§ Mr. Gerald HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will provide accounts regarding the distribution of United Kingdom public money to Zimbabwe in the 1980s and 1990s to fund the acquisition of white-owned farms; and if she will set out the number of such farms acquired, the approximate acreage of each farm, the cost of acquiring each farm, to whom ownership of each farm was subsequently transferred, and how much of the original acreage acquired remains in productive operation. [120933]
§ Clare ShortA grant of £20 million was agreed with the Government of Zimbabwe in 1981. This funded 42 resettlement projects for the benefit of refugees and landless people following the Independence war. British funds were used for land demarcation and fencing, provision of water and sanitation, construction of schools, clinics and other buildings, and also for crop packs and training. The Grant was largely disbursed by 1989; however it was eventually closed in 1996 with £3 million unspent. Over a similar period, the counterpart funds to 443W £27 million in programme aid were used by the Government of Zimbabwe to fund their share of the programme.
An ODA evaluation in 1988 found that the majority of families settled had benefited considerably through the provision of increased opportunities for income generation and the availability of services such as health and education. The programme had also been successful from the national economic perspective, having an economic rate of return of approximately 21 per cent. The Zimbabwean Comptroller and Auditor General carried out a value for money study of the programme in 1993. Despite identifying a number of shortcomings, the study concluded that the exercise was well planned in accordance with clear policies and procedures. It had benefited mainly the landless rural poor, most of whose standard of living had significantly improved.
§ Mr. NichollsTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) how much money has been given to the Government of Zimbabwe under the Land Reform and Resettlement Programme, since May 1997; [124335]
(2) how many Zimbabwean families have benefited from land acquired using Her Majesty's Government funds since 1997; [124337]
(3) how many farms the Zimbabwean Government have acquired using funds provided by Her Majesty's Government since May 1997. [124336]
§ Clare ShortIn 1996 a land resettlement grant signed in 1981 was closed with £3 million undisbursed because the Government of Zimbabwe had not produced suitable plans to spend it. We have not disbursed funds for land acquisition and resettlement since. We have made clear that land reform and resettlement should be an important part of a poverty reduction programme in Zimbabwe, and supported the principles to govern a future land reform programme agreed at the Donors Conference in 1998. These include poverty reduction, transparency and the rule of law. The Government of Zimbabwe have not implemented the 1998 principles. We made £5 million available to support land resettlement initiatives led by civil society and the private sector.