§ Angus RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to her answers of 9 May, 2002,Official Report, column 290W, on humanitarian assistance (Middle East), what the UK contribution to European Union and World Bank activities in the Territories Controlled by the Palestinian Authority was in each of the past 10 years, broken down by (a) monetary value, (b) percentage of activity total and (c) percentage of her Department's annual spending total; and if she will make a statement. [58334]
§ Clare ShortThe UK contribution to the European Commission is given in the table:
Year UK share EC assistance to Palestinians (£ millions) UK share as Percentage of total EC Palestinian Activities UK share of percentage of UK Official Development Assistance 1994 12.8 15.0 0.6 1995 15.3 16.0 0.8 1996 11.5 14.5 0.6 1997 12.9 14.3 0.7 1998 14.7 19.1 0.8 1999 15.4 17.8 0.8 2000 26.8 19.0 1.2
The UK contribution to the World Bank is given in the table below Year UK Share of World Bank Disbursements to the West Bank and Gaza Strip (£ millions) UK share as a percentage of the World Bank's Trust Fund for the West Bank and Gaza Strip UK share as a percentage of UK Official Development Assistance 1995 0.4 5 0.02 1996 0.7 5 0.04 1997 1.4 5 0.08 1998 1.7 5 0.09 1999 0.9 5 0.04 2000 1.2 5 0.05 2001 1.0 5 0.04 The European Commission (EC) and World Bank programmes did not commence until 1994 and 1995 respectively. EC Data for 2001 has not yet been confirmed. The figures are calculated using approximate exchange rates for Euros and US Dollars. The percentage figure for our share of World Bank spending is an average of the various Bank instruments.
§ Mr. Jim MurphyTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support Her Majesty's Government are providing in the rebuilding of Angola. [58913]
§ Clare ShortWe have been following events in Angola closely. We strongly welcome recent moves towards peace and the agreement signed in Luanda on 4 April, which established a ceasefire after 30 years of civil war. A lasting peace is the key to development in Angola which is a country of enormous economic potential whose people are living in desperate poverty.
We are working with Angola bilaterally, as well as with our international partners and the United Nations. The humanitarian situation remains critical. And there is an 428W urgent need to provide relief to the Unita fighters and their families gathered in the Quartering Areas. We are encouraging the UN to engage and the international community and Angolan Government to provide more resources for the relief effort. The UK will continue to play its part in meeting urgent humanitarian needs. DFID also has a small development assistance programme focused on long term poverty reduction for the large numbers of people, forced by the conflict, to migrate into urban areas. This totalled £2 million in the last financial year.
I undertook on my visit to Luanda to discuss Angola's situation with the IMF and World Bank and did so with Jim Wolfensohn and Horst Kohler and their staff at the spring meetings in Washington. We will continue to work to encourage reform so that the rich natural resources of Angola are used for the benefit of its people.