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Departmental Publications
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the Unnumbered Command Papers produced by his Department in each session since 1976; by what means (a) hon. Members and (b) members of the public can (i) inspect and (ii) obtain copies; and if he will make a statement. [81325]
Hilary Benn: Documents which are laid before Parliament as unnumbered Command Papers are generally restricted to Explanatory Notes to Treaties, Explanatory Memoranda to Statutory Instruments and some Treasury Minutes. All other documents are published in the Numbered Command Papers series.
A complete list of unnumbered Command Papers can be produced only at disproportionate cost.
Copies of all unnumbered Command Papers are made available via the Vote Office.
Departmental Staff
Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many disabled staff in his Department received support through the Access to Work scheme (a) in each of the last five years and (b) in 2006-07. [82230]
Mr. Thomas: The number of disabled staff in DFID that received support through the Access to Work scheme in each of the last five years is detailed in the following table:
| DFID staff (number) | |
Departmental Travel Costs
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to his answer of 10 July 2006, Official Report, column 1408W, on departmental travel costs, whether each flight was a return flight; how many of the trips involved overnight stays; what the cost of overnight stays was; what the purpose was of the trips; and what assessment was made of using alternative travel to Glasgow to achieve the objectives. [86376]
Mr. Thomas: There were 1,056 return flights from London to Glasgow during 2005, 874 of which involved overnight stays at a total cost of £126,642. All travellers are required to confirm the business purpose when booking flights but DFID does not keep a central record. We are evaluating our investment in video-conferencing and better communication to provide a cost effective alternative to travel and staff must confirm before booking flights that they have considered conducting their business by other methods.
Developing Countries
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on his Department’s commitments to address climate change and environmental degradation in developing countries. [87475]
Hilary Benn: The Department for International Development (DFID) has issued two key papers in recent months outlining our commitments on climate change and the environment.
DFID’s new White Paper, ‘Eliminating world poverty: making governance work for the poor’ was launched on 13 July. The White Paper addresses the need for a coherent approach to global environmental challenges and development, such as climate change. It states that:
environmental wealth—natural resources—is a main source of growth in developing countries, and central to livelihoods of poor people;
environmental sustainability is one of the seven essential components for developing country growth;
we can help countries develop better approaches to using assets e.g. forests and water, in a more sustainable manner, and help manage the environmental impacts of growth;
we need to focus on the global consequences of growth—climate change has negative consequences for poor countries;
developing countries need assistance to access cleaner energy;
we need better information about the predicted impacts of climate change; and
developing countries need support to adapt and build resilience to climate change.
In February 2006, DFID published a policy paper, “DFID’s Approach to the Environment”. It outlines how we incorporate sustainability and environment into our work. The paper sets out principles for tackling environmental challenges, to be applied according to the circumstances of country programmes. These include:
integrating environmental management for poverty reduction into our work, focusing on opportunities as well as risks;
supporting country driven processes e.g. poverty reduction strategies, to integrate local and global environmental priorities;
providing technical assistance in selected countries and circumstances; and
strengthening donor co-ordination on the environment, internationally and at country level.
The paper has an implementation plan agreed across DFID and approved by Top Management. Each division is responsible for ensuring that it delivers on implementation. Progress will be reviewed in spring 2007.
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how his Department will assist in strengthening (a) biodiversity, (b) the ecosystem and (c) conservation services in developing countries. [87476]
Hilary Benn: DFID is committed to incorporating biodiversity into development in helping to improve poor people’s livelihoods and in supporting developing countries to use the benefits of biodiversity and conservation to reduce poverty.
Our major contribution to international biodiversity conservation is made through the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The GEF provides grants and concessional funds to help developing countries fund projects and programmes for sustainable management of the global environment. One third of the GEF’s funds are spent on biodiversity and it is the financial mechanism of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The UK is currently the fourth largest donor, contributing £118 million in the third replenishment period (2002-05). We are working to ensure a successful fourth replenishment.
DFID recognises that biodiversity and the ecosystems it supports have a significant contribution to make towards poverty alleviation. However, the links between biodiversity, ecosystems and poverty often remain poorly understood. DFID is involved in a number of initiatives to develop a better understanding of mechanisms to capture the value of biodiversity and ecosystems.
For instance, DFID is currently working to develop a collaborative research programme on Ecosystem Services and Poverty with the Nature Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Biodiversity will be a sub-theme within this programme.
DFID is
also one of the key contributors to the Ecosystems Marketplace. It
serves as a one-stop shop for information on ecosystem service markets
where providers and beneficiaries of ecosystem services can get
together. More information is available at:
http://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/. Additionally, DFID has engaged in
a collaborative research project with the
UK’s fourth largest fund manager—ISIS Asset
Management—to examine the nature of the relationship between
biodiversity and business and the associated
risks.
As well as these initiatives, DFID works to ensures that its development assistance does not contribute to damage to ecosystems. Environmental Screening, mandatory for all DFID assistance greater than£1 million, identifies environmental risks and opportunities. We are currently reviewing Environmental Screening experience since 2003. This will consider compliance with procedures and the quality of screening.
We also work to ensure that there is a coherent Government approach to international biodiversity. To achieve this, an Inter-departmental Ministerial Group on Biodiversity (IDMGB), comprising DFID, the Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Ministers has been established.
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff in his Department work on (a) climate change and (b) other environmental issues in developing countries, based(i) in the UK and (ii) abroad. [87478]
Hilary Benn: Implementing DFID’s environment policy involves a range of staff, including programme managers and advisers with environment, livelihoods and infrastructure responsibilities.
DFID has 18 specialist environment posts working on climate change and environment. Of these, 12 are full-time environment posts; and six combine environment with other responsibilities, such as livelihoods or infrastructure.
In the UK, the Sustainable Development Group in Policy Division is home to ten specialist environment and natural resource posts split between three teams:
Global Environmental Assets (covering climate change, biodiversity, desertification etc.);
Environment for Sustainable Development (local environmental issues and minerals); and
Water and Energy.
Policy work on agriculture (including fisheries and forestry) is carried out by the Renewable Natural Resources and Agriculture team in Policy Division’s Growth and Investment Group.
On environment in developing countries, Asia Division has a regional adviser based in the UK and advisers in China, India and Bangladesh. Africa Division has two regional advisers based in UK and one adviser based in Kenya.
In addition to
its environment specialists, many of DFID’s livelihoods and
infrastructure advisers have relevant background or qualifications for
working on environmental issues. Ten out of 38 infrastructure advisers
have formal environmental professional qualifications e.g. Institution
of Water and Environmental Management. Over half of our livelihoods
advisers have natural resources qualifications and experience (e.g.
soil science, forestry). Each group is lead by a head of profession.
The head of profession environment post is currently filled on an
acting basis but we will be advertising
shortly. DFID’s chief scientific adviser has been providing
support on climate change and agriculture. This role has been
formalised in his work plan for
2006-07.
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many meetings he has had with other Ministers to discuss climate change and its impact on developing countries in the last 12 months. [87479]
Hilary Benn: I was a member of the ad-hoc ministerial committee on climate change established prior to the G8 summit in 2005 to give officials a steer on this issue. This group met several times in the run up to the summit. Following the G8 summit responsibility for the international dimension of the UK’s climate change strategy was taken on by the ministerial committee on energy and environment (EE), chaired by the Prime Minister, of which I am a member. In late June 2006, I met with the cross-party group of MPs who are participating in the G8+5 climate change dialogue, to discuss DFID’s approach to tackling climate change. Climate change has also been identified as a key priority in the UK Government’s latest Development White Paper.
At a side event at the World Bank annual meetings in September 2005, the World Bank president, Paul Wolfowitz and I officially launched the energy investment framework, which is to leverage private sector investment in lower carbon energy and energy efficiency with an emphasis on developing countries, particularly those with the fastest growing energy needs. This is an important element of the G8 plan of action on climate change, clean energy and sustainable development.
At the World Bank spring meetings in April 2006 the first draft of the investment framework received broad support from development committee members.
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department allocated to tackling diseases in developing countries in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by disease. [87729]
Mr. Thomas: DFID uses a range of different aid instruments, from direct support to countries to funding through multilateral agencies. It is therefore not possible to break down spending on individual communicable diseases; however it is possible to separate out AIDS from other communicable diseases.
DFID’s spend on communicable diseases apart from AIDS in 2004-05 was £80 million. Recording AIDS-specific expenditure is difficult because there are a range of sectors which have an impact on the epidemic, including health, education, social development and good government. There are also a range of instruments used to channel AIDS-related development spending. DFID has been working with the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and others to review and improve these expenditure calculations. While refinements to the methodology are still in progress, DFID has reported a provisional bilateral expenditure of £350 million on AIDS for the period 2004-05.
The focus of our work in health is to help countries strengthen their health systems both to prevent and mitigate the impact of communicable diseases. Functioning systems are crucial for effectively tackling diarrhoeal diseases, pneumonia and vaccine preventable disease epidemics as well as HIV, TB and malaria. In 2004-05, the UK provided more than£360 million to support health services through our country, regional and research programmes and provided a further £110 million for health through multilateral assistance to World Health Organisation (WHO) and UN agencies.
The UK also provides general poverty reduction budget support to countries to help build basic services, including for health. We are supporting a number of innovative financing mechanisms to increase resources to tackle communicable diseases. For example, the International Finance Facility for Immunisation will raise an additional £4 billion from a number of donors for vaccines for the Global Alliance on Vaccines and Immunisations and help support the development of new vaccines for communicable diseases that can be prevented.
Food Security (Africa)
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment his Department has made of the food security situation in (a) Southern Africa, (b) the Horn of Africa and (c) Western Africa. [87465]
Hilary Benn: In Southern Africa, the overall picture on food production shows a marked improvement this year compared to the 2004-05 growing season, when DFID spent more than £67 million to deliver emergency assistance to up to 11 million affected people. Urgent humanitarian needs are unlikely this year, except in Zimbabwe, where needs remain pronounced.
Malawi and Zambia are reporting excellent harvests this year, with projected maize production figures for both countries almost double the volumes recorded in 2005. This should feed into more stable prices and improved access in the coming months. Production in South Africa has decreased sharply this year—a result of depressed prices in 2005 in the domestic market—but carryover stocks from last year are high. The food security outlook for the coming year is worst in Zimbabwe. Although food production is up on last year’s levels, more than 1 million Zimbabweans still require sustained assistance to help them meet their food requirements.
In West
Africa, the food security situation is improved compared to 2005,
although continuing humanitarian concerns persist, particularly in the
Sahel. In Niger, where populations continue to struggle against the
legacies of last year’s crisis, up to1.8 million people
are currently facing acute difficulties in the ongoing hungry season,
with up to 400,000 malnourished children expected to require
nutritional therapy this year. In Mauritania, the hungry season is
judged to have started early, with up to 400,000 facing acute levels of
food-insecurity, particularly in the south. DFID currently has an
ongoing humanitarian
and hunger-related programme of assistance for the Sahel worth £4
million this
year.
Prospects for recovery in the Sahel this year appear compromised by erratic, late-starting and below average rains for the current agricultural season. Elsewhere in West Africa, localised problems of food-insecurity affecting relatively few people (particularly in Guinea and Guinea Buissau) are the exception to an otherwise positive prognosis, with good rainfall expected to lead to an above-average maize crop in August.
In the Horn of Africa, DFID shares the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (UN FAO)’s recent assessment that despite improved rains in eastern Africa, food security remains poor among some communities in particular in northern and eastern Kenya, and in Somalia in many of the same areas affected by drought in 2005. In Kenya, overall prospects for the current main cereal crop are favourable, but in Somalia, the outlook is poor and output is expected to be reduced for the third consecutive year. In Eritrea, the picture is mixed. In Ethiopia, the prospects are generally good apart from in parts of the south east. The UN estimates that7.5 million people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance in drought-affected areas. In each of these countries high levels of malnutrition and starvation have been demonstrated among children over the past year. The areas and communities where this occurs should be the priority for food aid assistance, and humanitarian assistance more generally. DFID has committed more than £46 million of humanitarian assistance to the response since the end of 2005.
Haiti
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions his Department has had with the World Health Organisation on access to clean water and sanitation in Haiti. [85998]
Hilary Benn [holding answer 19 July 2006]: DFID regularly discusses water and sanitation with the World Health Organisation (WHO) through the Joint Monitoring Programme implemented by WHO and UNICEF, which provides data on access to safe water and basic sanitation. However, we have not had any recent specific discussions on Haiti.
Helmand Province, Afghanistan
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.
Of the projects currently committed, the shrine, surrounding area and the market place respond directly to requests from the local population. The shrine is a popular meeting point attracting hundreds of visitors from around the province. The adjoining area is especially popular with women who come to walk there with their children. All the rehabilitation projects listed were carried out by an Afghan NGO to ensure cultural sensitivity in delivery. Initial feedback on the rehabilitation suggests that this work has been well received.
DFID has committed a further £3 million to the Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP) for military managed activities.
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