§ Mr. AncramTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance the Government are giving to Afghanistan in relation to road reconstruction. [160230]
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Mr. Gareth ThomasRebuilding Afghanistan's road networks is key to promoting regional trade and revitalising the Afghan economy. The UK contributes to road construction through our funding of the European Commission and the Asia Development bank, both of which are actively involved in major road building in Afghanistan. The Asia Development bank is engaged in several priority road projects, including the rehabilitation of the critically important Kabul-Kandahar-Spin Boldak road. The European Commission has undertaken the reconstruction of the Kabul-Jalalabad-Torkham road, another very important transport route. The travel times on this road have now been cut from six to three hours.