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10 Jun 2008 : Column 214W—continued
Burma: Storms
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the number of persons affected by Cyclone Nargis in Burma who had received humanitarian assistance as at 1 June 2008. [209361]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: At 1 June the UN estimated that one million of the 2.4 million people affected by Cyclone Nargis had received some humanitarian assistance; on 5 June the figure was revised to 1.3 million people. However, some of the people included in this figure have only received support on a one-off basis, so they will require further relief aid.
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what reports he has received of discrimination against ethnic Karen people in the distribution of aid in the Irrawaddy delta. [209363]
Mr. Douglas Alexander:
We recognise that concerns have been expressed over possible discrimination against ethnic Karen in the distribution of aid in the Irrawaddy delta. We have, however, received no substantiated reports that this has taken place. Assistance provided by the
United Nations and international non-governmental organisations funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) is distributed according to the principles of impartiality and need, regardless of ethnicity or religion.
Democratic Republic of Congo: Overseas Aid
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support his Department gave to the Democratic Republic of Congo in each year since 1997. [209215]
Gillian Merron: Details of the Department for International Development’s (DFID) bilateral assistance and imputed multilateral assistance to the Democratic Republic of Congo since 1997 are laid out in the following tables:
| Table 1: Total DFID bilateral expenditure 1997-98 to 2006-07 | |
| Democratic Republic of Congo (£000) | |
| Table 2: Imputed DFID share of multilateral official development assistance (ODA) 1997-98 to 2006-07 | |
| Democratic Republic of Congo (£000) | |
Departmental Vocational Training
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development for what proportion of its staff his Department has provided vocational training in the last three years. [209427]
Gillian Merron: The proportion of staff in the Department for International Development benefiting from vocational training in the last three years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Sub-departments and overseas offices within DFID are responsible for arranging and financing staff training. Information on the numbers of staff benefiting from different types of training is not held centrally.
Developing Countries: Education
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government are taking to advance towards the goal of all children having access to primary education world-wide by 2015; and if he will make a statement. [208869]
Gillian Merron: The 2008 Education for All Global Monitoring Report records that global enrolment in primary education has increased from 647 million in 1999 to 688 million in 2005 but that some 72 million primary aged children worldwide (41 million girls) are still not enrolled in school. The UK Government are providing £8.5 billion over a 10-year period to 2015 in support of education in developing countries. The bulk of this support will help the poorest countries in Africa and Asia to develop and implement ambitious education sector plans to achieve the millennium development goal of universal primary education by 2015. The UK and France have agreed to each help support eight million children in school in Africa by the time of the 2010 Football World Cup in South Africa.
In addition to the UK's bilateral and multilateral support to education, the Government are actively engaged in galvanising international political action in support of Education for All particularly through the G8, which last year reaffirmed its commitment that no country committed to Education for All will be thwarted in their efforts through lack of resources. We continue to urge other donors to meet their promises on education. We are also working with the United Nations and other donors to accelerate action in achieving the millennium development goals (MDGs), following last year's Call to Action by the Prime Minister and the United Nations' Secretary-General. Education is a key pillar of the Call to Action. We are working towards a plan for accelerated action on all the MDGs to be agreed at the United Nations hosted international conference, in New York, on 25 September.
Developing Countries: HIV Infection
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what allocation of funding his Department has made to support implementation of the Government’s strategy for tackling HIV in the developing world in the next three years; [209330]
(2) what progress has been made on the UK’s commitment to universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment by 2010. [209527]
Gillian Merron: The UK Government have committed £6 billion to strengthening health systems and services over seven years to 2015 in the updated AIDS strategy “Achieving Universal Access—the UK’s strategy for halting and reversing the spread of HIV in the developing world”. The Government also committed to spend £200 million on social protection over three years to support the most vulnerable households, including orphans and vulnerable children. The UK will also increase by at least 50 per cent. its funding for research and development of AIDS vaccines and microbicides between 2008-13.
In addition to these recent commitments, the UK Government have made long-term commitments of £1 billion (2007-15) to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, a 20-year commitment to the international drugs purchase facility UNITAID (2006-26), a 10-year commitment to the Medicines Transparency Alliance (2008-18), and £8.5 billion for education over 10 years to 2015.
A copy of the updated strategy and supporting evidence paper have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. These are also available on the Department for International Development (DFID) website:
UNAIDS will assess progress against the interim universal access targets (milestones), set by countries during 2006-07, in the final quarter of 2008. Data prepared for the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AIDS, 10-11 June, will inform this process.
Malawi: Overseas Aid
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support his Department gave to Malawi in each year since 1997. [209222]
Gillian Merron: Details of the Department for International Development’s (DFID) bilateral assistance and imputed multilateral assistance to Malawi since 1997 are laid out in the following tables.
| Table 1: Total DFID bilateral expenditure 1997-98 to 2006-07 | |
| Malawi (£000) | |
| Table 2: Imputed DFID share of multilateral official development assistance (ODA) 1997-98 to 2006-07 | |
| Malawi (£000) | |
Sudan: Human Rights
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in Abyei. [209512]
Gillian Merron: The humanitarian situation in Abyei is stable, and the UN has reported that there are sufficient resources to cover current needs. The Department for International Development (DFID) is liaising closely with the UN, which is co-ordinating the aid effort, and NGOs active in the region to ensure that the response is effective and appropriately resourced.
The international community moved quickly to provide assistance to residents fleeing the fighting. It is basing its response on estimates of 50,000 displaced southwards and a further 40,000 in war-affected communities. Less than 2,000 moved north. By 30 May, the World Food Programme had distributed 234 metric tons of food to over 28,000 people. The initial round of emergency non-food item distributions was completed on 5 June 2008. NGOs and UN agencies are providing health care and water and sanitation services.
The UN has made clear that additional funding from donors is not required at present. Existing stocks were sufficient to cover the initial response, and a proposal is being jointly developed for the UN’s Central Emergency Relief Fund for further work. DFID will continue to liaise closely with the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs and others to monitor the need for further support.
Sudan: Overseas Aid
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what level and type of aid assistance his Department is providing to Sudan in 2008-09; and if he will make a statement. [209736]
Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development (DFID) has a bilateral framework of £105 million for Sudan in 2008-09. Around £40 million of this will be spent on humanitarian aid, and £65 million on recovery and development support. £70 million will be channelled through pooled funds managed by the World Bank or the UN. Funds will not be directed through the Government of Sudan.
We have provisionally allocated £30 million to the Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) 2009 allocation. The CHF is a pooled fund allowing the UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator to allocate funds to priority humanitarian needs in Sudan. We are also providing £10 million through NGO partners to address humanitarian needs in Darfur.
As part of our ongoing commitment to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), we are planning to provide £20 million to the National and Southern Multi-Donor Trust Funds. These fund priorities set out by the Joint Assessment Mission which followed the signing of the CPA in 2005. We are also providing up to £7 million to support elections, which are scheduled to take place in 2009; and £9 million through the Basic Services Fund, which enables the Government of South Sudan to coordinate NGOs to provide basic services such as healthcare and education to southern Sudan. Other funding will go towards core support for UN Development Programme’s work on governance and the rule of law; new UN-administered funds for community-level peace building in Darfur and recovery in the South; and work on the environment.
Work Experience
Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many 14 to 16 year old students undertook a period of work experience in his Department in each of the last four years; and whether a programme exists to encourage the participation of young people from a variety of areas and social backgrounds. [205068]
Gillian Merron: In the last four years the Department for International Development (DFID) has offered work experience opportunities in its London and East Kilbride offices through co-ordinated programmes involving local authorities and local schools. The numbers in each year were:
| Number | |
The scheme provides for young people from local London boroughs and the South Lanarkshire region with the aim of providing opportunities for young people from different areas and social backgrounds.
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