§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the Government of Zimbabwe have reduced their arrears to the World Bank since December 2002. [147390]
§ Hilary BennThe Government of Zimbabwe have not reduced their arrears to the World Bank since December 2002. At the end of October 2003, Zimbabwe's arrears were approximately £150 million.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of(a) the level and (b) the geographical distribution of food shortages in Zimbabwe. [148092]
§ Hilary BennThe Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee's survey in April last year estimated that approximately 4.4 million people in rural areas and 1.1 million people in urban areas would require food aid during the pre-harvest months of January, February and March 2004. However, it is now clear that this figure is an underestimate and is being revised upwards to 5.1 million people in rural areas. Results of a comprehensive urban vulnerability assessment are yet to be released, but are also expected to show a significant increase in people requiring humanitarian assistance.
DFID works in close collaboration with UN agencies and other development partners to monitor the levels and geographical distribution of food shortages throughout Zimbabwe. Relevant factors include employment levels, commodity prices, income levels, agricultural activity and rainfall levels, HIV prevalence rates and alternative coping mechanisms.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the extent of political abuse by the Zimbabwe Government of food aid provided by his Department. [148093]
§ Hilary BennThe World Food Programme and others distributing international food aid all have clear procedures and monitoring systems in place to ensure that humanitarian aid is distributed according to need. These systems are working well and there have been no significant cases of political interference with international aid, including that provided by the UK, in recent months. Along with the UN, EU and other donors, we continue to make it clear to the Zimbabwe Government that we will not tolerate political interference in the distribution of food aid.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of how much food aid is reaching the people of Zimbabwe. [148128]
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§ Hilary BennIn December 2003, the WFP and other agencies distributed general rations to 3.5 million beneficiaries, while many other vulnerable people received food through targeted programmes. As well as being a major contributor to WFP, DFID's separate NGO programme is reaching over a million beneficiaries a month through home-based care, school and therapeutic feeding schemes.
The level of food aid reaching the people of Zimbabwe is a credit to the logistical capabilities of the WFP and the dedication of the implementing NGOs. Incidents of political interference remain few and isolated. DFID continues to work in close collaboration with the WFP and other partners to ensure that food aid is distributed in an apolitical manner and that those in most need receive assistance.