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9 Oct 2006 : Column WA1
Written Answers
Monday 9 October 2006
Afghanistan: Funding
Lord Elton asked Her Majesty's Government:
What oversight, influence or control they have of the use made of moneys provided by them to the Government of Afghanistan.[HL7334]
The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Amos): Over 50 per cent of UK development assistance has been channelled through the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF), a pooled fund managed by the World Bank. The ARTF has inbuilt safeguards against the risk of corruption: it reimburses money only when there is a paper trail to demonstrate it has been spent in accordance with strict controls. A full-time external oversight agent monitors these claims. We also channel aid through projects to build government capacity, and we apply rigorous compliance checks on how these are managed in line with DfID best practice, applying strict procurement guidelines and undertaking rigorous monitoring.
Afghanistan: Government
Lord Elton asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their assessment of the proposal by the Government of Afghanistan to set up, or reinstate, a Department for the Promulgation of Virtue and Prohibition of Vice, and of the remit and powers to be vested in such a department.[HL7335]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): The Afghan Parliament has not yet debated the proposal to establish a Department for the Promulgation of Virtue and Prohibition of Vice nor have terms of reference been agreed.
We and our international partners are following developments closely and continue to encourage the Afghan Government to observe international human rights obligations.
Lord Elton asked Her Majesty's Government:
What part, if any, of the cost to the Government of Afghanistan of setting up, or reinstating, and funding a Department for the Promulgation of Virtue and Prohibition of Vice could be met out of funds provided by the Government of the United Kingdom.[HL7336]
The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Amos): The Government have proposed that a Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice be set up under the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Hajj, which has an operating budget of $6 million this year. However, the proposal has yet to be debated by the Afghan National Assembly, and no terms of reference have been agreed.
DfID provides around half of its programme (£50 million in 2006-07) in a contribution to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF). These resources allow the Afghan Government to establish their own priorities for reconstruction activities and build capacity by ensuring that the Government take the lead in implementation. Around 80 per cent of these resources are used for wages and salaries of government officials. In principle the Government could use DfID’s resources to fund any expenditure that meets the eligibility criteria of the ARTF. These criteria ensure that all expenditures are contained in the government budget and consistent with Afghan law, do not include military spending, and follow financial management standards set by the World Bank. Aid has proven to be more effective where the Government have control of their own budget and resources, and given Afghanistan’s dependence on foreign donors, this can only be done through instruments such as the ARTF.
However, DfID’s overall support to Afghanistan is governed by the 10-year development partnership arrangement signed by Tony Blair and President Karzai in January 2006, which commits Afghanistan to upholding human rights. Were we to believe that the Afghan Government were breaching this agreement through any of their actions, we would raise this politically at the highest level in Afghanistan. We also participate on the monitoring and review board for the Afghanistan Compact, which provides opportunities to address issues such as these.
Afghanistan: Helmand Province
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many aircraft are currently deployed in the Helmand province of Afghanistan; what are the aircraft types; and what are the flying hours for each type.[HL7327]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Drayson): I am withholding details of where our aircraft are based and what their flying hours are as this information could severely compromise operational security and put the lives of our personnel at risk. The most appropriate type of aircraft is based at the most appropriate place to support the UK deployment to Helmand.
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
How the overall deficit in helicopter lift in the Helmand province of Afghanistan is calculated; and what is the current overall deficit.[HL7328]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Drayson): The requirements for all military resources in Afghanistan are considered by the Ministry of Defence, either as part of the formal force level review process, or as a result of receiving requests from theatre commanders.
Where a deficit is foreseen, requests for additional resources are (and have been) staffed from the operational theatre to the Permanent Joint Headquarters and then to the Ministry of Defence. Each of the recent requests from the operational theatre have been endorsed and additional resources have been allocated, as announced by the Secretary of State for Defence on 10 July. Since then, no further requests have been received from Commander UK Task Force for additional helicopters.
Afghanistan: Human Rights
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
What information they have received from the Women Political Participation Committee of Afghanistan concerning the proposed re-establishment of the vice and virtue department; and whether they will make representations to the Government of Afghanistan concerning the preservation of the right to freedom of religion and belief under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.[HL7127]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): The Government have not received any information from the Women Political Participation Committee of Afghanistan about the re-establishment of the Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. The Afghan Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs' proposal for establishing a Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice was considered at Cabinet on 16 July. This has now been referred to Parliament. We, and our international partners, continue to encourage the Afghan Government to observe their international human rights obligations. We will consider making representations once Parliament has deliberated and a decision has been made.
Afghanistan: Poppy Cultivation
Baroness Northover asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their assessment of the likely increase or decrease in poppy cultivation across Afghanistan over the next year, broken down for each province.[HL7401]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) conducts an annual survey into the level of opium poppy cultivation and production in Afghanistan. According to the executive summary of the report, which is now available on the UNODC's website (www.unodc.org), overall cultivation of opium poppy in Afghanistan rose from 104,000 hectares in 2005 to 165,000 hectares in 2006. The report also provides a full breakdown of cultivation by province. This shows that the increase is due to a substantial increase in planting in Helmand and other southern provinces. This is worrying but reflects the very difficult security situation and limited law enforcement capability in the south. Elsewhere in areas where access to governance, security and development has improved, reductions achieved last year have been sustained and in some cases fallen. It is too early to speculate on cultivation levels for 2007. We will know more following the release of UNODC's rapid assessment survey in the spring. The noble Baroness may also wish to refer to separate UK-commissioned research into the drivers behind farmers’ planting decisions which I will make available in the Library of the House.
Afghanistan: UK Aid
Baroness Northover asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the current United Kingdom aid expenditure in each province of Afghanistan; which aid agencies are being supported; how many international and Afghan aid workers are being supported in Afghanistan; and how these figures compare for each province across the past five years.[HL7400]
The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Amos): Since 2001, DfID has spent over £390 million on reconstruction and development in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is DfID’s fifth largest programme and we are Afghanistan's second largest bilateral donor, spending over £100 million in 2005-06. This will increase to £115 million by 2008-09.
DfID’s bilateral spend in Afghanistan over the last five financial years (from 1 April to 31 March) is as follows:
DfID does not have a detailed breakdown of spending in Afghanistan by province, as we put most of our money through the government budget, for example the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF). In the past, we have focused particular effort in Mazar-e-Sharif, Bamyan, Kandahar, Gardez and Badakshan. Over the next three years we plan to spend up to £20 million each year in Helmand. We do not have information on the number of aid workers (international or Afghan) supported by us.
The table below illustrates where DfID provided direct financial assistance to provinces. This was largely support to provincial reconstruction teams, but also includes support to three NGOs (Aga Khan Development Network, Afghan Aid and Concern) in Badakshan.
| Province | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 |
DfID is also providing funding of £7.4 million to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) for the development of alternative livelihoods for poppy farmers in Bamiyan, Herat and Balkh provinces.
DfID has recently approved £30 million over three years to support rural and agriculture development in Helmand province. This will go towards supporting activities under the National Solidarity Programme (NSP), the National Rural Access Programme (NRAP), the Micro-finance Investment Support Facility of Afghanistan (MISFA), quick impact projects in addition to the Water and Sanitation Programme (WATSAN).
Since 2001, DfID has provided direct financial support to a number of international organisations. Details of the organisations supported are shown below. Of theses organisations, we still currently provide direct financial support to Afghan Aid, Concern, Aga Khan, Womankind, BAGG, and The Asia Foundation.
Afghan AidAfghan Development Association Aga KhanAgency for Technical Cooperation and DevelopmentAide Medicale International Assisting Marsh Arabs and Refugees BBC World Service Trust BRACBritish Agencies Advisory Group British Red Cross British Refugee Council CAFODCareCentre for Humanitarian Dialogue Christian AidConcernDevelopment initiatives Greenshields Cowie Halo TrustInternational Rescue Committee Islamic ReliefMercy CorpsMerlinOckenden International OxfamPharmaciens Sans Frontieres Refugee Studies Centre Save the Children Fund SolidaritiesTearFundThe Asia Foundation War Child UKWomankindIn addition, over the past five years DfID has provided direct financial support to a number of national organisations. Details of the organisations supported are shown in the table below. Of these organisations, we still currently provide direct financial support to Southern Rehabilitation and Aid Committee and Helping Afghan Farmers.
Afghanistan Independence Human Rights CommissionAfghanistan Information Management Service Afghanistan National Construction Co-ordinationCivil Service Commission Co-operation Centre for AfghanistanHelping Afghan Farmers OrganisationIrtiqa Development and Construction OrganisationLuqman Rehabilitation OrganisationMoqadas Reconstruction Organisation Reconstruction Committee for Development of AfghanistanRoshan Construction CompanySouthern Afghanistan Development AssociationSouthern Rehabilitation and Aid Committee Tribal Liaison OfficeA significant proportion of DfID’s programme goes to NGOs indirectly through the Government of Afghanistan, who subcontract implementation of many of their national programmes (to which DfID contributes funding) to national and international NGOs, as well as other implementing partners. Other direct recipients of DfID funding, such as UN agencies, also use NGOs as implementing partners. We do not have a detailed list of these.
Africa: Agricultural Projects
Lord Christopher asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will initiate an objective study of the comparative effectiveness of the various agricultural projects of non-governmental organisations in Africa with a view to encouraging and advising others, including donors.[HL7347]
The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Amos): DfID supports many non-governmental organisations working on agricultural issues in Africa. These are usually subject to independent evaluation. Progress reports on much of DfID’s support to NGOs are made available on the DfID website (www.dfid.gov.uk). Most non-governmental organisations we support also synthesise their experience and share good practice widely.
In 2005-06 DfID provided more than £81 million of support through long-term strategic arrangements (Partnership Programme Agreements—PPAs) to 18 international non-governmental organisations. PPAs support a broad range of activities including agriculture. PPAs are reviewed annually and independent evaluations are planned for all of these arrangements.
DfID also undertook a wide range of studies on agriculture and poverty reduction, including on the role of development assistance, in preparation for the DfID policy paper Growth and poverty reduction: the role of agriculture released in December 2005. Copies of this have been laid in the Library of the House.
Age Discrimination
Lord Jones of Cheltenham asked Her Majesty's Government:
What measures have been introduced to inform employers of the provisions to outlaw age discrimination being introduced on 1 October.[HL7222]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Sainsbury of Turville): ACAS good practice guidance for employers and separate DTI guidance on the occupational pensions aspects of the regulations were launched at the joint DTI and DWP Opportunity Age conference in April. Last month, the Government's “Be Ready” campaign entered its second phase, distributing information to 1.4 million employers about the forthcoming legislation, age good practice, and an invitation to order further in-depth material. This and other material can be accessed through the DTI and Age Positive websites, which contain a wealth of other material about the regulations helpful to employers. As a result of the DTI's capacity-building programme, further material will be available over the coming months.
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