HC Deb 04 March 2003 vol 400 cc947-8W
Dr. Tonge

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was spent on(a) humanitarian mine clearance, (b) commercial mine clearance (c) military initiatives, (d) mine awareness, (e) victim assistance and (f) research and development for mine clearance in 2002. [100011]

Clare Short

The information is as follows:

  1. (a) DFID estimates that it will spend approximately £9 million on Humanitarian Mine Clearance in 2002–03. This figures also includes some integrated mine awareness activities. As programmes are often integrated separate costs of awareness are not available.
  2. (b) DFID has not funded commercial mine clearance. There are no records of UK commercial demining activities currently available in Department of Trade and Industry.
  3. (c) Military mine clearance has taken place in the Balkans since 1992. This is not funded by DFID. UK military advisers have been attached to UN Mine Action Centres assisting in the development of mine action programmes. They have also supervised the mine clearance carried out by the Entity Armed Forces and provided mine awareness to local populations. The Mine Information Training Centre (MITC) has provided mine awareness training to over 30,000 people. The MOD has also continued to monitor minefields in the Falkland Islands. This work is part of the wider responsibilities of those involved and is impossible to cost accurately.
  4. (d) DFID has contributed £300,000 to UNICEF for specific mine awareness activities.
  5. 948W
  6. (e) Assistance to landmine victims is additional to our mine programme. Mine victims benefit from our mainstream health and population and social development programmes, as well as specific humanitarian programmes assisting the disabled. It is not possible to disaggregate expenditure figures for landmine victims.
  7. (f)DFID estimates that it will spend £1,400,000 on research and development in 2002–03 in connection with Humanitarian Mine Action.
Dr. Tonge

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what organisations the Government gave money for mine clearance in 2002–03; and how much was given in each case. [100009]

Clare Short

The following table gives the figures for the Department of International Development:

£
Organisation Estimated final Outturn 2002–03
The HALO Trust (bilateral) 325,000
Mines Advisory Group (MAG) (bilateral) 660,000
United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) 5,300,000
UNICEF (Mines Awareness) 300,000
Organisation of American States (Nicaragua demining) 378,000
QINETIQ (Tech Advice and Testing) 200,000
UNDP 2,500,000
Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) 1,000,000
Landmine Monitor 137,000
DISARMCO (Research and Development) 10,000
ERA (Research and Development) 117,000
SERCO (Research and Development) 30,000
BARIC Consultants (Technical Advice) 100,000
Total 11,057,000

Dr. Tonge

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the expenditure was on humanitarian mine clearance in each year since 1997, broken down by country. [100010]

Clare Short

For details relating to the period 1997 to 2000, I refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave her on 29 March 2001(Official Report, column 721W). The figures for 2000 to 2003 are given in the table below:

Country 2000–01 (£) 2001–02 (£) 2002–03 (£ estimated)
Afghanistan 3,150,000 1,800,000
Albania 369,648
Chad 369,648
Croatia 150,000
Eritrea 544,151 694,540
Guinea Bissau 120,000
Lebanon 387,296
Nicaragua 283,000 189,000 378,000
Cambodia 1,430,571 1,000,000 500,000
Northern Iraq 616,100 500,000 500,000
Jordan 270,000 197,402
Laos 616,689 300,000
Georgia 438,616 500,000 325,000
Kosovo 8,700,000 2,000,000
Thailand 300,000
Bosnia 500,000
Croatia 326,529

The balance of the DFID spend on Humanitarian Mine Action is via the UN and not ring fenced for specific countries.