HL Deb 18 November 2003 vol 654 c276WA
Lord Astor of Hever

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Answer by the Lord President on 10 November (HL Deb, col. 1088), on what basis they are able to claim that no irregularities have been detected recently in the distribution of food aid in Zimbabwe. [HL5515]

Baroness Amos

It is the agreed policy of the World Food Programme and other donor agencies working in Zimbabwe that relevant operations will be suspended in the event of significant incidents of political interference with international food aid programmes. There have been no significant incidents of this kind in recent months and no suspensions have therefore been needed. For the period of July to September 2003, minor incidents were reported affecting 6 per cent of World Food Programme's food distributions. Of these, the vast majority were related to minor theft and crowd control, with only 0.9 per cent of monitored food distributions experiencing incidents with a suspected political element. All of these incidents were resolved quickly with local authorities using agreed procedures.

Lord Astor of Hever

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Answer by the Lord President on 10 November (HL Deb, cols. 1085–88), what processes are in place to monitor the impartial delivery of food aid in Zimbabwe and its security from interference after distribution to beneficiaries. [HL5516]

Baroness Amos

The World Food Programme (WFP) agreed a new Memorandum of Understanding with the Zimbabwe Government earlier this year, which renewed rigorous procedures for international food aid. These procedures involve independent beneficiary selection and distribution solely on the basis of need. WFP also undertake post-distribution monitoring which involves visiting households that are receiving food aid in order to assess their satisfaction with the operating procedures and the effect the food is having on their health and livelihoods. In all cases where irregularities are detected, incidents are immediately reported, followed up, and appropriate actions taken in consultation with local authorities.

DfID has recently committed £0.5 million to enhance WFP's capacity to monitor food distributions, including post-distribution monitoring.