§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the value for money achieved by the Technical Co-operation Training Services: India 1999–2000 project in India. [49178]
§ Clare ShortBetween 1999 and 2000, individual programmes under the Technical Co-operation Training (TCT) Programme in India were evaluated following DFID's normal project review procedures, including assessments of the overall performance of each programme. DFID and the Government of India jointly undertook the last review of the India Technical Co-operation Training Programme in November 1997. This focused on public administration training and addressed impact as well as value for money issues.
1044WBased on the review and individual programme assessments, it was agreed with the Government of India that the TCT Programme should be phased out by March 2002 on the grounds that it was not sufficiently poverty focused. We have since agreed with the Government of India to provide more strategic capacity-building support for government initiatives aimed at improving public policies and services. Such support would fit well with the Government of India's recognition that fundamental improvements in governance are a pre-requisite to effective poverty eradication.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what recent assessment she has made of the value for money achieved by the Support for the Environment and Management Project in Egypt; [49168]
(2) what recent assessment she has made of the value for money achieved by the Project Co-ordinator Support for Environmental Assessment and Management Project Phase 2 in Egypt. [49184]
§ Clare ShortThe Support for the Environment and Management Project (SEAM) project, which will continue until spring 2004, aims to improve environmental planning and services for the poor in Egypt. A full economic and financial justification was prepared for the project prior to the second phase of the project being approved in 1999. Since then the project has been monitored on a regular basis with the next Review planned for May 2002.
Reviews to date have shown that the project is having a significant impact.
Methodologies for environmental planning piloted under the project have been adopted as the model at a national level in Egypt. Focusing on community participation the project has also enabled cost effective environmental services such as solid waste management to be developed that respond directly to the needs of poor people.
The performance of the Project Co-ordinator on the Support for the Environment and Management Project (SEAM) is regularly monitored and assessed as part of the regular reviews of the whole SEAM project. He has played a key role in ensuring the positive impact of the project to date.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the value for money achieved by the Public Administration Institutional Development Project in the west bank and Gaza. [49198]
§ Clare ShortThe Public Administration Institutional Development project began in February 2000. Activities were put on hold in December 2000 following the outbreak of the intifada. An inception phase had been successfully completed. The environment since has not been conducive to progressing towards the project's objectives. We will explore ways to recommence activities once the circumstances permit.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the value for money achieved by the long-term interim technical assistance to Centenary Rural Development Bank in Uganda. [49176]
1045W
§ Clare ShortAn independent project review of DFID's support to the Centenary Rural Development Bank was undertaken in August 2001. It reported that the bank had achieved all the goals set out in the project in terms of business growth (loans outstanding; value of deposits; reduced arrears). Outreach to rural areas had also increased through additional branches, and a positive relationship established between growth of the private sector through prudent lending and a reduction in poverty.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the value for money achieved by the community forestry development project Phase II in Cameroon. [49206]
§ Clare ShortThe community forestry development project phase two (CFDP II) has been monitored regularly by DFID and the Government of Cameroon against its objective of supporting community based forest resource planning and management. Studies have shown that community forestry provides significantly higher benefits to local communities than existing systems.
Recent reviews have concluded that the project has been instrumental in helping establish the legal basis for communities to manage their forests, and in making the community forestry process more accessible. The project has also provided training for the Ministry of Environment and Forest and helped integrate community forestry training into the curriculum at the university of Dschang.
Part of the project completion work, to be undertaken prior to the end of the project (December 2002), will be to conduct a formal cost-benefit analysis of project inputs.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the value for money achieved by the Support to Rural Feeder Roads Project in Ghana. [49192]
§ Clare ShortMy Department's support for feeder roads in Ghana commenced in December 1999 and a review of the project is scheduled to be undertaken in mid-May. Implementation of the physical works of the project has only recently commenced and was delayed while a new Roads Prioritisation method for Ghana's feeder roads was developed. This method involves full community participation and takes into account both social and economic factors leading to a cost-benefit analysis of the roads being considered for construction and repair under this project.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the value for money achieved by the Shapla: Organisation and Management, Human Resource and Hospital Management projects in Bangladesh. [49172]
§ Clare ShortThere are three components of our support for the Government of Bangladesh's health sector reforms. They are subject to on-going monitoring by our Bangladesh office and have in addition had two independent external reviews, one in May 2000 and one in May 2001. The costs of the inputs are highly competitive and the standard of work is consistently high. DFID is thus satisfied that they are achieving good value for money and have produced demonstrable results, despite the high-risk nature of this kind of work.
1046W
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the value for money achieved by the Agricultural Service Innovation and Reform Project in Bangladesh. [49174]
§ Clare ShortThis project is intended to re-orientate agricultural extension services to better meet the expressed needs of farmers. It started in July 1999. In addition to regular monitoring by DFID, biannual Joint Supervision Missions with the World bank and the Government of Bangladesh have taken place throughout the project. The most recent review was undertaken in November 2001.
The main findings of the November 2001 review noted that substantial progress had been made and institutional strengthening activities have improved management structures and procedures. DFID has, in addition, recently conducted a detailed review of project financing, inputs and expenditures as part of the preparation for an 18-month extension.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the value for money achieved by the Strengthening and Modernising Value Added Tax Administration Project in Bangladesh. [49164]
§ Clare ShortThe objective of this project is to contribute to increasing VAT income by helping the Government of Bangladesh to establish a more effective VAT system. The project commenced in November 1999.
In addition to close monitoring by the DFID office in Bangladesh, it is subject to annual review, the last of which was carried out in January 2002. The review carried out a detailed review of project financing and expenditures and concluded that the project has made excellent progress in its first two years. Although many activities are still on-going it is reasonable to predict that the project purpose is likely to be substantially achieved.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the value for money achieved by the construction of Bhairab bridge Phase 2 project in Bangladesh. [49190]
§ Clare ShortThis project supports the construction of a major crossing at Bhairab, over the river Meghna on the main road between Dhaka and Sylhet. The bridge will replace the existing ferry crossing, which currently acts as a major constraint in the efficient transport of goods to and from the north-east and the rest of the country. DFID funding of a total of £21 million out of a total expected cost of the bridge of £71 million, including the cost of land purchase and resettlement of project affected persons.
At the mid-term review of the project carried out in May 2001, it was confirmed that the objectives of the project were expected to be achieved and construction will be completed by mid-September 2002, compared to a completion date set at the commencement of the project of 4 August 2002.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the value for money achieved by the fourth fisheries project in Bangladesh. [49181]
1047W
§ Clare ShortThis project is jointly funded with the World bank with the objective of supporting sustainable and equitable growth in the benefits generated from increased fish and shrimp production. It started in September 1999. In addition to monitoring by DFID, biannual joint review missions have taken place with the World bank and the Government of Bangladesh. The most recent review was undertaken in November 2001. This review noted that there have been significant achievements in project implementation, with 93 per cent. of a target of villages and beneficiaries having so far been reached.
The report concluded that the project would largely achieve its overall objectives but continues to face significant challenges. It is too early to revisit the issue of cost-effectiveness but this will be addressed in a major review to be undertaken in May 2003.