HL Deb 17 March 2004 vol 659 cc266-9

3.4 p.m.

Baroness Rawlings

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper. In doing so, I declare an interest as an unpaid patron of the Afghan Mother and Child Healthcare Clinic in the Panshir valley.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to improve the healthcare provision for women living in rural areas in Afghanistan.

Baroness Amos

My Lords, we provided 19 per cent of the EC's £282 million Afghanistan package for 2003–04 (£17.5 million is for health) and £34 million through the World Bank. The EU and World Bank fund basic healthcare through non-government organisations. The UK also funds UNICEF which supports emergency obstetric care services, including in rural areas, and is refurbishing many maternity hospitals in major cities. Our bilateral programme to Afghanistan focuses on government capacity building and income generation.

Baroness Rawlings

My Lords, I thank the Leader of the House for her Answer. Is she aware that Afghanistan has one of the world's highest rates of maternal mortality, with over 50 per cent of deaths among expectant mothers and one rural woman dying every 20 minutes? What assessment has DfID carried out regarding female access to basic healthcare facilities in rural Afghanistan—not in the cities of which she spoke? With the welcome increase in the aid budget announced today, what support is DfID planning to provide for the education and training of rural midwives, thus reaching women living in the countryside who are banned from leaving their homes?

Baroness Amos

My Lords, the noble Baroness is quite right with respect to the high levels of maternity and infant mortality in Afghanistan. DfID has not carried out any assessment. The most recent assessment is part of the WHO Afghanistan appeal, a copy of which I shall be happy to send to the noble Baroness. We have contributed to the Afghanistan ministry of health, which has prepared an interim health strategy.

On the issue of funding, our funding is targeted on capacity building and working at a strategic level with the Afghan interim administration. On health, the World Bank, USAID and the European Union are the main funders. They provide those funds through a mechanism pioneered in Cambodia, where the Government are contracting NGOs to provide services across Afghanistan, particularly in rural areas.

Baroness Northover

My Lords, can the Minister provide me with a more precise Answer to a question that I asked last Wednesday about whether NATO has agreed a timetable for the expansion of the number of troops to be deployed in Afghanistan, given that last Thursday there was a NATO meeting, and given that everyone agrees that, unless there is improved security, we shall not improve the welfare of Afghan citizens? Can she also tell the House what proportion of the money that the Chancellor announced today for Afghanistan, Iraq, and the fight against terrorism will go to Afghanistan?

Baroness Amos

My Lords, I shall have to write to the noble Baroness on the timetable and the number of troops. I believe that last week I said that there is a planned expansion of the provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan and, as part of that, we are also looking at whether US troops can be focused in the south-east of the country where there is a particular concern about the re-emergence of the Taliban. What that will mean in terms of the deployment of troop numbers is still being worked out. I shall also write to the noble Baroness on the spread of money between the three areas that she mentioned.

Lord Tomlinson

My Lords, can my noble friend confirm that she heard the same words as I did from the noble Baroness, Lady Rawlings, which was a welcome for the announcement of increased aid? Is she as confused as I am about exactly where the Conservative Party's public expenditure plans now stand?

Baroness Amos

My Lords, my noble friend is quite right. The noble Baroness, Lady Rawlings, welcomed the increased aid to Afghanistan. We all welcome that. On the public expenditure plans of the party opposite, there is absolutely no doubt that they are in some confusion. Perhaps noble Lords opposite will enlighten us at some future date.

Lord Elton

My Lords, following the question from the noble Baroness, Lady Northover, does the Leader of the House see the urgency for an extension of the military intervention in Afghanistan linked to the need to get the elections going'? At present, I understand that very small numbers of electors have registered. Humanitarian activity and electoral activity are severely inhibited by the breakdown of the security arrangements in the southeast.

Baroness Amos

My Lords, in relation to the issue of military intervention and increasing numbers. there are two different strategies. The provincial reconstruction teams are a mix of the military and development specialists who are working not only in terms of' the security environment but to bring development in key areas of Afghanistan. Of course, there remains a concern with respect to security, particularly in the south-east where there is a re-emergence of the Taliban, and a different strategy has to be deployed in those areas. On the specific issue of the elections, some 1.466 million were registered by 15 March. We are receiving daily updates on that, and they hope to complete the registration of some 10 million before the elections. There are eight regional centres, and there will be a focus on rural areas from May.

Lord Pilkington of Oxenford

My Lords, if the Minister is going to answer on behalf of the Conservative Party, could she could get properly briefed from this side of the House?

Baroness Amos

My Lords, I certainly did not answer on behalf of the Conservative Party. I said that I thought that there was some confusion, and we look forward to some clarity in due course.

The Earl of Sandwich

My Lords, returning to the question of health services, would the noble Baroness agree that there is a disproportionate responsibility on non-governmental organisations, and not nearly enough effort is going into reinforcing government services, especially health management? How can new emphasis be placed on this sector?

Baroness Amos

My Lords, if I understand the question asked by the noble Earl, one of the reasons that the focus of our assistance is on working with the Afghan government administration is precisely to strengthen government systems, including the health sector. We have worked with the Ministry of Health precisely in that kind of area.

Lord Avebury

My Lords, returning to the subject of women's health, has the noble Baroness seen the report of the United Nations rapporteur on violence against women, which indicates the extreme levels of domestic violence and the lack of any redress for women who are the victims of these activities? Does she think that the Government should increase the level of support for women's organisations in Afghanistan, such as the one that has recently been reported as being very active in the Herat region, so that women can take action against the deprivations that they are suffering?

Baroness Amos

My Lords, I have not seen the report by the UN rapporteur, but I am aware of the issues of violence against women in Afghanistan. They are of considerable concern, not least in the context of the registration of women for the elections. For example, only some 25 per cent of those who have registered to date are women. Many women are being prevented from registering by their husbands. This issue affects women's daily lives, and it will affect their longer-term contribution to the democratic process.