§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has for the provision of technical assistance to the Palestinian civil police in the West Bank and Gaza. [160145]
§ Hilary BennDFID is considering a programme of assistance to the Palestinian Ministry of Interior to help establish a more legitimate, effective and accountable civil and public order police force. We plan to second a police adviser for a period of six months. He will provide short-term technical support, and make an assessment of how best a longer-term programme could be delivered in co-ordination with other donor partners and other security sector reform activities.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he has taken to ensure complete transparency in the use by the Palestinian Authority of development aid provided by his Department. [160146]
§ Hilary BennThe vast majority of DFID's assistance to Palestinians has not been provided directly to the Palestinian Authority, but goes through UN agencies, NGOs, and consultancy contracts, all of which have a high degree of transparency; but greater transparency in the PA's use of its resources is a priority for all donors.
Substantial progress has been made since 2002 in improving the Palestinian Authority's financial management, the oversight of public spending and accountability. This has largely been the result of efforts by the Palestinian Finance Minister. We have helped the World Bank carry out a thorough Country Financial Accountability Assessment, which has set out an agenda for further improvements in these areas. The continuing need for donors to support the PA budget directly will ensure that these areas remain under close scrutiny. We are ready to provide further support if needed.
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§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will visit the West Bank and Gaza to assess the requirements for(a) humanitarian and (b) development assistance. [160148]
§ Hilary BennI visited the West Bank and Gaza Strip in July 2003 to see at first hand the conditions on the ground, and hold discussions with a wide range of partners including Government, civil society, and other donors, about humanitarian and development needs. We plan to publish a Country Assistance Plan for Palestinians in April, which sets out DFID's strategy for the next two years. I have no immediate plans to visit again, but will consider a further visit depending on progress with the Middle East Peace Process.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people in the West Bank and Gaza are dependent upon non-governmental organisations or international relief organisations for employment. [160149]
§ Hilary BennThese data are not readily available. Job creation programmes, established by both Government and NGOs, have played an important role in helping sustain the livelihoods of thousands of families during the last three years. As part of its emergency relief activities, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) provide temporary jobs for unemployed refugees. In 2004 it plans to provide over two million workdays of employment.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effect of development assistance provided by his Department on levels of poverty in the West Bank and Gaza. [160151]
§ Hilary BennDFID regularly monitors the impact of its projects against their objectives. Some have a specific poverty alleviation focus; others support longer-term Palestinian institutional development needs where the impact on poverty is less direct, and is more difficult to measure. But without peace the prospects for economic growth and poverty reduction are not sustainable. Only a political solution will solve these problems.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effect of(a) movement restrictions and (b) land confiscation on agriculture in the West Bank and Gaza. [160152]
§ Hilary BennMovement restriction and land confiscation have led to a severe decline in agricultural production in the West Bank and Gaza, and an increased and unsustainable dependence on food aid. Palestinians, supported by donors, continue to seek innovative ways to maintain agricultural production.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the(a) level of food aid provided by his Department for residents of the West Bank and Gaza and (b) the effectiveness of its distribution. [160153]
§ Hilary BennDFID have provided a £500,000 contribution to the World Food Programme food aid appeal in 2002, and have contributed over £25 million28W to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency's Emergency Appeals since the start of the Intifada in 2000.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)'s Emergency Appeals support job creation programmes, health, education, and shelter programmes as well as food aid. Our support is not earmarked for food aid alone. Effective targeting and distribution have improved with better co-ordination between the main food providers.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will assess the effectiveness of the work of his Department in enhancing Palestinian access to water in the West Bank and Gaza. [160154]
§ Hilary BennDFID has worked with the Palestinian Water Authority and NGOs for several years supporting the effective delivery of water services in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Four projects that have improved access to potable water, sanitation and environmental health in some of the poorest communities have recently been brought to a successful conclusion. We currently fund two projects.
Support for the Sustainable Management of the West Bank and Gaza Strip Aquifers project is enhancing the Palestinian Water Authority's understanding of the western aquifer, which is an essential source of water in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. We also support a Water Access and Storage project to enable villages in the south Hebron district of the West Bank that do not have access to the networked water supply to obtain more secure access to drinking water and sustainable improved sanitation. Both projects are making good progress.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the need for a revision of water access arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza. [160155]
§ Hilary BennEarly progress on securing Palestinian water rights would benefit the Palestinian people. DFID has supported the Palestinian Negotiations Affairs Department to research their position in preparation for negotiations on water access. While it would be possible to advance discussions immediately, the link between water rights and other issues such as borders and the separation barrier has so far led to a reluctance on both sides to engage on the issue outside the framework of overall final status negotiations.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what information he has of rates of malnutrition in(a) the West Bank and (b) Gaza in (i) 2000, (ii) 2001, (iii) 2002 and (iv) 2003. [160157]
§ Hilary BennInformation about nutritional status in the West Bank and Gaza is uncertain, and no systematic monitoring has taken place. Various organisations have carried out surveys using different methodologies. There are no readily available data to compare the incidence of malnutrition across years.
One of the most authoritative recent studies is the Nutritional Assessment and Sentinel Surveillance System, done in 2002 by Johns Hopkins and Al-Quds 29W Universities. Looking at children 6–59 months, they found in the West Bank, 4.3 per cent. with acute malnutrition (wasting), and 7.9 per cent. with chronic malnutrition (stunting). In the Gaza strip these figures were 13.3 per cent. and 17.5 per cent. respectively. They found that 7.8 per cent. of children aged 6ߝ59 months in the Palestinian Territory suffer from acute malnutrition, and 11.7 per cent. from chronic malnutrition. A normally nourished reference population would have 2.28 per cent. of population with global malnutrition, and 0.13 per cent. with severe malnutrition.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department is providing to the Palestinian Authority in developing poverty alleviation policies. [160159]
§ Hilary BennDFID supported the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to carry out a national Participatory Poverty Assessment for the Palestinian Authority (PA) in 2002. We are now exploring with the PA, the World Bank and other donors the potential for a medium-term, comprehensive poverty reduction strategy for the Palestinian Territory. Continued DFID and other donor support to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, and a proposed new Pro-poor Participatory Planning programme, will help develop the PA's ability to monitor and assess poverty both quantitatively and qualitatively, and respond appropriately. Fiscal crisis is the major constraint on the PA's ability to alleviate poverty.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the results achieved by the Task Force on Project Implementation in the West Bank and Gaza. [160160]
§ Hilary BennThe Task Force on Project Implementation (TFPI) was established as a representative mechanism of the international community for ensuring effective implementation of donor-funded projects in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. DFID believe that lobbying Israel on humanitarian access is most effectively handled through such co-ordinated donor mechanisms. The TFPI has had some success, but not all agreements reached have been implemented in practice.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to achieve donor harmonisation in the West Bank and Gaza. [160161]
§ Hilary BennDFID works increasingly with other donors to help mobilise resources in support of agreed Palestinian Authority priorities. We have contributed to a number of multi-donor World Bank led initiatives, and have formed alliances with other bilateral donors and Palestinian partners to ensure that funding is better harmonised. More effective delivery of humanitarian and development assistance is one of three objectives in our draft Country Assistance Plan for Palestinians.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to encourage a process of development planning in the West Bank and Gaza led by the Palestinian Authority. [160162]
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§ Hilary BennThe Palestinian Authority's capacity to lead on strategic planning and donor co-ordination has been constrained during the "intifada". With support from international partners it is now starting to play a more proactive role. DFID's proposed support to the Participatory Poverty Planning initiative would focus on the Ministry of Planning and could advance this process. When the time is right, we plan to support the Palestinian Authority in its desire to develop a priority-based, transparent national development framework which sets out the Authority's priorities.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with the Israeli Government about freedom of movement for humanitarian goods and personnel in the West Bank and Gaza. [160163]
§ Hilary BennThe Government frequently makes representations to the Israeli government about these issues, both bilaterally and with international partners.
§ Mr. DhandaTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what provisions have been made for aid to the Palestinian territories. [159810]
§ Hilary BennAt the start of the current financial year our agreed budget for support to Palestinians was £24.5 million. This includes funding for both the Palestinian territory and for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), which provides services to Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria as well as the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Planned allocations for 2004–05 and 2005–06 are £26.5 million, an increase of £2 million over the budgeted figures for the current year. In 2003–04 and previous years since the intifada started in 2000, spending plans for the Palestinian territory and UNRWA have been supplemented by additional resources made available in-year in response to unpredictable events.
We have increased our expenditure in 2003–04 to £40.2 million in response to emergency needs and Middle East peace process opportunities. The 2003–04 figure also includes £0.7 million allocated to DFID from the Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP), which is managed by the FCO on behalf of FCO, MOD and DFID. Figures for future years make no assumptions about additional resources from within DFID or the GCPP.
§ Mr. BluntTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what(a) UK and (b) EU development assistance was given to (i) the Palestinian National Authority and (ii) other institutions or organisations representing Palestinian civil society in each year from 2000–01 to 2002–03. [160242]
§ Hilary BennThe UK figures are in the following table. The European Commission does not record detailed programme expenditure in the format requested. Information on the Commission's programme of support to Palestinians is on the website www.europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations 31W
£ million UK bilateral programme Support through PA institutions Support through civil society organisations 2000–01 2 6.3 2001–02 2.4 11.6 2002–03 6.7 7.5
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much financial support the UK has given to the Palestine Liberation Organisation negotiation support unit since 1998; what conditions were attached to such funding; what arrangements have been put in place to monitor such funding; whether the results of such monitoring have been published; and whether any of the funding has been used for the presentation of the Palestinian case relating to Israel's Security Force at the International Court of Justice at the Hague. [159670]
§ Hilary BennThe UK has committed £9.2 million for support to the Palestinian Negotiations Support Unit (NSU). This covers funding from 1998 until 2006. £5.6 million has been disbursed to date. Our support is delivered through a contract with ASI Ltd, who are accountable to us for the use of our funding. There are no specific conditions attached to the funding. We monitor the assistance NSU provides against an agreed budget and objectives. The governments of Norway, Sweden, Netherlands and Denmark provide complementary funding, and we are integrating our monitoring with theirs. Project monitoring reports are not normally published unless there is a reason to do so. UK funds have supported the NSU's advice to the Palestinian Authority in presenting their case on the Israeli separation barrier at the International Court of Justice. It is not unusual for the UK to give funding to developing countries to help them negotiate more effectively in international fora, for example the WTO, where they make take positions that run counter to those of the EU and individual member states.