HC Deb 09 February 2004 vol 417 cc1312-3W
Mr. Best

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the decision to reject the funding application from Action for Southern Africa. [153769]

Mr. Gareth Thomas

Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA) was unsuccessful in securing a grant from the Development Awareness Fund last year for the following reasons.

There was no real evidence that there was a demand for the project from the intended beneficiaries. The project relied too heavily on DFID funding (80 per cent.) and, at the time, of applying, the remaining 20 per cent. had not been secured from other donors. There were concerns that the target audiences were spread too widely and as a consequence, the messages conveyed would lack focus.

Feedback covering these concerns was given to ACTSA in May 2003 with an invitation to contact the Department with a view to working with them in the future.

Project title (Contract purpose) Country Current value1 (£)
1999 PR Unit Support For Parastatal Sector Reform Commission (PSRC) (Public Relations Unit) Tanzania 430,625
1999 Privatisation Project Phase 3 and 4 Managing Consultant Guyana 1,718,736
1999 Privatisation Agency Support Project Consultancy Zimbabwe 560,752
1999 Technical Assistance for Public Enterprise Reform in Orissa India 3,667,571
1999 Assistance to the Palestinian Negotiations Affairs Department West Bank and Gaza 9,131,555
1999 Additional Support to the Privatisation Board Bangladesh 106,241
1999 UK-Ireland Privatisation and Regulation Study Tour Tanzania 11,145
1999 Medium Term Programme of Capacity Building for PURC (Public Utilities Regulatory Commission) Ghana 1,559,960
1999 Initial Support to the Budgetary Processes of the Government of Macedonia Macedonia 44,315
2000 Rehabilitation of Cyclone Damaged Lift Irrigation Points in Orissa India 1,296,327
2000 Seminar on Export Credits and Developing Countries United Kingdom 102,594
2000 Lead Adviser to Parastatal Sector Reform Commission (PSRC) Tanzania 229,966
2000 Russia Trade Policy Project (Technical Support) Russia 1,199,986
2001 Conference on Disinvestment (Organisation of Conference) India 70,000
2001 Support for Public Sector Undertaking Reforms and Social Safety Net in Madhya Pradesh India 80,000
2001 PSRC: Water Privatisation and Regulation Study Tour (Parastatal Sector Reform Commission) Tanzania 54,924
2001 Communications Film for Department of Disinvestment India 89,500
2001 Consultants for Standards, Technical Regulatory Barriers Programme (Problems of access to EU market experienced by developing countries) Global (Non Project Specific) 92,870
2002 Trade Training for DFID Staff United Kingdom 20,075
2002 Pilot Training and Capacity Building in International Watercourse Law Kyrgyz Republic 151,008
2002 Trade Training for DFID Staff-Bangkok United Kingdom 32,328
2002 Support for Capacity-Building in the Ministry of Finance and Central Bank Afghanistan 3,277,815
2003 Support Services for Public Enterprise Restructuring in South Africa South Africa, Republic of 6,363,435
2003 Support to Water Sector Regulation by PURC-Ghana (Public Utilities Regulatory Commission) Ghana 1,079,100
2003 Andhra Pradesh Economic Restructuring Programme-Public Enterprise Reforms, Phase II India 416,435
2003 Economic Support within 1st Military Division Hq Basra Iraq 55,510
2003 Economic Development within 1st Military Division Hq Basra Iraq 119,848
2003 Support to the Office of the Prime Minister and to the Cabinet Office, (capacity building support to the Palestinian National Authority) West Bank and Gaza 100,400
2003 ITD-DFID Staff Training (International Trade Department) Global (Non Project Specific) 288,685
2003 Asia Trade Consultancy (A paper for DFID on the regional trade issues in Asia) United Kingdom 44,200
2003 International Lawyer within 1st Military Division Hq Basra Iraq 131,868
2003 Economic Support to Coalition Provisional Authority South (CPAS) Iraq 111,255
2003 Secondment of Negotiations Support Staff to the Office of Prime Minister West Bank and Gaza 75,800
2003 Legal Adviser within Coalition Provisional Authority South (CPAS) Iraq 72,925
1Original contract value plus cost of any increases or extensions.

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