HC Deb 09 February 1999 vol 325 cc186-7W
Dr. Tonge

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the long-term rehabilitation needs of the countries in Central America affected by Hurricane Mitch. [69038]

Clare Short

Following our initial response in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch, (£4.2 million bilateral emergency aid and £10 million towards the World Bank's multilateral trust fund) we have been carefully considering our future assistance.

Part of the £4.2 million assistance included rebuilding secondary roads and bridges, repairing water and sanitation infrastructure, restoring primary health and education services and work on epidemiological surveillance and epidemic control. A Department for International Development mission is planning to visit Honduras and Nicaragua on 22 February to check on the progress of this work and look at possible longer-term assistance. The team will hold meetings with the relevant government ministries and non-governmental organisations.

Before Hurricane Mitch struck, we had already planned to spend £6 million in Central America over the next two years, working with some of the key multilateral organisations. We will now refocus our assistance in the light of the need for reconstruction. We have recently signed an agreement with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in which DFID will provide funds to strengthen the capacity of local organisations to enable them to make more effective use of loans provided by the IDB.

We are also currently looking at supporting a regional rural development and natural resources technical assistance unit (RUTA), possible co-operation with the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) on health projects in the region as well as long-term support alongside the emergency road-building project announced in December. A project aimed at regenerating crop production by providing appropriate seed has also recently been approved.

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