HC Deb 15 July 2003 vol 409 cc182-4W
Joan Ruddock

To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what proportion of the Department's funds have been allocated for water and sanitation programmes in each year since 1998. [126080]

Hilary Benn

Presenting accurate data on expenditure for the water and sanitation sector is not straightforward. Reporting years and methods differ, especially between DFID's multilateral and bilateral partners, but we are working with our partners to improve the quality and hence the reliability of these data.

Over the last three years DFID has undertaken a detailed analysis of all projects to determine its total water related bilateral expenditure. This showed that total bilateral water expenditure was £82 million in 1999–2000, £91 million in 2000–01 and £87 million in 2001–02. This equates to 6.19 per cent., 6.43 per cent. and 5.77 per cent. respectively of DFID's total bilateral expenditure over this period. These amounts include bilateral expenditure on a 11 aspects of water including emergency assistance and international water programmes, but exclude expenditure that may be allocated to the water sector from direct budget support and from multilateral funding.

We have only calculated figures using this method back to 1999–2000.

In 2001–02, DFID channelled £1.3 billion through multilateral organisations. DFID's contribution to multilateral spend on water and sanitation is estimated at around £40 million per year.

In 2001–02, DFID provided £296 million as general budget support to country governments (including sector support), which was 20 per cent. of our total bilateral programme and 10 per cent. of our entire programme. An internal exercise to allocate direct budget support notionally by sector concluded that only a small proportion (less than one per cent) went to the water sector.

Much of the above information is included in the National Audit Office review of DFID's work in the water sector (NAO Report No. HC351, 31 January 2003). DFID publishes details of its aid expenditure annually. Statistics on International Development which is available in the Library, also provides details of the volume, type, purpose and destination of all UK development assistance.