§ Mr. McAllionTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those countries that have received advice and assistance on privatisation, contracting out and next steps style reforms under the know-how fund and other aid sources, and the cost in each case.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydMost of the assistance provided overseas on privatisation has been to countries in east and central Europe and the former Soviet Union. Figures for individual countries since the launch of the know-how funds, including outstanding commitments, are:
872W
£'000 Poland 5,211 Romania 1,783 Hungary 4,424 Bulgaria 430 Former Czechoslovak Federation 4,800 Czech. Republic. 200 Slovak Republic. 500 Estonia 371 Latvia 200 Lithuania 11
£'000 Russia 2,335 Ukraine 355 Consultancy, advisory and twinning assistance has also been provided to developing countries but on a much smaller scale. Recent examples include Tanzania, Zambia, Guyana and Jamaica. Detailed expenditure figures are not readily available.
Advice on contracting out and next steps style reforms is usually part of a broader agenda of civil service and local government reform. The know-how funds are providing or developing assistance to central Government reform in Poland, Hungary, Albania and Ukraine and to local government in Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Bulgaria and Romania. Among developing countries, civil service or local government reforms have been or are of particular importance in the Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Indonesia, Jamaica, Uganda and Zambia while reform of individual institutions forms a part of most significant aid programmes. It is not possible to identify the elements of these programmes which relate specifically to contracting out and next steps style reforms.