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8 Jan 2007 : Column 382W—continued
British Overseas Territories
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he last visited each overseas territory; and what plans he has for such visits in 2007. [113431]
Hilary Benn: DFID only provides bilateral assistance to three Overseas Territories, Montserrat, St. Helena and Pitcairn. I have not visited them. My hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State to whom I have given lead responsibility in the Department for oversight of our work with the Overseas Territories, visited Montserrat in 2004. There are no current plans for visits to Overseas Territoriesin 2007.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has to increase his Department’s disbursements to British Overseas Territories in 2007. [113676]
Mr. Thomas: For all programmes, budgets for 2007-08 are currently being reviewed. Any changes to the expenditure plans indicated in the DFID 2006 departmental report will be included in the 2007 report. Budgets for 2008-09 to 2010-11 will be set after the Comprehensive Spending Review.
Decisions on allocations to individual territories will be taken following annual budget discussions with the territories concerned. These discussions were held with Montserrat in November 2006, and are due to take place with Pitcairn and St. Helena in January and February 2007 respectively, with final decisions for each reached by April 2007.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans his Department has to further improve transport links to promote the tourism industry in the British Overseas Territories; and if he will make a statement. [113678]
Mr. Thomas:
DFID currently provides development assistance to three Overseas Territories, Montserrat,
St. Helena (including Tristan da Cunha) and Pitcairn. Following completion of Gerald’s airport in 2005, the next priority for improving transport links to Montserrat will be the improvement of the port at Little Bay. The project is currently at the design stage. It is expected to be jointly funded by DFID and the European Union (EU), and may include an extension to the existing jetty and construction of a breakwater. The cost will depend on the options selected, but could be up to £10 million.
In March 2005, I announced the development of air access for St. Helena, through construction of an airport on Prosperous Bay Plain, and introduction of scheduled flights. The new airport will both meet our commitment to maintaining access, and contribute to economic regeneration through tourism. The project includes significant funding for tourism marketing. The project budget cannot be divulged in order not to prejudice the current procurement competition for the construction works. We also plan, with joint funding from the EU, to develop Jamestown Wharf. Currently the Wharf is the single point of entry to the island for all cargo and passengers. The proposed project addresses the need to improve cargo operations and to develop safe landing facilities for St. Helenians, business visitors and tourists. Costs will be about £11.5 million.
In Tristan da Cunha, DFID, with joint EU funding, is currently rehabilitating Calshot harbour. Repairs to Tristan’s harbour and breakwater were last carried out over 10 years ago and continuous wave action and storm damage now threaten to cause permanent damage to the island’s only point of entry. Total project cost is about £3 million.
Plans for the construction of a breakwater on Pitcairn, again with joint EU funding, are well advanced. Consultants have been appointed to prepare a detailed design and costing, estimated to be about £6 million. A breakwater would provide more predictable and safer access to Pitcairn Island through Bounty Bay. This in turn will promote tourism on the island by increasing the opportunities for cruise ships, yachts and other ships to disembark passengers.
Carbon Emissions
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what account he takes of forecast carbon emissions from proposed projects when distributing funding in developing countries; and if he will make a statement. [113362]
Hilary Benn: Projects funded by DFID by themselves have a very small effect on global emissions. They are part of a much wider development effort. We are therefore supporting developing countries to develop energy strategies to improve access to services while taking climate change into account. DFID’s work with the World Bank and other development agencies allows us to influence these processes to the sustainable benefit of the poorest people in developing countries.
DFID is providing assistance to the World Bank and other regional development banks to develop a framework for accelerating public and private investment in low carbon energy in developing
countries. We have committed £6.9 million over three years from 2005 to support this work.
DFID has committed £140 million to the Global Environment Facility fourth replenishment (2006-10), making the UK the fourth largest donor. A third of the Global Environment facility’s funding is used to address climate change. In China for example, GEF is providing more than £18 million to help reduce China’s heavy reliance on coal by helping to install five wind farms (190 mega watts) and 200,000 solar-powered systems.
Carbon Offsetting Fund
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department will contribute to the Carbon Offsetting Fund; and where trees that this fund may purchase will be planted. [112824]
Mr. Thomas: DFID expects to pay at least £130,000 into the fund.
The Government Carbon Offsetting Fund, which is managed by DEFRA, will purchase Certified Emission Reductions from Clean Development Mechanism projects. DEFRA have recently announced that EEA Fund Management Ltd. has won the contract to fulfil the Government's obligation to offset its own air travel. Over the next three years, EEA will source and deliver up to 255,000 Certified Emission Reduction credits—with a provision for a further 50,000 credits—from a portfolio of small-scale renewable energy and energy efficiency Kyoto-registered projects in countries such as Brazil, Thailand and the Philippines.
CDC Group
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what investments have been made by the CDC Group since 2003. [113200]
Mr. Thomas: CDC’s investments since 2003, totalling £556.2 million, are listed as follows. They are broken down by region/country and by sector.
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