§ Mr. RendelTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what advice his Department gives to British aid workers in Nepal on the Government's policy towards(a) the Government of Nepal and (b) Maoist rebels against the Government of Nepal. [160175]
Mr. Gareth ThomasDFID seeks to ensure that our assistance does not undermine the Nepal Government's capacity and, where possible, helps to develop it. DFID's new Country Assistance Plan to Nepal will be launched in country in April. It provides support to the Nepal Government with economic and social reform, particularly to improve delivery of basic services to poor people and to address discrimination on grounds of gender and caste. The programme also seeks to deliver development benefits to poor people in rural areas through a variety of channels.
Many DFID funded programmes work directly or indirectly with the Nepal Government. It is important that they are run in the field with operational neutrality including the areas that have a strong Maoist presence. Programmes seek to ensure that developmental benefits reach the poor, and to ensure that our assistance is not 1396W used for any military, political or sectarian purposes. Our programmes are run transparently and are open to inspection by all.
DFID has had a leading role in creating a multi-donor set of Basic Operating Guidelines, which reflect this advice.
§ Mr. RendelTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on the safety of British aid workers in Nepal. [160176]
§ Hilary BennBoth the Foreign Secretary and I attach high priority to the safety of British aid workers in Nepal and this issue has been the subject of regular discussions and correspondence on the government's policy towards the conflict.
§ Mr. RendelTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he has taken to ensure the safety of British aid workers in Nepal. [160177]
Mr. Gareth ThomasDFID gives the issue of staff safety in Nepal the highest priority. In 2002 we established a Risk Management Office (RMO) to provide risk assessment and crisis management expertise, as well as to provide training, support and advice to all staff associated with our programmes and projects. Since then the RMO has delivered training to over 300 field staff to help them to continue to work in remote and conflict affected parts of the country. The RMO undertakes risk assessments on a regular basis, the results of which are fed back to field managers. Field staff have also received assurances that DFID will support their decisions at any time to withdraw from an area because of concerns about their personal safety.