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9 Dec 2004 : Column WA43
Written Answers
Thursday, 9 December 2004.
Afghanistan: Food Insecurity
Baroness Rawlings asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Amos): DfID is funding a project aimed at identifying areas of food insecurity in Afghanistan, and the causes for this. This information will be vital to the Afghan Government and donors in tackling food insecurity and ensuring appropriate targeting of assistance in the future.
DfID programmes which support improvements in rural livelihoods are helping farmers to try out new crops and agricultural methods. This will assist in improving yields and producing healthier crops, giving farmers sufficient food to feed their own families, as well as have a surplus available for sale.
This year DfID has committed £2.5 million and £0.5 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organisation for Migration respectively for their assistance to refugees and internally displaced people, as well as making a contribution of £3 million to the joint Afghan Government and UN appeal for areas in the south and west affected by drought.
Iraq: Aid
Lord Roberts of Llandudno asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much money they have spent on direct aid to alleviate the situation in Iraq since 1 January 2003. [HL37]
Baroness Amos: DfID has disbursed over £251 million for humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to Iraq since 1 January 2003, of which £88 million has been spent on bilateral aid, £84 million channelled through the United Nations for its 2003 humanitarian appeal, £70 million through the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI), and £9 million to other multilateral institutions.
More information about DfID's programme in Iraq can be found at www.dfid.gov.uk/countries/asia/iraq.asp
Iraq: Civilian Casualties
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether an official estimate has been made of the scale of Iraqi civilian casualties caused directly by the action of coalition forces during and since the invasion; and, if there has been no such estimate, what are the reasons for this. [HL100]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean): I refer the noble Lord to my Written Statement on this subject of 17 November (Official Report, col. WS61–WS64).
Zimbabwe: British Journalists
Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they had any communication on or after 23 November with the Government of Zimbabwe or the England and Wales Cricket Board about the decision to refuse access to the British Broadcasting Corporation and other British sports journalists to the planned England versus Zimbabwe cricket series; and, if so, what action was taken. [HL124]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Officials in London and our Embassy in Harare were in close touch with the England and Wales Cricket Board throughout.
On news of the banning of several UK journalists accompanying the England team, my honourable friend the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Denis MacShane) summoned the Zimbabwean Chargé d' Affairs on 24 November, to convey our strong concern about this attack on press freedom. Our Embassy in Harare also made representations to the Zimbabwean authorities.
The Zimbabwean authorities have now decided to accredit the UK journalists. We remain greatly concerned at the broader restrictions on a free media in Zimbabwe.
Defence Projects: Risk
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
What proportion of the cost of defence projects should be allocated to de-risking in the early stages of projects in order to comply with best practice; and whether sufficient funds are made available for this purpose on a case-by-case basis. [HL6]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach): Integrated project teams (IPT's) take appropriate measures to de-risk their projects prior to the main gate investment decision to provide confidence that the project will deliver within proposed performance, time and cost boundaries. The cost and time required adequately to de-risk a project are dependent on a number of factors including its complexity and the initial maturity of the component technologies. Departmental guidance suggests that up to 15 per cent may be spent to de-risk the project but this is not interpreted as a target. The amount budgeted for individual projects reflects the results of more detailed analysis on a case-by-case basis.
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Defence Projects: Senior Responsible Owners
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress they have made in defining and developing the role of senior responsible owner in respect of defence capabilities and projects. [HL9]
Lord Bach: The Ministry of Defence follows Office of Government Commerce best practice and guidance. In addition, we are currently developing draft senior responsible owner guidance for use throughout defence. Our guidance will cover the "need", "purpose", "accountability", "appointment" and "selection/development/training" of senior responsible owners in defence.
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
What resources are being made available to designated senior responsible owners within the Ministry of Defence to ensure that they can effectively participate in the direct managerial and budgetary control of the projects which they own and for which they are responsible. [HL10]
Lord Bach: Appropriate resources are made available to senior responsible owners (SROs) to enable them to deliver the programme and benefits for which they are responsible. SROs do not require direct managerial budgetary control for their programmes because their role is to provide a single clear focus of accountability. Ultimately, an SRO acts with the full authority of, and on behalf of, the defence management board and is therefore fully empowered in order that he or she can deliver the programme and its benefits. Management of work within the individual TLB area or in each line of development remains the responsibility of the top-level budget holders, who are of course, also accountable to the defence management board.
Defence Projects: Trade-offs
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their policy with regard to developing, in respect of major defence procurement projects, "trade-offs" between: (a) meeting user requirements and containing or preventing cost and time over-runs; and (b) providing the Armed Forces with equipment which is satisfactory on coming into service. [HL11]
Lord Bach: The department's policy is to encourage and empower integrated project teams (IPTs) with their clients to make trade-off decisions to balance performance, time and cost in order to maximise military value. IPTs implement trade-offs in concert with their equipment capability customer and other stakeholders, including representatives of the end user.
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In light of findings from the Defence Procurement Agency's stocktake of Smart acquisition, the department is developing more detailed guidance and identifying good practice with respect to trade-offs. These improvements are being implemented as part of the DPA Forward initiative.
Iraq: Cost of Military Intervention
Lord Roberts of Llandudno asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Bach: The costs of operations are calculated on a net additional basis. Audited figures for operations in Iraq are published each year in the MoD's annual report and accounts. Costs for 2002–03 and 2003–04 were:
| 2003–04 | |
| Operations in Iraq | £1,051 million |
| Expenditure on Capital | |
| equipment | £260 million |
| Total | £1,311 million |
It is too early to provide a firm estimate of costs in 2004–05, but we will seek parliamentary approval for this expenditure in due course.
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