§ 5. Mr. Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley)What representations she has received on reducing the proportion of British aid delivered via EU institutions. [79107]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development (Mr. George Foulkes)Many people are concerned about the poor quality of EC development assistance. We share those concerns and have published proposals for improvement. We inherited from the previous Administration commitments to the EC that now absorb 30 per cent. of our budget, but are working to ensure that more sensible budget levels are set in future. In Berlin last month, the European Council agreed that commitments under the category that covers external assistance should remain at current levels for the next seven years. That compares with an increase of 180 per cent. agreed at the Edinburgh summit in 1992.
§ Mr. EvansI am grateful for that response. The Minister will be aware that British aid is regarded highly throughout the world—which is more than can be said for British aid that is distributed through European Union institutions. The priorities of such institutions are completely different from our own and their aid often does not reach the poorest countries. Many view such assistance as very bureaucratic, and it takes a long time to arrive.
What steps can be taken to ensure that the European institutions distributing our money are far more efficient and effective? If they cannot become more effective, what steps will the Minister take to ensure that the aid currently distributed through European Union institutions is repatriated so that we can distribute the money more fairly and efficiently?
§ Mr. FoulkesThe hon. Gentleman is being helpful—which is more than can be said for some Opposition Members. We have published 18 specific proposals for improvement and we have met our counterparts from the 213 other 14 Governments in the European Union, whom we are getting on board. We have had regular meetings with Members of the European Parliament and non-governmental organisations, who have now signed up to a British agenda for securing more effective use of European Community money, greater delegation to the countries concerned and more poverty-oriented allocations. I am glad that the hon. Gentleman supports that approach, which received the unanimous and uncritical support of the relevant Select Committee—that does not happen often.
§ Mr. Tom Clarke (Coatbridge and Chryston)Does my hon. Friend agree that there is another side to the European coin? The European Union has already contributed 250 million euros to Kosovo. Does my hon. Friend agree that, in light of that contribution for humanitarian purposes, we now require a long-term commitment on the part of the European Union and the United Nations of the sort that was employed positively in northern Iraq?
§ Mr. FoulkesMy right hon. Friend is right to say that there is another side to the European coin. European Union money was effective in South Africa, where it helped to end apartheid, and in Kosovo, as he said. We want to make sure that the commitments made by the European Commission are fulfilled more quickly and effectively and help poor people more than they do at present.
§ Dr. Jenny Tonge (Richmond Park)Does the Minister agree that the humanitarian crisis in Kosovo has highlighted the need for co-ordination at international level and that the European Union is the ideal vehicle for that? Will he tell the House how the EU is co-ordinating its aid to Kosovo and what effect it is having on the EU's long-term aid budget? Does he accept the need for more long-term development aid for Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro to prevent hostility arising from the influx of refugees?
§ Mr. FoulkesThere is a question further down the Order Paper which is specifically about assistance in Kosovo, and my right hon. Friend will answer that if we get to it. A number of European Union countries are active in Kosovo, Albania and Macedonia, but countries outwith the EU are also involved there, and it would not be proper for the EU to try to co-ordinate the efforts of countries such as the United States and non-EU European countries. That is why the UNHCR, which is particularly concerned with the plight of refugees, takes the lead in helping Kosovo refugees, and it is right that it should do so.
§ Mr. Tony Worthington (Clydebank and Milngavie)Does my hon. Friend agree that the present priority is to use the opportunity of the crisis in the European Commission to appoint as Commissioners people who regard their duty as steering development assistance to the poorest countries of the world and putting in place structures that are sensible rather than bureaucratic?
§ Mr. FoulkesMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. Some of the most severe criticisms of maladministration and inefficiency in the European Commission relate to money spent in developing countries, which should have helped 214 the poorest people of the world but was spent ineffectively. The Commission's assistance to developing countries ought to be the responsibility of a single Commissioner, and we shall strongly press for that.
§ Mr. Gary Streeter (South-West Devon)May I take this opportunity to pay tribute to the Secretary of State for her personal intervention in getting many Kosovo Albanians moved to proper refugee camps over the Easter weekend? I welcome the EU General Council's announcement on 8 April of £100 million of direct assistance for the refugees and £68 million of support for the people of Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro. Does the Minister agree, however, that the tragic humanitarian crisis on our doorstep places a huge responsibility on EU aid institutions to rise to the challenge and demonstrate once and for all, for the sake of the suffering people in the Balkans, that they can deliver aid to the right people, on time, as effectively as the UK does bilaterally?
§ Mr. FoulkesI agree with the hon. Gentleman that my right hon. Friend deserves his congratulations and those of the House for the work that she did on her visit in the Easter holiday, and it is a tribute to the hon. Gentleman that he has made those comments. My right hon. Friend is now active in ensuring that the long-term strategy is worked out and that the European Union's response is as co-ordinated and effective as possible. The European Union faces a challenge in playing its part in the international humanitarian effort. It is our determination, and particularly that of the Secretary of State, to make sure that the EU is as effective as possible.
§ Mr. StreeterWill the Minister undertake to keep a close eye on the EU's actions? In the past, aid has sometimes been pledged but not received on the ground. Will he make sure that the cash that has been pledged for the people of Kosovo is received by the aid agencies on time and in the right place?
§ Mr. FoulkesI can assure the hon. Gentleman that my right hon. Friend and I and our excellent officials—who have been doing terrific work, day and night, on the Kosovo crisis, and will continue to do so—will ensure that all the money, not only that of the European Union, is spent effectively. There is a question on Kosovo further down the Order Paper, and it is a pity that we shall not have time to answer it.
§ Madam SpeakerI was looking forward to reaching that question, but we have made slow progress today.