29 Mar 2007 : Column 1653W

Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 29 March 2007

International Development

Afghanistan: Overseas Aid

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of
29 Mar 2007 : Column 1654W
6 March 2007, Official Report, columns 1835-6W, on Afghanistan: overseas aid, how much funding each organisation listed in Annexe A and Annexe B received from his Department for the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan in each of the last three financial years. [127865]

Hilary Benn: DFID Afghanistan has channelled the following amounts through the organisations listed in Annexe A and Annexe B of the answer of 6 March 2007, Official Report, columns 1835-6W for reconstruction and development in Afghanistan over the last three financial years (broken down by year where available):

2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 Total

Annexe A—international organisations

Aga Khan (£)

700,000

1,700,000

700,000

3,100,000

BBC World Service Trust (£)

49,595

49,595

BAAG (£)

100,000

158,000

39,000

297,000

Annexe B—local organisations

Afghan Fertiliser Company (£)

1,789

1,789

Afghanistan Independence Human Rights Commission ($)

5,700

Afghanistan Information Management Service ($)

4,196

4,196

Afghanistan National Construction Coordination ($)

63,976

63,976

Co-operation Centre for Afghanistan ($)

8,380

Helping Afghan Farmers Organisation (£)

1,336,000

1,336,000

Irtiqa Development and Construction Organisation ($)

71,640

Reconstruction Committee for Development of Afghanistan ($)

74,500

Roshan Construction Company ($)

23,547

23,547

Southern Afghanistan Development Association ($)

95,000

Southern Rehabilitation and Aid Committee ($)

23,000

Tribal Liaison Office (£)

81,952

81,952


Other organisations listed in Annexe A and Annexe B were funded prior to the last three financial years. DFID Afghanistan also indirectly funds a range of non-governmental organisations as implementing partners of the Government of Afghanistan’s National Priority Programmes (e.g. through our support to the National Solidarity Programme).

Cambodia: Forestry

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether her Department has made any recent representations to the Government of Cambodia on the subject of reform of the forestry sector. [129563]

Mr. Thomas: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 27 March, Official Report column 1373.

Departments: Advertising

Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department’s total spending was on advertising and promotional campaigns in each year since 1997; and what the cost of each campaign was, broken down by costs relating to (a) television, (b) radio and (c) print media. [128038]

Mr. Thomas: DFID has not to date advertised on television or radio. Spending on advertising in print media for recruitment and procurement purposes was as follows:

Spend (£)

2000

751,972

2001

1,208,192

2002

914,571

2003

849,196

2004

700,077

2005

397,776


Figures prior to 2000 and for 2006 are not available.


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Spend on promotional campaigns since November 2000
Total (£)

(i) Second White Paper on International Development

To raise awareness of the Government’s White Paper “Eliminating World Poverty-Making globalisation work for the poor”

41,945

(ii) Developments Magazine and Rough Guide Campaign

To promote Developments Magazine and The Rough Guide to a Better World

3,642

(iii) Trade Matters Campaign

To raise awareness of the role of trade in fighting world poverty and promote availability of a new free publication—Trade Matters.

26,176

(iv) Developments Magazine Campaign

To increase the number of subscribers to the Department’s free magazine—Developments.

12,934

(v) Third White Paper on International Development

To raise awareness of the UK Government’s action plan for working with overseas and international partners to reduce world poverty over the next five years.

125,000

(vi) G8 Gleneagles—One year on

To report progress on delivering the commitments proposed at the G8 summit.

62,275


Departments: Public Appointments

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the former hon. Members who left Parliament in 2005 who have since been appointed to public bodies by his Department, broken down by party; and who was responsible for making each appointment. [130139]

Mr. Thomas: Information about the political activity of appointees is recorded and publicised in accordance with the independent Commissioner for Public Appointments' code of practice. DFID has made no public appointments of former hon. Members who left Parliament in 2005.

Departments: Trade Unions

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many meetings (a) he and (b) his Department’s Ministers held with trade union representatives in 2006. [128761]

Mr. Thomas: A number of Trade Unions take a close interest in International Development. The Secretary of State for International Development and myself attended a small number of civil society events and forums in 2006 at which Trade Unions were represented, and development issues discussed.

The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union and the Association of the First Division Civil Servants (FDA) both have members in the Department for International Development. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for International Development and myself held no official meetings with representatives from these unions in 2006 but did meet with PCS union representatives in March 2007.

Departments: Work Permits

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many work permits were applied for by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in each of the last five years. [126804]


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Mr. Thomas: DFID has helped four people to apply for work permits over the past five years.

The work permits were linked to staff appointed in country coming to the UK on short-term learning and development attachments.

Human Trafficking

Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to prevent women being trafficked into the UK. [128828]

Mr. Thomas: Poverty and social exclusion make people vulnerable to human trafficking. DFID supports long-term development programmes to help eliminate the underlying causes of poverty.

Most of the poorest people in the world are women and girls. Part of what makes them poor is discrimination because of their gender. DFID is making gender equality a priority across its work. This commitment is set out in our Gender Equality Action Plan. Our programmes are helping to improve the education of girls, and the livelihood opportunities, security and political participation of poor women, so that they are less vulnerable to trafficking.

Iraq: Overseas Aid

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding his Department committed in each year since the invasion to (a) water and sanitation projects and (b) electrification projects in Iraq. [120236]

Hilary Benn: Since 2003, DFID has spent the following amounts to improve electricity and water and sanitation in Iraq:

£ million
Electricity Water and Sanitation

2003-04

12.1

10.3

2004-05

6.2

1.6

2005/06

5.2

6.6

2006-07

8.2

3.3


In addition, DFID has contributed £70 million to the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRRFI). This has financed electricity, water and sanitation projects across Iraq. We have also contributed £36 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross so that they can provide emergency assistance to Iraqis. This includes access to clean water and sanitation.

Latin America: Debts

Mr. Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had on debt relief in (a) Nicaragua and (b) other Latin American countries. [128277]


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