rights materials throughout. It produced its first batch of East Timorese trainers in November 2005, who were able to graduate their first basic recruit course of 260 new personnel earlier this year. The TLPDP recently received a favourable mention in the 2006 human rights watch report. Discussions have been held with the UN assessment team to look at how the work of TLPDP might complement that of the new UN policing activity in East Timor.
UN Human Rights Council
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government’s position is on the recent decision by the new UN Human Rights Council to send a fact-finding mission to the Palestinian Territories; and if she will make a statement. [86677]
Dr. Howells: At the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 17 July, EU Foreign Ministers expressed their support for the efforts of the UN Secretary General. We welcome the UN’s fact finding visit to the Occupied Territories.
US Department of Justice
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings (a) she and (b) her officials have had with representatives of the United States’ Department of Justice in the last 12 months. [86487]
Mr. McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had any meetings with representatives of the United States Department of Justice since taking up office. Officials from our embassy in Washington meet regularly with representatives of the United States Department of Justice. Most recently, they accompanied my noble Friend the Minister of State for Criminal Justice and Offender Management, Baroness Scotland of Asthal, on calls on representatives of the Department during her visit to Washington on 13 and 14 July.
International Development
Advertising Campaigns
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what advertising campaigns the Department has run between 2000 and June 2004; and what the (a) date and (b) cost was of each. [87060]
Mr. Thomas: DFID did not have any major advertising campaigns during this period, and any activities which might be categorised as advertising were not disaggregated from programme activity and spend across DFID during this period. To undertake information gathering to separate out such costs would incur disproportionate costs. The main advertising costs incurred during this period were for recruitment advertising and is listed as follows:
| Financial year | Spend (£) |
Afghanistan
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 10 July, 2006, Official Report, columns 1404-0W, on Afghanistan, what the job description is for each of the roles listed. [85762]
Hilary Benn: DFID has 16 UK officials currently based in Afghanistan. 14 are based in Kabul, one in Badakhshan and one in Helmand. Job descriptions for these posts are as follows:
Overall financial, policy, programme, management, and security responsibility for DFID programme and staff in Afghanistan.
Provides the full range of support to the Head of Department, including acting as Head during the Head of Department's absence. Specific responsibility for policy, programme and strategy issues and leadership of team responsible for briefing and liaison with other Government Departments.
Leads on the policy, planning and implementation of Economic Management and Aid Effectiveness team objectives. This includes strengthening donor co-ordination and harmonisation in Afghanistan; contributing to discussions on key issues affecting the economic management reform agenda; management of technical assistance to Ministries of Finance; and overseeing and managing the design and implementation of the team project portfolio, which focuses on aid channelled through the Government budget.
Programme and Strategy Co-ordinator
Provides support to the Head of Office in the co-ordination and direction of DFID's overall programme of support to the Government of Afghanistan. Duties include the development and communication of policy and strategy; building and strengthening partnerships between DFID Afghanistan and other donors; and effective support to Ministers and Senior Officials on programme-wide issues.
Policy and Programme and Strategy Programme Officer
Provides support, guidance and mentoring to local programme staff to build capacity in effective project/programme cycle management. Provide responses to general public inquiries, freedom of information requests, parliamentary questions and ministerial correspondence. Supports the development and implementation of DFID's communication strategy. Maintains an accurate financial overview of the DFID programme, and provides some administrative assistance to the Head of Office.
Leads on policy, planning and implementation of the Livelihoods work programme. Main duties include ensuring the livelihoods programme contributes effectively to delivery of
DFID's strategy in Afghanistan; development of priority planned new activities in the Livelihoods portfolio; and engagement with other donors and the Afghanistan Government on strengthening the policy and planning environment for broad livelihoods work. Also the security officer for DFID.
Contributes to the development of nationally-owned strategies and programmes addressing rural livelihoods in Afghanistan; monitors DFID interventions in rural livelihoods through participating in programme/project committees; and prepares briefings on livelihood issues and DFID progress for UK Ministers and senior officials.
State Building Programme Manager
Leads on the policy, planning and implementation of the state building team and its programme. This includes DFID's contribution to key issues affecting the public administration reform and security sector reform agenda. Also oversees the office finances and imprest account.
Works within the state building team on design and implementation of security sector reform policy and programming. Key duties include providing effective support on policy and programmes relating to security and development issues; building relationships with international donors, Provincial Reconstruction Teams and the military in order to build a more coordinated and coherent response in area of security and development; providing effective advice and leadership on the strategic direction of the Global Conflict Prevention Pool for Afghanistan in partnership with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Ministry of Defence (MoD); and maintaining responsibility for building awareness and communication on issues of civil-military coordination.
Deputy Programme Manager, State Building
Responsible for ensuring effective project/programme cycle management in line with DFID procedures and good practice; supporting the team leader in policy dialogue and formulation, particularly in the area of public administration reform and provincial stabilisation; providing responses to requests for briefing and parliamentary questions; and composing reports on different aspects of the team's programme.
Lead responsibility for HR issues including posting and promotion, external recruitment and staff development. Responsibility for the day-to-day running of the office, and ensuring the administration team has effective systems in place to meet corporate rules and regulations. Lead responsibility for administration budget, forecasting, further development of financial management and responsibility for asset management.
Supports the office manager to ensure effective day-to-day running of the office and guest houses. Responsible for financial monitoring of the administration budget; ensuring delivery of all basic office services including logistics for all visitors for which DFID have duty of care; ensuring vehicle fleet is managed effectively; and monitoring of health and safety procedures.
Secondee to the British Embassy Drugs Team
DFID representative in the British Embassy Drugs Team, with a particular responsibility for advising on development and rural livelihoods issues.
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Development Adviser
Provides advice to the Commander of ISAF, the ISAF Command Group and HQ Allied Rapid Reaction Core (ARRC)/ISAF planning staff regarding the impact of military activities on development and humanitarian issues. Also responsible for liaising with NATO member states regarding current development and humanitarian priorities to ensure coherence of HQ ARRC/ISAF strategy and planning; Badakhshan.
Located in a multi-donor mission in Faizerbad, concentrating on sub-national governance reform work, development coordination with provincial authorities and ensuring that national programmes can be rolled out and implemented at a provincial level. Currently in Kabul awaiting deployment.
Located in the Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), helping develop, maintain and articulate a strategic vision and operational work plan for the PRT including how DFID can best contribute to provincial stabilisation in the south.
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) how much was paid by the Government in compensation to farmers in Afghanistan for voluntary opium poppy eradication in (a) 2002, (b) 2003, (c) 2004 and (d) 2005; [86475]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of farmers in Afghanistan who were entitled to compensation from the UK Government for voluntary opium poppy eradication but did not receive it in (a) 2002, (b) 2003, (c) 2004 and (d) 2005. [86544]
Dr. Howells: I have been asked to reply.
The Government provided £21.25 million in support of the Afghan Interim Administration’s 2002 compensated eradication programme. Eradication in 2003, 2004 and 2005 was not compensated and compensated eradication does not form part of the present Afghan Government’s National Drug Control Strategy.
The Afghan Government considered it appropriate to compensate farmers for eradication in 2002 because the 2002 crop was planted before the current regime came to power. We provided support because we believed it was important to support a new regime determined to take tough decisions to tackle drugs. However, it was the responsibility of the Afghan authorities to implement the programme and to ensure that compensation payments were made. We understand from the Afghan authorities that a total of 17,000 hectares of poppy was eradicated under the 2002 programme. The number of farmers compensated is a matter for the Government of Afghanistan.
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was spent by his Department on (a) opium poppy eradication and (b) rural development in Afghanistan in (i) 2002, (ii) 2003, (iii) 2004, (iv) 2005 and (v) 2006. [86490]
Hilary Benn: The information is as follows.
Spending on opium poppy eradication
None of the UK spending for opium poppy eradication comes from DFID’s budget. In 2002, the UK provided financial assistance worth £21.25 million to support the new regime’s compensated eradication programme. The programme was led by the Afghan Transitional Authority who considered it appropriate to offer a one-off programme of payments to opium farmers on the basis that the poppy crop had been planted during the Taliban regime, before the current regime came to power.
Over financial years 2003-04 and 2004-06, the UK allocated the following amounts to support the Government of Afghanistan carry out poppy eradication in Afghanistan:
| Financial year | Eradication (£ million) |
The opium economy is a major threat to the prospects for stability, peace and sustainable poverty reduction in Afghanistan. DFID has therefore increased its livelihoods programme significantly in recent years, supporting the Government of Afghanistan to develop the legal economy, and creating sustainable employment opportunities for poor people who currently rely on the illegal opium trade for their income. Since 2002, DFID has spent the following amount on improving rural livelihoods in Afghanistan.
| Financial year | Rural development (£ million) |
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what projects are being funded by his Department in Helmand province; and how much is being spent on each project. [85757]
Hilary Benn: During my recent visit to Helmand, I announced a £30 million Helmand Agriculture and Rural Development Programme. This aims to increase economic opportunities for the rural poor of Helmand. It will support the Government of Afghanistan to roll out existing successful National Programmes in Helmand. These programmes will provide improved water and sanitation, essential small scale rural infrastructure, greater access to small loans, improved roads and access to markets and agricultural inputs and training to the people of Helmand. The programme will be implemented over three years.
DFID also has a £1 million project to deliver quick impact activities. Sub-projects under this include encouraging confidence in Government amongst local people, improving security for schools, improving drinking water and sanitation, and road building.
£113,895 of the £1 million has been formally committed, and £71,166 spent. A project list is attached. £400,000 more of sub-projects are currently under consideration.
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