HC Deb 16 December 2002 vol 396 cc566-7W
Mr. Amess

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much she gave in each of the last five years to(a) Marie Stopes International, (b) International Planned Parenthood Federation, (c) British Pregnancy Advisory Service, (d) Pregnancy Advisory Service, (e) United Nations Population Fund and (f) Family Planning Association (UK) for the purposes of (i) abortion, (ii) family planning and (iii) other reproductive health services; and what the total grant was that she gave to each organisation in each of the last five years. [86894]

Clare Short

Data is not held centrally in the format requested and to collate it would incur disproportionate costs. However, my Department supports a number of international sexual and reproductive health organisations that share our aim of eliminating poverty, including United Nations agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). All DFID funding in these areas is in support of the International Conference on Population and Development goal of universal access to reproductive health and is central to attainment of the millennium development goals (MDGs) specifically those related to maternal mortality, HIV/AIDS and child mortality. Without access to high quality reproductive health services and care, it is most unlikely that progress will be achieved in meeting the health MDGs. We will continue to support international organisations and NGOs which make an effective contribution to these goals, and of course the efforts of governments seeking to improve people's access to reproductive health services.

DFID funding to the organisations referred to is as follows:

in developing countries, subsequent to the new target agreed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development. [87066]

Clare Short

My Department promoted the target of reducing by half the proportion of people without access to hygienic sanitation facilities by 2015 in the run up to the Johannesburg Summit and adopted it in our Target Strategy Paper 'Addressing the Water Crisis', produced in March 2001. We worked hard to win international agreement to this target at the World Summit on Sustainable Development and will continue to emphasise sustainable and pro-poor sanitation and hygiene programmes.

The challenge today is being able to build-upon models of best practice to expand sanitation coverage, access to clean water and hygiene education. DFID is advocating an integrated approach to sanitation, water supply, and hygiene to improve health and combat poverty.

Through our commitment to multi-lateral initiatives and bi-lateral agreements weare prioritising support to national governments and civil society organisations toaccelerate work in sanitation and hygiene promotion in the countries of greatest need. In particular, we currently support several major multilateral initiatives including: The Water and Sanitation Program (WSP), a multi-donor programme administered by the World Bank. Its mission is to reduce poverty by helping the poor gain sustained access to improved water and sanitation services. The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC), a concerted multi-donor organisation designed to raise awareness and the political profile of sanitation, hygiene and safe water. The EU water initiative, which is aimed at creating strategic partnerships to achieve the world summit on sustainable development (WSSD) goals on clean water and sanitation. It will also improve the efficiency of existing financing mechanisms for water infrastructure through better donor coordination. In addition to multilateral co-operation, our commitment to achieve the 2005 water management and 2,015 water and sanitation targets includes bilateral programmes in many countries in the developing world including Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, India, South Africa, Uganda, and Nigeria. My Department also funds Resource Centres dedicated to enhancing communication, knowledge transfer and co-operation between DFID, its partners and other organisations in the fields of environmental health, water supply and sanitation. We also continue to push for the inclusion of sanitation, water supply and hygiene into individual country poverty reduction strategies papers (PRSPs).