§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action she is taking to achieve the target of universal primary education in Cameroon. [42766]
§ Clare ShortNone. Our direct support to poverty reduction efforts in Cameroon is focused on the forestry sector and we have no plans to expand into other areas.
§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much money her Department has provided to the Government of Cameroon(a) bilaterally and (b) multilaterally in each of the last five years. [42763]
§ Clare ShortWe do not currently provide any budgetary support to the Government of Cameroon. Our direct assistance to Cameroon has been in the form of project-related support working with both Government and non-Government partners, mainly in the forestry sector.
Bilateral expenditure in Cameroon over the last five years is as follows:
£ million Financial year Total DFID programme1 1996–97 2.2 1997–98 2.1 1998–99 1.9 1999–2000 2.4 2000–01 3.1 1 These figures do not include non-DFID debt relief The UK's imputed share of multilateral assistance' given to Cameroon during 1995–99 (the latest year for which figures are available) is as follows:
$ million Calendar year EC UN World Bank 1995 4.4 1.7 0.6 1996 4.4 2.7 0.0 1997 2.4 1.8 0.6 1998 3.2 4.9 0.0 1999 5.7 5.3 0.0 1 Based on DAC figures
§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what actions her Department is taking to combat Government corruption in Cameroon. [42762]
§ Clare ShortWe are actively engaged in the preparation of a Forest and Environment Sector Programme, which will include measures aimed at combating corruption in the forestry sector. We also currently fund an independent monitor of illegal logging. This support recognises the importance of the forestry sector for the Cameroonian economy and for poverty 1189W reduction, but that corruption in this sector is a major problem. More generally my Department has supported the inclusion of benchmarks on good governance, as part of the assessment of Cameroon's eligibility for debt relief under the heavily indebted poor countries initiative, and will encourage full implementation of the poverty reduction strategy.
§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action her Department is taking to bring good governance to Cameroon. [42761]
§ Clare ShortOur programme of support to Cameroon is focused on the forestry sector, which is acknowledged by Cameroon's interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper as being important for poverty reduction. We are actively engaged in the preparation of a Forest and Environment Sector Programme, which will include measures aimed at improving governance in the sector, and currently fund an Independent Monitor of illegal logging. We continue to play an active part in international community discussion of the Poverty Reduction Strategy process, which includes benchmarks on good governance.
§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the level of Government corruption in Cameroon. [42764]
§ Clare ShortWe have done no independent assessment of the level of government corruption in Cameroon. However, it has long been recognised by the international community that steps need to be taken to reduce the high levels of corruption that have hampered Cameroon's development. The Poverty Reduction Growth Facility (PRGF) and the interim Poverty Reduction Strategy paper linked to the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, include commitments by the Government of Cameroon to tackle corruption and improve governance.