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12 Jan 2009 : Column 254W—continued
Mr. Douglas Alexander:
There are five major non-governmental organisations (NGOs) implementing projects in Helmand with Department for International Development (DFID) funding. Their work in Helmand includes agricultural development with the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock; microfinance;
community development; and work on procuring goods locally for the international community. In addition, the UK-led Provincial Reconstruction Team works with several local non-governmental organisations to deliver stabilisation projects across Helmand.
Departmental Contracts
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with how many faith-based organisations his Department has contracts to provide public services. [244838]
Mr. Michael Foster: In making contracts for the provision of public services, my Department only selects organisations that meet the proper criteria and have the most relevant expertise and experience to offer. The extent to which such organisations are faith-based is not evident in every case. An accurate total or comprehensive list could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Marketing
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been spent by his Department on advertising in the last 12 months. [243716]
Mr. Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) has spent £374,302 on advertising in the last 12 months.
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many special advisers were employed in his Department at each pay band on 30 November 2008; and what his Department's expenditure on special advisers was in 2007-08. [243569]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Prime Minister publishes on an annual basis, a list of the numbers and cost of special advisers. Information for 2007-08 was published on 22 July 2008, Official Report , columns 99-101WS and information for 2008-09 will be published later this year.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been spent on (a) departmental Christmas parties and (b) staff entertainment in the last three years. [243735]
Mr. Michael Foster: No official funds have been spent on department-wide Christmas parties in the last three years.
It is not possible to provide expenditure on staff entertainment in the last three years without incurring disproportionate costs.
Eritrea: Overseas Aid
Mr. Moore:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the value has been of Government aid to Eritrea in (a) 2006-07, (b) 2007-08
and (c) 2008-09; through which relief agencies the funding has been channelled; and to what projects it has been allocated. [243937]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department for International Development's (DFID) bilateral budget for Eritrea in 2008-09 is £2.1 million. £2 million of this is for UNICEF's water and sanitation programme, the remainder for Oxfam's water and sanitation project in Debub. In the event of an humanitarian crisis we would consider making further funds available.
Details on DFID bilateral expenditure in Eritrea in 2006-07 and 2007-08 are in the following table.
| DFID bilateral expenditure in Eritrea, 2006-07 to 2008-09 | |||
| £000 | |||
| Project title | Channel of delivery | 2006-07 | 2007-08 |
International Fund for Agricultural Development
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the merits of nominating a British candidate for the position of President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development. [242362]
Mr. Thomas: The UK works to promote merit-based, transparent senior level appointments across the international system, supporting well-qualified UK and non-UK candidates. In deciding whether to lobby for a UK candidate for a particular post the Government take a view of the mandate of the organisation, the quality of the process, the likely field and our other priorities across the multilateral system.
Over the last year we have worked successfully with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and its membership to promote greater transparency in the election for its next president. Presidency candidates at IFAD must be nominated by their Government and, if they are to stand a serious chance of success, strongly supported by their Government in their campaign. Credible candidates have been emerging for the IFAD presidency and we did not nominate a UK candidate on this occasion.
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he expects the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State to reply to the letters of 21 October and 1 December from the hon. Member for the Forest of Dean on mine harvesting in Cambodia. [246572]
Mr. Michael Foster: A response to the hon. Member for the Forest of Dean's letter of 21 October was issued on 27 October.
Mental Illness
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the recommendations relevant to his Department's policy responsibilities made in the Foresight report on Mental Capacity and Well-Being; and if he will make a statement. [244016]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department for International Development (DFID) was pleased to read the Foresight report and will be considering it with a view to taking up any relevant findings.
Part of that process will involve an assessment of what the report might mean for DFID policy and I will report on this in due course.
Somalia: Overseas Aid
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what role the Government has played in the training of the police force in Somalia; what funding has been provided from his Department; and if he will make a statement. [243947]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The UK, together with other European donors, has provided support to the United Nations Development Programme's Rule of Law and Security (ROLS) programme, which was designed to help improve safety and security for people in Somalia and promote better access to justice. The UK's support to the UNDP Rule of Law and Security Programme finished as scheduled in August 2008.
The Department for International Development (DFID) committed $3,872,108 (£2,590,827) between January and July 2008 to the law enforcement part of the ROLS programme. This has included support for civilian Police Advisory Committees in Mogadishu, the refurbishment of a police training centre in Somaliland and the training of police station commanders. It also includes the training of police, including in human rights issues, in training centres reconstructed by the international community. Police training is one aspect of the wider programme and DFID does not specify a level of expenditure for this activity.
Stabilisation Unit
Dr. Murrison:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people are employed in his Department's Stabilisation Unit (a) centrally, (b) in each theatre of operation and (c) to deal with each theatre; how many have been drawn from each contributing Department; what the annual
running costs of the unit are; how much the unit has spent in each theatre in which it operates in the last 12 months; and what plans there are to audit its (i) performance and (ii) efficiency. [244005]
Mr. Michael Foster: The breakdown of staff by Department and theatre is shown in the following table.
The running costs of the unit in the current financial year are £3.6 million. Total programme spend in 2008-09 is estimated at £5.4 million and spent as follows: £1.8 million in Afghanistan, £2.0 million in Sudan, £0.3 million in Iraq, £1.3 million on building future capability, £1 million in Georgia.
The stabilisation unit is subject to the Department for International Development's (DFID) audit arrangements. This includes external financial and value for money audit by the National Audit Office and periodic internal review by DFID’s Internal Audit Department (IAD).
| Department source | Number of staff | Of which in London | In theatre |
In addition, the Unit currently has 25 civilian experts overseas on fixed-term consultancy contracts longer than three months—17 in Afghanistan, four in Sudan, two in Iraq and two elsewhere in Africa.
Zimbabwe: Cholera
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to alleviate the water shortage in Harare; and if he will make a statement. [243674]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department for International Development (DFID) has delivered £3 million altogether to UNICEF to support the distribution of safe, potable water to cholera affected areas in Zimbabwe. UNICEF leads a cluster of over 25 partners working together to ensure that water, sanitation and hygiene in the poorest areas of the country are addressed. The high density areas of Harare are among those worst affected by the cholera epidemic. Since October 2008, UNICEF and its partners have been trucking in safe water, digging boreholes, installing mechanised pumps and treating wells. These actions have helped to increase the availability of clean water in these areas.
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to alleviate the effects of the cholera outbreak in Harare. [243675]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe continues to deteriorate. The cholera epidemic is the biggest in Zimbabwe's history. The United Nations (UN) is predicting that as many as 60,000 could be affected in the coming weeks. The Department for International Development (DFID) is funding a £10 million package to help fight the cholera outbreak and support life-saving health services, including in the worst affected areas such as Harare.
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