HC Deb 24 July 2002 vol 389 cc1136-7W
Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the progress being made with the campaign for good governance her Department is supporting in Sierra Leone; and what plans she has for developing further this work. [72332]

Clare Short

DFID's current support for the civil society campaign for good governance is committed for two years. Its aim is to help build up a well informed, strong, viable and active civil society that effectively addresses political. socio-economic and human rights issues in Sierra Leone, particularly in areas of corruption, local government, economic empowerment, and the legal and human rights of women. It is just over half way through its course.

Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement about progress being made with the Chieftans' Government reform projects in Sierra Leone; and what plans she has for developing this work further. [72331]

Clare Short

In response to the wishes expressed by civil society, soon after the conclusion of the peace agreement signed at Lome in July 1999, I agreed to support a project that would help restore the machinery of government at the local level in Sierra Leone. This entailed returning Paramount Chiefs to their Chiefdoms.

A project was designed for this purpose and became known as the Chiefdom Governance Reform Programme. It had three components: the construction of a chiefdom house from where chiefdom business is conducted; the filling of chiefdom vacancies (there are presently more than 60 and the drafting of a code of conduct that would constitute a uniform set of regulations determining chiefdom administration and practices.

The project has run its course and has recently been reviewed. The review findings are awaited. They will help to inform us whether we should approve a second phase to complete what we have begun or take forward only a limited range of activity, concentrating on what the review team deem to be the crucial components of the project.

Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on progress in implementing the EU health programme in Sierra Leone. [72168]

Clare Short

The EU Health Sector Support Project was approved under the 8th EDF, National Indicative Programme for Sierra Leone. It will concentrate on revitalising much needed health care delivery and management systems with an emphasis on first contact and first referral levels in rural areas.

It is disappointing that despite lobbying from DFID and others the project has not yet started, over 18 months since the EDF Committee approved it in November 2000. We are advised that their preliminary assessments will be completed by last August and implementation will commence in early 2003.