§ Mr. AncramTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance the Government are giving to the Afghan Government in reforming the civil service in Afghanistan. [159890]
Mr. Gareth ThomasDFID has provided technical assistance to the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission, Office of the President, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Rural Reconstruction and Development and the Ministry of Health. We also provided support last year for ministerial expenses.
We have also committed funds to the Second Emergency Public Administration Programme, which is to be managed and co-funded by the World Bank. This programme will provide further support to the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission: it will also provide technical assistance to a number of key Ministries for the preparation and implementation of the Priority Reform and Restructuring process. We also plan to support the establishment of an effective Cabinet Secretariat.
All of these initiatives aim to help the Afghan Government work towards a merit-based, effective, well-structured civil service that can deliver the services the Afghan people need.