HC Deb 19 April 1993 vol 223 cc37-8W
Mr. Meacher

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on recent meetings with Senator Coutinho Jorge, Environment Minister for Brazil, in respect of British support for the pilot programme for the conservation of Brazil's rain forests and if he will provide details of the United Kingdom's bilateral support for the programme.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

[holding answer 2 April 1993]: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Southampton, Itchen (Mr. Denham) at col. 488, 22 March 1993.

Ms Walley

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much aid is given to Brazil; and if he will give details of the funded projects.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

The latest available figures for gross bilateral aid to Brazil for the last three years are 1989–90 £2.4 million, 1990–91 £3.3 million, 1991–92 £2.7 million. For details of current forestry projects in Brazil, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Oldham, West (Mr. Meacher) on 7 December 1992,Hansard, column 494–96.

Further projects which are or were active during the last year are as follows:

  1. (i) Recife Environmental Control Project. The project involves consultancy visits by United Kingdom experts in industrial waste treatment and environmental assessment/management and pollution control, to give seminars and lectures; and short-term training of Brazilians in Britain. The objective is to enhance the capability of three organisations in environmental control in Recife, the Pernambuco State Pollution Control Agency (CPRH), Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) and Pernambuco State Technical Institute (ITEP). Project cost £270,000.
  2. (ii) Technological Enhancement of Sewage Treatment for Sao Paulo Metropolitican Region. This project is in support 38 of SABESP (the water treatment and supply company for Sao Paulo State). The objectives are to transfer and provide training in the knowledge and technology necessary for improving sewage treatment in large plants, and to find a solution to the problem of sludge disposal. Project cost £170,000.
  3. (iii) Capibaribe River Pollution Project. This project provides advice to the authorities on their programme for the control of pollution in the Rio Capibaribe, Recife. Project cost £110,500.
  4. (iv) English for Specific Purposes. This project supports the development of English training for technicians and scientists who can use English to gain access to international scientific and technical literature. Project costs £91,500.
  5. (v) United Kingdom training programme, support for study in the United Kingdom for Brazilians employed in priority development areas. Annual value of training around £700,000.
  6. (vi) In addition under the Joint Funding Scheme 63 projects costing £477,000 are currently funded through Non Government Organisations targeting assistance to street-children, indigenous peoples, mother and child welfare and health.

Ms. Walley

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the most recent assessment of the extent of destruction of Brazilian rain forest; what steps he takes to ensure that aid to Brazil is not used to support projects which entail destruction of rain forests; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

Figures provided by the Brazilian Ministry of Environment estimate deforestation at 8.4 per cent. of the original rain forest area. Figures of up to 12 per cent. are given by some sources and depend on interpretation of the original area and degree of deforestation. According to the Brazilian Space Research Institute, the trend in recent years is downward. In 1991 about 11,000 square kilometres was deforested, this was a reduction by 20 per cent. on the figure for 1990, itself a reduction of 27 per cent. on 1989.

All United Kingdom-supported projects in Amazonia are intended to contribute to reducing deforestation.

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