§ Tom BrakeTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the nature is of(a) food and (b) HIV/AIDS programmes he is funding in Zimbabwe. [143991]
§ Hilary BennAt least 5.5 million Zimbabweans will require food assistance in the run up to the next harvest in April 2004. This year DFID is providing support worth £21 million for emergency feeding programmes. This is being channelled both through the World Food Programme's Emergency Appeal and directly to international and Zimbabwean NGOs. This direct DFID support reached 1.2 million people in October 2003, 80 per cent. of whom are children.
HIV/AIDS remains a key challenge for Zimbabwe and kills over 2,500 people each week, while 25 per cent. of the adult population are infected. DFID has committed £27 million for longer term HIV/AIDS programming. This includes the supply of condoms through clinics and private sector outlets, promoting behavioural change and home-based care for the chronically sick.
§ Tom BrakeTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many internally displaced persons there are in Zimbabwe; and how many Zimbabwean refugees there are abroad. [143990]
§ Hilary BennThere is a significant population of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in Zimbabwe, mainly due to growing food shortages and the continued farm seizures. This has resulted in the displacement of an estimated one hundred thousand people, predominantly farm workers. However, exact numbers are difficult to assess. The Government of Zimbabwe's reluctance to acknowledge the disastrous effects of the fast-track land reform programme has prevented the humanitarian community from carrying out a comprehensive assessment or establishing recognised IDP camps.
Numbers of documented Zimbabwean refugees are negligible—the vast majority of Zimbabweans fleeing the crisis are classed as migrants. Again, exact numbers of this transient population are difficult to assess, as many are illegal migrants in the sub-region. However, there are believed to be 2.35 million Zimbabwean migrants in the Southern Africa region. The vast majority of these, approximately two million, are in South Africa.
832W
Net administration costs £ million 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 (planned) Total Admin Costs before adjustment 269 244 232 245 254 270 258 252 Machinery of Government changes from 2001 -28 -25 -26 -26 -26 -33 -32 -32 Machinery of Government changes from 2003 (provisional) 0 0 5 5 5 5 5 6 Total Admin Costs after adjustment1 241 219 211 224 233 242 231 226 1 Figures include Sure Start and the Children and Young People's Unit where appropriate. DFID is providing support to the International Organisation for Migration and also a Zimbabwean NGO working with former farm workers to prevent displacement and provide, humanitarian assistance for displaced people.
§ Tom BrakeTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether food aid supplies in Zimbabwe have been secured beyond December. [143986]
§ Hilary BennThe UN World Food Programme (WFP), who are the principal coordinators for general food distributions in Zimbabwe, have to date secured over 50 per cent. of the funding requested for this year's Emergency Operation (EMOP) in Zimbabwe. This follows recent pledges of US$8 million from the European Union, and £5 million from DFID. This means that food will be available for distribution until mid-February 2004, when there will be a shortage of cereals if further contributions are not forthcoming. A substantial additional pledge is anticipated shortly from the United States.
Despite this funding, the WFP have reduced monthly ration levels in order to accommodate the growing number of vulnerable people, above the level anticipated when the EMOP appeal was originally prepared. This increase in beneficiary numbers is partly due to increased urban vulnerability, as spiralling inflation (now over 500 per cent.) has affected food prices in shops. There is also emerging evidence of up to several hundred thousand people facing crisis in the former commercial farming areas, most of whom are former farm workers displaced by the Government's disastrous land reform programme. Additionally, the state-controlled Grain Marketing Board has proved erratic and unreliable in contributing to food supply and distribution in the country. Donors are monitoring the situation closely, in close consultation with the WFP.