HL Deb 30 May 2002 vol 635 cc1483-5

11.15 a.m.

Lord Astor of Hever

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What they are doing to help alleviate the effects of famine in southern Africa this year.

Lord Grocott

My Lords, before I answer the Question, perhaps the House will allow me 10 seconds' indulgence, as this is the first opportunity that I have had from this Dispatch Box to pay tribute to my very good and close friend, my noble friend Lord Carter. He has been an outstanding Chief Whip. I owe him an enormous amount—I speak on behalf of the Whips' Office. He has taught me no end of the arts, not just in the past year but previously. Any errors that I shall undoubtedly make will be due to my inadequacy as my noble friend's pupil rather than to his inadequacy as a teacher. If I may be totally unparliamentary: Denis, you are a tough act to follow; you really are!

On the famine in southern Africa, we have been monitoring the deteriorating prospects for food supplies in southern Africa since September 2001. Six countries in the region will need exceptional support for food imports and for distribution to the poorest people up to April next year. We have so far provided£13 million for feeding programmes being delivered by non-governmental organisations, and will do more. A co-ordinating meeting of southern African countries and donors will be held in Johannesburg on 6th and 7th June. It is essential that the meeting comes up with realistic plans for early action.

Lord Astor of Hever

My Lords, we on these Benches support what the noble Lord the Chief Whip has said about the noble Lord, Lord Carter. If I may speak on behalf of the Opposition Whips' Office, we have always found the noble Lord as helpful as he could be in arriving at sensible decisions on the business of this House. We wish him all the very best for the future.

Noble Lords

Hear, hear.

Lord Astor of Hever

My Lords, on behalf of these Benches, I congratulate the noble Lord. Lord Grocott, on his promotion and I look forward very much to working constructively with him in future.

Turning to the Question, is the Minister aware of the stark warnings of the UN and the World Food Programme that at least 10 million southern Africans are on the brink of starvation? Does he accept that averting a humanitarian disaster requires an international response? I urge the Government to give this, and Mugabe's continuing violence and repression in Zimbabwe, a high priority at the G8 meeting in Canada next month.

Lord Grocott

My Lords, the situation in southern Africa is indeed extremely serious. The figures that I have on cereals requirements for the six countries—Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe—indicate a shortfall in production this year of some 3,577,000 tonnes. So there is no doubt whatever about the seriousness of the situation. As I have said, work has been done by the department; this is not a new problem. Africa will be very high on the agenda at the G8 summit. So far as concerns Zimbabwe, it is always difficult to be certain about the estimates, but there is no doubt that at least half of the shortfall in food production there is attributable to the activities of the regime.

Lord Avebury

My Lords, from these Benches we endorse the tributes that have been paid to the noble Lord, Lord Carter, who has always discharged his duties with skill and good humou—which has made him a friend to everyone on the Opposition Benches as well as within his own party. We shall miss him very much from now on; but we welcome the noble Lord, Lord Grocott, to his new post and we look forward to working with him.

As regards the Question on the Order Paper, is the noble Lord satisfied that the arrangements for distribution of foodstuffs in Zimbabwe in particular will take into consideration the stories that we have been reading about the diversion of aid into irregular channels and the use by the Mugabe regime of aid as a weapon in the political struggle? Will he—or the international community—make sure that aid is distributed solely through NGO channels? Has consideration been given to the possible use of the Churches in Zimbabwe in that regard?

Lord Grocott

My Lords, the reports about the situation in Zimbabwe and the allegations about food distribution being dependent on political factors are disturbing. We are very aware of that. However, I emphasise that the bilateral food and aid from the United Kingdom is distributed through nongovernmental organisations that are well known and well respected throughout this country and are expert at monitoring and evaluating the way in which the food is distributed. I am not in any way minimising the fact that it will continue to be difficult, but that is an important safeguard.

Baroness Park of Monmouth

My Lords, does the Minister agree that one reason for the starvation is that the Mugabe regime forbade the planting of maize and wheat? I understand that wheat is now being planted. Is there any guarantee that it will not be burned, as the maize crops were? Is pressure going to be brought to bear on the SADC countries at the meeting in Johannesburg, which the Minister mentioned, to ensure that they bring pressure to bear on Mugabe? Otherwise, if the wheat crop also fails, the situation next year will be even more disastrous. Finally, will the Minister urge those countries to suggest that when Zimbabwe sells its tobacco—which will probably be the last crop that it sells for a long time—the foreign exchange money that the government propose to sequester is devoted to buying food for the country, not to buying tank arrangements designed to bring the population under control?

Lord Grocott

My Lords, we need to keep central in our minds the need to make sure that the aid gets to the people who need it in Zimbabwe. We must not put them in a double jeopardy of living under a government none of us would wish to live under and being short of food as well. That is at the centre of our objectives. The meeting in Johannesburg this time next week will he principally concerned with dealing with the immediate shortfalls. There is an immediate problem and a long-term one. The immediate one is obviously to make sure that the food gets to those who need it. That is why next week's meeting with all the countries of the region, plus donor countries and the UN, is so important. We must examine the need precisely and make sure that the supplies are there when they are needed. It is anticipated that the situation will be at its worst after September.