HC Deb 19 June 1992 vol 209 cc695-8W
Mrs. Clwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) how much aid the Government have committed so far for the current emergency situation in southern Africa on a country-by-country basis;

(2) whether he is prepared to give more aid to southern Africa in response to the recent appeals of Governments in the region.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

My right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Overseas Development has so far committed more than £38 million in response to the drought in southern Africa as follows:

Country Allocation £000 Description
Lesotho 25 Support for non-governmental organisation activities
Malawi 6,000 Humanitarian assistance to be allocated
1,000 Emergency feeding programme
67 Support for non-governmental organisation activities
Mozambique 3,000 Food aid
1,420 Support for non-governmental organisation activities
Namibia 45 Support for non-governmental organisation activities
South Africa 215 Support for non-governmental organisation activities
Swaziland 42 Support for non-governmental organisation activities
Tanzania 28 Support for non-governmental organisation activities
Zambia 10,000 Balance of payments support
237 Support for non-governmental organisation activities
Zimbabwe 7,500 Balance of payments support
124 Support for non-governmental organisation activities
791 Other drought-related assistance
Unallocated 1,925 Non-governmental organisation support/TC assistance
5,000 Food aid (intended mainly for Mozambique)
Total 38,319

In addition to the above, Britain is contributing a further £12.5 million to the cost of food aid (364,300 tonnes) allocated to the countries of southern Africa under the European Community's special food aid programme.

The Government will continue to monitor the situation closely and are considering what additional assistance they can make available.

Mr. Battle

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aid is planned for refugees and displaced people in southern Africa; what assistance is being considered by the United Kingdom to displaced people in Khartoum; and if he will seek action by the United Nations to protect displaced people in Khartoum and to provide access to those in need in Mogadishu.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

We are providing assistance, both directly and through the World Food Programme and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and our share of EC actions, to Mozambican refugees and displaced people. We recently made a donation of 5,000 tonnes of food aid for Mozambican refugees in Malawi. We have also made an initial allocation of £2£5 million for emergency and rehabilitation projects in Mozambique which will benefit displaced, as well as drought and war-affected, people. In Angola we have contributed £100,000 to help the United Nations Development Programme to co-ordinate relief operations in that country.

We recently donated 2,000 tonnes of food worth £530,000 to displaced people in Khartoum, bringing the total of our assistance to this group since 1991 to £1.09 million. We continue to give close support to United Nations-led efforts to negotiate better treatment for the displaced and secure access for relief supplies and non-governmental organisation personnel.

We fully support current United Nations efforts to provide relief to the needy in Mogadishu. In 1992, we have donated humanitarian aid worth £3.6 million, including 12,100 tonnes of bilateral food aid. Following the ceasefire agreed by the rival factions in March, food is now being delivered to Mogadishu by the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Mr. Battle

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance is being offered for recovery and rehabilitation in(a) Somalia, (b) Ethiopia, (c) Eritrea, (d) Namibia and (e) Angola.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

The United Kingdom is providing assistance for recovery and rehabilitation as followsSomalia: Our emergency aid, valued at some £10 million since January 1991—including our share of EC assistance—includes finance for projects addressing rehabilitation needs. Ethiopia and Eritrea: Under the bilateral programme, we are continuing to support rehabilitation projects in the natural resources sector through non-governmental organisations. We shall also be making a significant contribution to the process of recovery through our share of actions planned by the World bank and the European Community. Our humanitarian aid, valued at over £53 million since January 1991, including our share of EC assistance, also includes finance for emergency projects with a rehabilitation element. Namibia: The bilateral aid programme, totalling some £2.4 million in 1991–92 covers activities in a number of key sectors, including education, public administration and the police.

Youth training leavers in Wearside (per cent.)
Leaving early/

transferring

between schemes

Completing

planned training

Not stated/not

known

Completing

training and in

full-time

employment1

Leavers in:
1990–91 53 31 16 61
April-August 19912 42 35 23 65
1 This relates to respondents to the national follow-up survey and not to all completers.
2 Latest period for which information available.

Sources: YT Leavers database. National follow-up survey.

Mr. Etherington

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many 16 and 17-year-olds in Sunderland have been assessed as needing training in (1) word power and(2) number power in (a) 1990 and (b) 1991; and what is the latest available figure for 1992.

Mr. Michael Forsyth

The information is not available in the form requested.

Angola: We are now processing proposals to rehabilitate water supplies and a bridge.

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