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1 Nov 2006 : Column 504W—continued
First Report, 2003-04, HC 446, Appendix 3
(http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmliaisn/446/44613.htm);
First Report, 2004-05, HC 419, Appendix 4
(http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmliaisn/419/41914.htm
I am placing in the Library a full list of tasks carried out from the unit's inception to date.
The unit does not issue reports. However, a paper by the unit reviewing departmental reports for 2005 was reported to the House by the Liaison Committee on 12 May 2006 and is on the Liaison Committee's website:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmliaisn/review/revo2.htm.
Further information can be found on the Scrutiny Unit’s own website:
http://www. parliament.uk/about_commons/scrutinyunit.cfm.
International Development
Afghanistan
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made by provincial reconstruction teams in Afghanistan in building (a) police stations, (b) roads, (c) bridges and (d) women’s centres. [98012]
Hilary Benn: The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) estimate that the total amount of funding committed by Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) in Afghanistan, is $80,190,000 since 2004. They estimate that 61 per cent. of this expenditure has been spent, with the remaining planned, ongoing or identified. ISAF collect this information from reports from the 24 PRTs across the country, and warn that these data may not be completely accurate.
The PRTs report to ISAF based on the pillars of the Afghanistan National Development Strategy: Agriculture, Education, Good Governance, Health, Infrastructure and Natural Resources, Private Sector Development, Security, and Social Protection. ISAF are able to provide financial expenditure data by pillar but not able to provide information on specific areas. For example (i) the expenditure since 2004 on Infrastructure and Natural Resources is estimated as a total of US $31,332,000 which will include roads and bridges; (ii) expenditure on Security, which will include building and refurbishments of police stations is estimated to be US $4,443,000; (iii) expenditure on social protection, which will include Women’s Centres, is estimated to be US $7,059,000.
Further detailed information on PRT progress in these areas is not available at this time.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the total value of funds expended by provincial reconstruction teams in Afghanistan on development and reconstruction projects was in each quarter since 2004. [98014]
Hilary Benn: The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) estimates that the total amount of funding committed by Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) in Afghanistan is $80,190,000 since 2004. They estimate that 61 per cent. of this funding has been spent, with the remaining planned, ongoing or identified. ISAF collect this information from reports from the 24 PRTs across the country, and warn that these data may not be completely accurate.
ISAF are not currently able to break down this expenditure by quarter.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been allocated by the Department to (a) the Asian Development Bank and (b) USAID for reconstruction projects in Afghanistan. [98015]
Hilary Benn: DFID has given the Asian Development Bank (ADB) £300,000 for a 12 month Rural Land Administration project to pilot land ownership initiatives in two provinces—Herat and Takhar. The project started in June 2006. DFID also makes an annual core contribution of £28.5 million to the ADB, which in turn allocates 9 per cent. of its financing to Afghanistan. This implies we allocate £2.6 million a year to Afghanistan through our central financing of the ADB.
DFID has not allocated any money to USAID for projects in Afghanistan.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been allocated by his Department (a) directly and (b) indirectly to the funding of road reconstruction projects in Afghanistan. [98017]
Hilary Benn: DFID gave the National Rural Access Programme (NRAP) £18 million in 2005-06 to help provide access to infrastructure. This will help construct 185 km of road and rehabilitate 3,500 km of existing roads. While this work is still ongoing, we do not have immediate plans for additional allocations. In addition to this funding DFID has also allocated £8.5 million to NRAP to focus specifically on Helmand. This financing has been made available through DFID’s Helmand Agricultural and Rural Development Programme and will finance 49 km of road construction to begin in March 2007. DFID also provides core funding to multilateral development banks such as the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank, who have together spent $480 million on roads around the country.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made on the Kandahar to Herat highway in Afghanistan; what the estimated completion date is; and if he will make a statement. [98018]
Hilary Benn: Construction work for the Kandahar to Herat highway is 80 per cent. complete. The remaining section has been put on hold due to security concerns.
USAID, Saudi Arabia and Japan funded the construction of this road, dividing the construction into their own segments. Construction work started in 2003. USAID provided $163 million for a 326 km section form Herat to Dilaram which is now complete. Saudi Arabia has committed $51 million for a 116 km section from Dilaram to Garishk. Japan has provided $76 million for a 114 km section from Garishk to Kandahar. There are concerns over security in this area and for the time being, construction work has been put on hold until the situation improves.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with USAID officials on the introduction of a toll system on the Kabul to Kandahar highway. [98019]
Hilary Benn: DFID staff have not had any discussions with USAID officials over the tolls in place on the Kabul to Kandahar highway. Consultants working for DFID in the Ministry of Finance have had discussions with the US military on the scheme for security purposes. One outcome of these discussions was that the US military donated materials for a public awareness campaign for the toll scheme.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department’s policy is on the implementation of road taxes as a means of developing the Afghan economy. [98020]
Hilary Benn: Government revenues in Afghanistan are among the lowest in the world. Last year revenues totalled just $500 million. This represents under $20 per head or 5.5 per cent. of GDP, less than half the average for other low income countries. The need to provide essential services, coupled with the massive cost of rebuilding Afghanistan after more than two decades of conflict, makes raising domestic revenues one of the highest priorities of the Government of Afghanistan. DFID supports the Government’s revenue raising efforts through a three-year £6.5 million technical assistance project in the tax department. DFID does not have a specific policy on road taxes but supports the Government’s attempts to diversify revenue sources and increase collection rates.
The introduction of road tolls is one of a number of new initiatives that the Government have put in place in recent years to meet this challenge. The road toll scheme is only small at present (it is estimated to raise around $7 million in the current fiscal year), but it does have the potential to make a more sizable contribution over time. Other, more significant reforms that are making immediate contributions to meet this challenge include the establishment of a large taxpayers office, improvements in income tax collection and customs tariff rationalisation.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department’s policy is on the treatment of Afghan construction workers on projects funded or part-funded by the UK. [98022]
Hilary Benn: DFID expects that all workers will be treated within the bounds of Afghanistan constitutional human rights principles and national legislation. Afghanistan’s Labour Law, 1987, provides for a 40 hour work week, and equal employment opportunities for women. Child labour is officially prohibited in Afghanistan. Articles 48 and 49 of the constitution outline the right to work, to regulated hours, and to paid holidays. Afghan workers are free to join trade unions.
Nick Harvey:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will estimate the average salary in (a) Afghanistan and (b) Kabul; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of
earnings the potential monthly road toll represents for users of the Kabul to Kandahar highway. [98023]
Hilary Benn: The average annual income in Afghanistan is approximately $300 but most people do not receive formal salaries. The income of those on salaries is and specifically those using the Kabul to Kandahar highway is likely to be much higher. The average pay for a civil servant in Kabul is around $100 a month and the average in the private sector and in aid agencies is significantly higher. For instance average pay for a junior manager in the private sector or local NGO is around $400 a month, or double that in an international NGO.
The tolls for the use of the four roads in the scheme are in the following table:
| Monthly | Quarterly | |
From these rates the monthly fee for using the toll roads would be approximately 1 per cent. the income of a junior manager in a local firm. However, it should be pointed out that the vast majority of users of these roads are taxis, high income users or commercial vehicles. For these users the toll would be spread amongst many people or a lesser share of personal income.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of the money collected in toll payments for the use of the Kabul to Kandahar highway will go to (a) road maintenance, (b) the USA and (c) other donor states. [98024]
Hilary Benn: The money raised from the road toll scheme is not earmarked for any specific purposes but rather contributes to the Government of Afghanistan’s core budget spending. In last year’s budget, spending on development was 63 per cent. of total expenditures with security and governance at 30 per cent. and 7 per cent. respectively. Within development spending the largest areas of expenditure were agriculture and rural development at 21 per cent. and infrastructure and natural resources at 14 per cent.
None of the money raised will go directly to the USA or other donor states. However, the scheme does rely on the use of stickers which are purchased from a German firm. Two years supply of anti-counterfeit stickers cost $450,000, around 2.5 per cent. of the scheme’s expected returns over the same period. The German firm won the contract after a tendering process consistent with the Government of Afghanistan Procurement Law.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will provide a breakdown of how the $30 million generated in toll payments per annum for the use of the Kabul to Kandahar highway has been allocated in Afghanistan. [98025]
Hilary Benn: In the first four months of operation the road toll scheme has raised a total of $1.4 million. Current estimates are that this will reach $6.9 million for the 2006-07 budget year. Road users purchase a sticker that covers the use of four major roads around Kabul. This makes it difficult to calculate the precise share of the total attributable to the use of the Kabul—Kandahar road. Roughly 15 per cent. of the sales come from vendors working on that route but there also are likely to be users purchasing stickers in central Kabul and other locations.
The money raised from the road toll scheme is not earmarked for any specific purposes but rather contributes to the Government of Afghanistan’s core budget spending. In last year’s budget, spending on development was 63 per cent. of total expenditures with security and governance at 30 per cent. and 7 per cent. respectively. Within development spending the largest areas of expenditure were agriculture and rural development at 21 per cent. and infrastructure and natural resources at 14 per cent.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether UK funds will be spent on the construction of the American University of Afghanistan. [98026]
Hilary Benn: The UK has not provided any funds for the construction of the American University of Afghanistan.
The Government of Afghanistan has donated land worth an estimated $28 million. The US Government has contributed $17.7 million and private sector organisations, such as the Bayat Foundation have pledged a further $6 million. DFID has not provided resources. DFID’s programme in Afghanistan is instead targeted on three areas: building effective state institutions; improving economic management and improving the livelihoods of rural people.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department’s policy is on the tender process for contracts for Afghan reconstruction projects. [98027]
Hilary Benn: DFID tenders a limited number of reconstruction projects in Afghanistan directly, preferring to provide direct support to the Government of Afghanistan, thereby strengthening its own systems. Where a tender is undertaken by the Government of Afghanistan, we expect the Government to follow Afghanistan’s Procurement Law, 2005. DFID-Afghanistan’s support to the Ministry of Finance Budget Department includes technical advice for improving compliance in Afghan government expenditure.
Where DFID does directly procure goods and services, and contracts are expected to cost more than £100,000, these must be issued by using the contract processes set out in Her Majesty’s Government’s public procurement regulations (derived from the European Union (EU) Procurement Directives). The purpose of the Directives is to open public procurement markets to international competition thereby increasing opportunities for all suppliers and service-providers.
This reinforces HMG policy on value for money through fair, open and transparent competition.
For contracts below £100,000 procurement must represent value for money which is usually best achieved through competition. However, where competition for lower value contracting is likely to involve disproportionate cost, suppliers may be ‘single sourced’, with contracts awarded without competition.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when the Kabul to Kandahar toll road payment system began; and how much revenue has been collected since inception. [98028]
Hilary Benn: The Government of Afghanistan introduced a road toll scheme on four major highways in July this year. In the first four months of operation the road toll scheme has raised a total of $1.4 million. Current estimates are that this will reach $6.9million for the 2006-07 budget year. Road users purchase a sticker that covers the use of four major roads around Kabul. This makes it difficult: to calculate the precise share of the total attributable to the use of the Kabul—Kandahar road. Roughly 15 per cent. of the sales come from vendors working on that route but there also are likely to be users purchasing stickers in central Kabul and other locations. The money raised from the road toll scheme is not earmarked for any specific purposes but rather contributes to the Government of Afghanistan’s core budget spending.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate has been made of the number of brothels operating in Kabul; and what work has been carried out by his Department to curtail the growth of the sex trade in Afghanistan. [98029]
Hilary Benn: DFID has not made any assessment of the number of brothels operating in Kabul, nor has it carried out any work specifically to curtail the growth of the sex trade in Afghanistan.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made in the establishment of a sustainable data collection mechanism on alternative livelihoods activities and investments in Afghanistan in accordance with United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime recommendations; and what the role of the UK is in the project. [98176]
Hilary Benn: The database was first established in 2005 by United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC). DFID worked closely with UNODC on the design phase. Upon release of the July 2005 report, DFID asked UNODC to embed the database in the Ministry of Counter Narcotics (MCN), as part of its co-ordinating and monitoring role. The British embassy drugs team provided guidance on the required information fields and DFID worked closely with UNODC and MCN on the design of the questionnaire proforma. This is distributed quarterly by MCN to all donors, including DFID, to collect data on alternative livelihoods programmes for the database.
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