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16 Apr 2007 : Column 114W—continued

Kashmir: Earthquakes

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the relief operation for the victims of the earthquake in Kashmir and Northern Pakistan. [131003]

Mr. Thomas: The Government of Pakistan (GoP) has been leading the response to the earthquake, working with a wide range of international partners, including DFID and other donors, the United Nations, and NGOs. The humanitarian relief phase, which came to an end last year, was successful in ensuring adequate provision of food, shelter and basic services to people affected by the earthquake. DFID committed £58 million to immediate relief. A DFID team
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conducted a follow-up mission early this January to review the humanitarian situation now, particularly to assess the effectiveness of GoP’s and the United Nations’ winter preparations. Our assessment concluded that winter planning was adequate. Basic services have functioned and the coping ability of most people has been restored.

GoP is now finalising its planning for the major reconstruction season that lies ahead. Some reconstruction of individual health and education facilities, particularly through NGOs and donor agencies, is already being undertaken. However, the bulk of the work will be undertaken by GoP through its Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority. This will include large programmes of new and replacement schools, health facilities, roads, water and sanitation services, telecommunications, and Government facilities.

DFID has committed to providing £70 million for reconstruction. Of this, some £5 million has already been spent on reconstructing critical bridges, training teachers and educational administrators and on essential support to maintain TB and mental health services. A further £9 million is currently being spent on improving GoP’s capacity to deal with the reconstruction. The £56 million remaining is being allocated to the Government of Pakistan in three parts for reconstruction and rehabilitation against their own annual priorities. We have just released the first allocation, of £17.5 million. This money will be used for housing and for reconstructing critical health, education and other facilities.

Orphans: Finance

Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment has been made of the impact of the first two years' expenditure of the funding allocated for orphans and vulnerable children. [130469]

Mr. Thomas: We are currently undertaking the interim evaluation of ‘Taking Action’, the UK's strategy for tackling HIV and AIDS in the developing world, which we expect to be published later this spring and which will help us assess the impact of our spending allocated for orphans and vulnerable children.

Overseas Aid: Publicity

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost to his Department was of the Aid Works DVD campaign. [127610]

Mr. Thomas: From February 2006 to date, the Aid Works DVD campaign cost £76,870.81, which includes the production, marketing and distribution of the DVD. The DVD aims to explain to the public, through two films 'Aid Works' and 'Making Aid Work' why it is important to give aid to poor countries and how UK taxpayers' money gets to those in most need.

Overseas Aid: Water

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department
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contributed to the funding of the Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility on water in each of the last three years; what allocation has been made to the 2007-08 budget; and if he will make a statement. [130740]

Hilary Benn: DFID has supported Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF) over three phases since 1999. Our total commitment to PPIAF from 1999 to 2008 is £53 million. Over the last three years, we have disbursed £16.8 million to PPIAF. We do not earmark our funding for specific sectors, allowing PPIAF to respond flexibly to the requests for help it receives from developing country governments.

PPIAF reports in World Bank financial years (July to June) and in US$ dollars. Over the last three years, PPIAF as a whole has spent approximately the following in the water sector:

DFID has committed a total of £5 million to be disbursed to PPIAF for all its activities (including in water and sanitation) for 2007-08.

The majority of developing country governments do not have the capacity to provide good quality infrastructure and services for their people; PPIAF helps them to develop sound policies, regulations and institutions. PPIAF does this by providing developing country governments with technical assistance which they can use to tap the full potential of public-private partnerships in infrastructure. PPIAF also identifies, communicates and promotes best practice on matters relating to public-private partnerships in infrastructure. It is also recognised as a leading resource for training and best practice in the role of public-private partnerships in infrastructure service delivery.

There are many examples of PPIAF’s success. For example in Kenya, PPIAF provided technical assistance and training to enable micro-credit banks to lend to small water providers to provide clean water to rural and semi-urban communities. This has led to 21 micro-credit investments and an output based grant which will result in 60,000 people gaining access to clean water.

Also in Ghana, PPIAF supported the Ghana Community Water and Sanitation Agency with regulatory and legal reform to improve small town water services. This has allowed local water operators to provide clean water to communities for the first time. Communities themselves were involved in the selection of the water providers. This has been successfully implemented in three towns and will be rolled out to 300 small towns across the country.

Further information about PPIAF and its successes are available in a fact sheet ‘Department for International Development (DFID) Factsheet for the Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF)’, which has been placed in the Library of the House.

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of the
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Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility budget has been spent on (a) private and (b) public schemes for water supply; and if he will make a statement. [130741]

Hilary Benn: The Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF) does not separate its activities purely between public and private schemes for water supply. The realities of water services provision in developing countries are more complicated.

PPIAF has supported 97 water sector activities with a total funding of US$ 21.6 million. These water sector activities can be divided into the following categories:

PPIAF is a fund supported by a number of donors including DFID. It provides advice to developing countries to ensure that their citizens get the most out of private sector involvement in infrastructure services. PPIAF achieves this by supporting governments to develop sound policies, regulations and institutions which can tap the full potential of public-private partnerships in infrastructure. It is also a leading resource for training and best practices in the role of public-private partnerships in infrastructure service delivery.

PPIAF only provides advice to developing countries when requested to do so by their governments. For example, in Vietnam, a PPIAF supported grant assisted two small towns with the development of community-based water projects that bring affordable water to poor communities using local private operators. These projects used extensive community outreach to get 90 per cent. of the population to agree on technical, financial and cost recovery options, including tariff design. This demand driven approach is now being replicated through other donor programs and also in the Philippines and Thailand with many other prospects for replication.

Further information on PPIAF’s work can be found on their website at www.ppiaf.org


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Serbia: Overseas Aid

Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 19 February 2007, Official Report, column 287W, on Serbia: overseas, how much funding the Government provided to Serbia through international institutions in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) the total sum provided by each institution and (b) the UK’s percentage contribution. [127118]

Mr. Thomas: Estimates of multilateral funding provided to Serbia and Montenegro (including Kosovo) and the UK’s imputed share and percentage share of this funding are provided in the following three tables. Table 1 contains estimates of funding provided by multilateral institutions to Serbia and Montenegro (including) Kosovo) for each calendar year 2000 to 2004. Table 2 contains estimates of the UK’s imputed share of this funding and Table 3 contains estimates of the UK’s percentage share of this funding on which Table 2 imputed figures are based. The following points should be borne in mind when interpreting the tables:


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Table 1: Multilateral ODA/OA to Serbia and Montenegro (including Kosovo) for 2000 to 2004
£000
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

562

680

1.978

1,713

Global Environment Facility

65

Global Fund to Fight AIDS TB and Malaria

625

720

International Development Association

58,300

92,758

UN Development Programme

667

1.250

692

306

UN Population Fund

46

1,083

1.340

606

UN High Commissioner for Refugees

44,650

33.840

12,202

UN Children’s Fund

83

360

294

393

UN Regular Programme of Technical

258

90

113

245

267

World Food Programme

152

1,097

247

5

European Commission

311.083

426,786

209,294

199.688

Total

356.856

464,792

2.246

272.034

308.108


Table 2: Imputed UK Share of Multilateral ODA/OA to Serbia and Montenegro (including Kosovo) for 2000 to 2004
£000
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

87

44

136

126

Global Environment Facility

6

Global Fund to Fight AIDS TB and Malaria

32

47

International Development Association

12,889

4,029

UN Development Programme

56

113

55

26

UN Population Fund

197

144

62

UN High Commissioner for Refugees

524

1,135

1,356

UN Children’s Fund

6

18

16

21

UN Regular Programme of Technical Assistance

26

6

8

19

19

World Food Programme

3

5

(1)0

European Commission

61,159

79,766

37,924

34,985

Total

161,768

81,311

209

51,133

40,617

(1) In 2004, the UK share of the World Food Programme funds that went to Serbia and Montenegro was small and rounded to 0.

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