§ John BarrettTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations he has made to the Government of Angola about ensuring(a) greater transparency in the management of oil revenues and (b) that oil revenues are focused on social programmes in that country. [150111]
§ Hilary BennThe UK Government are active in promoting greater transparency in oil revenue management in Angola, including through the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative launched by the Prime Minister at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. We are currently in discussions with the Angolan Ministry of Finance on providing technical support so that Angola can develop and adopt legislation to implement the Initiative.
The UK is also supporting the World Bank's programme to promote greater transparency in the Angolan oil industry. Specifically, DFID is funding an oil expert to take part in the Bank's Public Expenditure Management and Financial Accountability Review (PEMFAR). The results of this review should help clarify financial relationships between the Government, the Central Bank and the state oil company Sonangol. It will also make recommendations on how Angola can adopt transparent, internationally accepted practices in oil revenue management. Finally, the UK is demonstrating its commitment to strengthening Angolan civil society by supporting a coalition of national NGOs active in advocating on transparency issues including oil revenue management.
Greater fiscal transparency in Angola is only one element in ensuring that more public resources are spent on reducing poverty. With this in mind, DFID funded an economist to help prepare Angola's first ever three-year macro-economic framework which has since been incorporated into the recently published Angolan draft Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). The macro-economic framework income is assisting the Government to plan spending increases in the social sectors.
The UK will continue to work with the Government and people of Angola to ensure that greater transparency in oil revenue management is converted into tangible programmes for poverty reduction.
§ John BarrettTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many Angolan refugees in Zambia he estimates will reject the voluntary repatriation programme; and what assessment he has made of the impact this will have on(a) the humanitarian requirements in Zambia and (b) the humanitarian requirements in Angola. [150108]
§ Hilary BennThe Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimate that at 30 November 2003 there were a total of 167,184 Angolan refugees in Zambia.
281WUnder their voluntary repatriation programme, UNHCR estimate that 20,000 Angolans refugees would be repatriated in 2003 and 40,000 in 2004. It is too early to predict how many will reject the voluntary repatriation programme. This will become clearer during the course of 2004, and in the light of UNHCR's discussions with the Government of Zambia over the rights of Angolans to remain in Zambia legally.