| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
22 Jan 2003 : Column 311W—continued
Ethiopia and Eritrea
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contribution her
22 Jan 2003 : Column 312W
Department has made to the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea on the demarcation of the border between the two countries; and what estimate she has made of the impact which the projected funding shortfall of the Mission will have on the progress towards demarcation. [91163]
Clare Short: We have contributed £750,000 of support to the UN Trust Fund for the Delimitation and Demarcation of the Ethiopia/Eritrea border.
We will keep the situation under review in order to help the international community play its full part in ensuring that UNMEE is able to carry out its mandate.
Flooding (Malawi/Mozambique)
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the recent floods in (a) Malawi and (b) Mozambique. [91456]
Clare Short: In Malawi the Humanitarian Working Group of the National Food Security Task Force is now assessing the overall extent and impact of the recent floods. My Department is working with partners in this working group to develop an appropriate response.
In Mozambique, damage caused by tropical cyclone Delfina in Zambezia and Nampula provinces is not thought to be as severe as initially anticipated. However more information is required as there is currently a lack of comprehensive data. Damage to the Nacala railway will impact on the Malawi food pipeline.
Heavily Indebted Poor Countries
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action she is taking to assist countries which have passed their completion point under the HIPC initiative with unsustainable debt. [91161]
Clare Short: The Government has been working to win greater international concern for the problems of debt sustainability facing some Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPCs) as a result of falling commodity prices and I have raised these concerns at the Development Committee of the World Bank repeatedly over recent years. In Ottawa in November 2001, we asked Bank and Fund staff to revisit the debt sustainability analyses of all commodity dependent low-income countries, including HIPCs. The HIPC Initiative now has the flexibility to provide, when appropriate, additional debt relief at Completion Point, so called 'lopping up', to ensure that countries exit the HIPC process with sustainable levels of debt. However, this is not enough and the UK is pressing the World Bank and the IMF to widen their approach to topping up, so that any HIPC country facing unsustainable debts, that has demonstrated its commitment to poverty reduction and economic reform, should qualify for this additional relief. In April 2002, Burkina Faso became the first country to qualify for topping up. Debt relief alone, however, cannot guarantee future sustainability. This requires sound macroeconomic policies, strong growth and export bases, including access to markets of developed countries, access to adequate financing on highly concessional loan and grant terms, and prudent policies on new borrowing. The UK is co-financing a
22 Jan 2003 : Column 313W
debt strategy project aimed at helping HIPC governments to strengthen their debt management capacity. The UK is also providing substantial aid to Bolivia, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Uganda—countries that have passed their HIPC Completion Point.
Heritage Assets
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what sales of heritage assets and antique assets have been made by her Department since May 1997; if she will list other assets; and if she will estimate the total sales proceeds. [92405]
Claire Short: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my hon. Friend, the Minister of State, Cabinet Office.
HIPC Initiative
John Barrett : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration is given to the costs associated with (a) the millennium development goals and (b) combating HIV/AIDS in the construction of poverty reduction strategy papers for countries wishing to enter the HIPC initiative. [91162]
Clare Short: I have been asked to reply.
In line with the principle of ownership and country-led processes which the UK has championed, Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) set national development targets which, in most cases, closely overlap with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The costings section of PRSPs provides an estimate of the cost of reaching these national development targets and how HIPC debit relief is to be allocated accordingly.
For many HIPC countries, HIV/AIDS is an important factor in the analysis of poverty trends for PRSPs and usually costed within the health sector plans. HIV/AIDS is a multi-sector issue, and we are working with developing country partners to strengthen the quality of these plans and costings.
Mozambique
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the impact of the failure of the Government of Mozambique to declare a national emergency on international efforts to assist in providing for the needs of people unable to meet their food needs up to the next harvest period in March 2003. [92607]
Clare Short: The current situation in Mozambique should be seen in the context of the country's increased ability to meet its food needs and respond to such a crisis and the Government's legitimate caution about undermining coping strategies or risking donor fatigue.
Food production has recovered since the end of the long war in Mozambique, from 80 per cent. dependency on food aid in 1992 to now only importing about 20 per cent. of its food. The Government of Mozambique have been able to respond early to the threat of the current drought. For example the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development provided seeds
22 Jan 2003 : Column 314W
and other agricultural inputs to drought-affected families, and has begun to rehabilitate small dams and irrigation schemes. The Government are conscious of the risks of large handouts of food aid contributing to weakening local self-help initiatives as people abandon traditional coping mechanisms.
Mozambique is subject to recurrent natural disasters and has frequently been forced to declare national emergencies, most recently in the floods of 2000–01 and 2001–02. The current drought affects about 3 per cent. of the population, nearly all of them in sparsely populated, semi-arid areas of the country. In this context, the Government have not declared an emergency due to legitimate concerns about donor fatigue and a perception that the current crisis forms part of a long-term trend to increased vulnerability in the drought areas, which cannot be solved with short-term aid alone.
The lack of a formal declaration of emergency has made it difficult for some donors to mobilise emergency funds, and Mozambique has not been able to form part of the Consolidated Appeal Process or the regional appeal of the Federation of the Red Cross. UN efforts in providing co-ordination services to humanitarian stakeholders have been hampered and there has been limited mapping of humanitarian programmes, leading to poor information about gaps in the delivery of assistance and difficulties with the identification of sensible projects.
However, although the Government have not made a formal joint appeal, they have requested help from individual UN agencies, eg WFP (food aid), UNICEF (supplementary feeding) and FAO (seeds and other agricultural interventions). DFID has contributed to supporting these.
Paper Supplies
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development who the suppliers are of her Department's (a) paper and (b) paper products. [91903]
Clare Short: The relevant suppliers are as follows:
- London
- Paper: David John Papers, Slough, Berkshire.
- Envelopes and other stationery: Banner Business Supplies Ltd., Norwich, and Guilbert UK Ltd., Northampton.
- Labels: Avery Denison, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.
- Paper towels and toilet tissue: Executive Cleaning Services, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.
- East Kilbride
- Paper and Card: Glenmore Business Paper, Rosyth, Fife.
- File covers: Astron, Livingston.
- Paper towels and toilet tissue: PHS/AC Henderson, East Kilbride.
- Envelopes: Banner Business Supplies Ltd., Norwich.
Poverty Linkages
Mrs. Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when her Department's study of the linkages between wildlife and poverty will be available (a) to the Department and (b) for wider consultation. [91416]
22 Jan 2003 : Column 315W
Clare Short: The final version of the Wildlife and Poverty paper is available on the DFID website. It will be published in the near future and a copy placed in
Press Releases
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many press releases have been issued by her Department in each (a) year and (b) quarter from 1995–96 to 2002–03; and if she will make a statement. [92479]
Clare Short: The information is as follows:
(a) Number of press releases issued from 1995–2003 are outlined as follows:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 71 |
| 1996 | 50 |
| To May 1997 | 16 |
| Number | |
|---|---|
| From May 1997 | 47 |
| 1998 | 74 |
| 1999 | 82 |
| 2000 | 29 |
| 2001 | 38 |
| 2002 | 38 |
| 2003(1) | 1 |
(1) Until 21 January
(b) Number of press releases issued from 1995–96 to 2002–03 are outlined as follows:
| January– March | April– June | July– September | October– December | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 25 | 14 | 15 | 17 |
| 1996 | 15 | 11 | 11 | 13 |
| 1997 | 16 | 13 | 8 | 26 |
| 1998 | 29 | 15 | 9 | 21 |
| 1999 | 18 | 17 | 23 | 24 |
| 2000 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 7 |
| 2001 | 18 | 6 | 5 | 9 |
| 2002 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 16 |
| 2003(2) | 1 | — | — | — |
(2) Until 21 January
With our press releases we are focusing on trying to promote coverage which raises awareness and understanding of development issues.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |