| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
4 Jun 2007 : Column 51W—continued
DFID does not have programmes dedicated to eco-tourism and environmental protection, but many of our programmes make a contribution to better environmental management, both globally and in developing countries. DFID's policy paper on the environment lists examples of these programmes.
DFID has supported a number of tourism related activities, through our Business Challenge Linkages Fund, which have focused on country level projects to improve labour standards and capacity building for small-scale suppliers to the tourism industry.
In addition, DFID country offices have committed £4.5 million on tourism related activities since 2000. Examples include: development of a Tourism Strategy for St. Helena (2005), creation of a botanical garden in Montserrat, and the implementation of a plan for biodiversity management and sustainable development around a Ramsar site in the Turks and Caicos Islands (2005).
DFID has funded research into the pro-poor potential of tourism development, at the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and the University of Kent, Canterbury.
Equatorial Guinea: Overseas Aid
Mr. Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid the Government gave (a) directly and (b) through non-governmental organisations to Equatorial Guinea in each of the last five years. [140069]
Hilary Benn: The UK Government have given no bilateral assistance to Equatorial Guinea in any of the last five years, either directly or through NGOs.
Group of Eight
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the forthcoming G8 meeting will discuss Africa and Climate Change; and if he will make a statement. [140075]
Hilary Benn: The theme of the German G8 presidency is “growth and responsibility”, both in the world economy which includes climate protection and in Africa. Therefore climate change and Africa will be at the centre of discussions at the upcoming G8 summit.
We are extremely pleased with the German focus on Africa and development as well as climate change during its G8 presidency. We share the German view of the importance of good governance and economic growth for development in Africa. We believe that the agenda for Heiligendamm complements the commitments made at Gleneagles very well.
My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister will be making a statement on June 4 in Parliament before the summit.
Middle East: Overseas Aid
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what role his Department plays in HM Treasury’s work on economic development in Israel and Palestine. [140137]
Hilary Benn: DFID works closely with HM Treasury and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on economic aspects of peace in the Middle East.
DFID has responded to the economic crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) with £15 million in contributions through the Temporary International Mechanism. This supports basic services and livelihoods for public sector employees and the poorest Palestinians. We are also developing a project to stimulate investment and business innovation in the OPTs.
Nepal: Refugee Camps
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of living conditions in the Goldhap refugee camp in eastern Nepal. [140185]
Mr. Thomas: DFID is not directly involved in the running and administration of the refugee camps in Nepal and has not made its own assessment. However, we are kept informed by the UN about the status of camps and refugees as part of the regular donor dialogue in Kathmandu. DFID Nepal has also had some direct contact and discussions with representatives from the camps about conditions generally and has fed their views back to the UN system.
Of the seven Bhutanese refugee camps in eastern Nepal, Goldhap camp is a middle-size camp, located in the Jhapa district, and has approximately 1,344 families with a total population of 9,626 persons.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) assess the camps as having a high level of education. The general level of medical care and nutrition is above the national average; however recent studies have indicated the prevalence of anaemia in the camps, mainly among expectant mothers and children. In response, UNHCR is implementing a Special Project on Health and Nutrition designed to address this issue.
In terms of prosecuting sexual and gender-based violence and other crimes in the camps, the UNHCR-supported Nepal Bar Association provides a legal assistance programme consisting of legal counselling, legal representation and support in the filing of cases, either in court or at a police station. The involvement of legal professionals from the beginning of the process has helped to strengthen support mechanisms.
Daily camp life is managed with the active support of refugees through the Camp Management Committee, which is formed by refugee representatives annually elected by refugees in a democratic voting process.
Security is provided by the Government of Nepal through a small, recently reinstated police presence in all the camps, with the support of a small number of refugee volunteers who consist of the refugee Community
Watch Team. UNHCR also run a number of skills development training courses to promote refugee empowerment, with a specific focus on refugee women.
Overseas Aid: Electricity Generation
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) expenditure and (b) proportion of the aid budget was used to support electricity generation projects in each of the last five years. [138102]
Mr. Thomas: At the Gleneagles summit in 2005, the UK secured G8 agreement that the World Bank should lead on establishing a new clean energy for development investment framework (CEIF), which would operate across the international financing system. The aim of this framework is to increase public and private sector investment in cleaner energy in developing countries. The World Bank published their action plan in March 2007 to implement their part of the framework.
The Multilateral Development Banks have looked for ways to take forward this work. The Asian Development Bank launched an energy efficiency initiative, with an annual target of providing $1 billion in assistance for clean energy projects. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development launched the sustainable energy initiative last year, which aims to leverage €5 billion of investment in cleaner energy over the next five years. The World Bank is working to increase its financial commitments on renewable energy and energy efficiency.
The World Bank's action plan for the CEIF has three main parts, one of which is to increase energy access in Africa. This includes giving greater attention to Africa's need for increased electricity generation, transmission and household electrification. The World Bank is starting discussions with some African governments about how the action plan can be implemented, aimed at improving access by households to modern energy services.
The UK has committed over £15 million to the CEIF so far, including £3 million for technical support in developing the CEIF and supporting discussions in developing countries; £10 million to fund posts and programme budgets across the multilateral development banks and the United Nations Development Programme over the next three years; and £3 million to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development's (EBRD) sustainable energy initiative.
Except in a few special circumstances, DFID has not provided bilateral funding in support of electricity generation projects over the last five years. We work closely with international finance institutions such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank on financing arrangements they will apply to electricity generation projects in developing countries. A proportion of our funding to multilateral agencies such as these is spent on electricity generation projects.
The exceptions relate to our work for dependent territories and in Iraq. Over the past five years, DFID has spent about £260,000 on a wind turbine electricity generation project in St Helena. In Iraq, we have spent about £21 million on electricity generation projects to keep essential services running, through the installation of new equipment and the repair of existing assets.
Syrian Arabic Republic: Overseas Aid
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid was given by the UK to Syria in (a) 1999 and (b) 2006. [140221]
Hilary Benn: The UK provided £90,000 bilaterally in official development assistance (oda) to Syria in 1999, when our estimated share of multilateral oda was £2,084,000. No oda was granted bilaterally by the UK in 2006. Figures for the breakdown of our share of 2006 multilateral oda are not yet available. DFID does not maintain a bilateral programme in Syria. However, the UK provides significant support to countries in the Middle East through multilateral channels, in particular a £1.5 billion share of the EC’s European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument’s (ENPI) £8.3 billion support from 2007 to 2013 which will include aid to Syria.
Vaccination: Tuberculosis
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations he has received on the development of a new tuberculosis vaccine; and if he will make a statement. [139791]
Mr. Thomas: DFID officials have met staff from the Aeras Global TB vaccine foundation several times in the last year and are kept up-to-date with progress on the development and promotion of new tuberculosis vaccines.
World Bank
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action he is taking in response to the resignation of the president of the World Bank. [139058]
Hilary Benn: The UK remains a supporter of the World Bank, and its staff, as a force for good in the world. The Bank's task now, is to renew its efforts to lift people out of poverty.
The UK has a long-standing commitment to support developing country calls for a stronger say at the World Bank. Last year's UK White Paper on International Development reaffirmed our view that the practice of picking the heads of the World Bank and the IMF based on nationality should end, and both presidents should be chosen on merit but changing the system would require consensus among member countries. We are working with other member countries of the World Bank to identify and select the best candidate to be the next president.
World Bank Energy Programme
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of his Department’s annual contribution to the World Bank was spent on the World Bank Energy Programme in each of the last three years. [140203]
Hilary Benn:
The World Bank’s Fiscal Year runs from 1 July to 30 June each year. For Fiscal Year 2004 (starting 1 July 2003) the Bank lent $1.05 billion for
energy projects. This amount increased to $1.9 billion in Fiscal Year 2005 and $3.1 billion in Fiscal Year 2006. Figures are not yet available for Fiscal Year 2007.
The UK has provided £1.65 billion in core contributions to the World Bank’s International Development Association since 1 April 2003. However, annual payments from the UK and other Bank shareholders are just one source of finance drawn upon by the Bank to provide loans and credits to developing countries. Therefore it is not possible to say what proportion of the UK’s contribution was spent on energy programmes.
At the Gleneagles summit in 2005, the UK secured G8 agreement that the World Bank should lead on establishing a new Clean Energy Investment Framework (CEIF) that would operate across the international financing system. The aim of this framework is to increase public and private sector investments in cleaner energy in developing countries.
Trade and Industry
Cheques
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the impact on the consumer of trends in the numbers of retailers refusing to accept cheques as payment in point of sale transactions. [139486]
Mr. McCartney: The decision on whether to accept cheques as a method of payment is a commercial one for retailers. Increasing numbers of transactions are now made electronically and by card. However, cheques are still widely used by consumers as a method of payment.
The Government recognise this, and welcome the reforms agreed by the OFT Payment Systems Task Force last November to introduce greater transparency and certainty for cheque users, including for basic bank account holders.
China: Motorcycles
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many motorcycles manufactured in China of 50cc and under were imported into the UK in each year since 1997. [139695]
Mr. McCartney: The following table shows HM Revenue and Customs' overseas trade statistics for the value and number of UK imports from China of motorcycles, including mopeds, with engines of 50cc or less:
| £ million | Number | |
Coastal Areas: Conferences
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action his Department plans to take as a result of discussions at the Coastal Towns Conference held on 8 May. [139617]
Margaret Hodge: The Coastal Towns Conference raised a wide range of issues, some of which were subsequently covered by the Government’s reply to the report of the Communities and Local Government Select Committee on Coastal Towns. The Government will consider the need to examine further the evidence on the characteristics of coastal towns to help inform policy-making.
Departments: Data Protection
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times his Department was found to have been in breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [139202]
Jim Fitzpatrick: We have not been found to have been in breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 in the last five years.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |