§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) if he will make a statement on(a) the nature of the health and education projects in (i) Russia, (ii) Mongolia, (iii) Ukraine, (iv) Georgia, (v) Armenia and (vi) Azerbaijan that were financed by EU development assistance in 2002, (b) the effectiveness of the projects and (c) his Department's involvement in the projects; [165172]
(2) if he will make a statement on (a) the nature of the 24 million euro environment project in Russia that was financed by EU development assistance in 2002, (b) the effectiveness of the project and (c) his Department's involvement in the project. [165203]
Mr. Gareth ThomasEU development assistance in these countries is provided through the Tacis programme. The Department is involved in projects implemented under Tacis by contributing the UK's share of the European Commission budget allocated to Tacis and by participating in the Management Committee established to define strategy and oversee the programme. Implementation of specific projects (including procurement, which is governed by EC procurement rules) is the responsibility of the Commission.
When considering Commission funding proposals, DFID took a wide range of factors into consideration, including likely impact, cost-effectiveness and value for money. Many of the 2002 projects are in the early stages of implementation. An assessment of the projects will only be possible once they have been completed. The EC, through its results-orientated management system and strengthened evaluation systems, is best placed to carry out such an assessment.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the(a) Good Governance and Improvement of the Law project, (b) 2002 Middle East Peace project and
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Table 1: Hardware upgrades Hardware type Date purchased Life (years) Upgrade due Network servers 2001 4–5 2005–06 Desktop pcs 2002 4–5 2006–07 Laptop pcs 2003–04 2–3 2005–07 Printers 2003 3–4 2006–07 PDAs 2003–04 n/k n/k Copiers 2002 4–5 2006–08 (c) 2002 project on technical assistance, ref B7–410 MEDA; and if he will describe his Department's contribution to each project. [165208]
§ Hilary BennAll these projects are being implemented by the European Commission under their MEDA ("Mesures d'Accompagnement") programme, which is the principal financial instrument of the European Union for providing technical and financial support to accompany the reform of economic and social structures in Mediterranean partner countries. DFID is involved through having attributed to our budget the UK's contribution to MEDA, (which in 2002 amounted to around 19 per cent. of the total), and through our being consulted by the EC as it develops its individual country strategies and spending proposals. Implementation of individual projects (including procurement) is the responsibility of the Commission.
When considering Commission funding proposals, the Department takes a wide range of factors into consideration, including likely impact, cost-effectiveness and value for money. Many of the 2002 projects are still in the early stages of implementation. An assessment of the projects, and production of final spending figures, will only be possible once they have been completed.