HC Deb 10 May 2004 vol 421 cc58-9W
Mr. Bercow

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the children's parliament in Malawi in influencing public policy there. [171693]

Hilary Benn

DFID has not made an assessment of the effectiveness of the children's parliament in Malawi in influencing public policy

In Malawi, DFID prioritises support for the National Assembly, particularly to enable parliamentary committees to fulfil their oversight function and to strengthen citizen's interaction with Parliament. Through membership of the Government of Malawi Task Force on Support for Parliament, DFID notes that UNICEF prioritises support for the children's parliament in Malawi.

Mr. Bercow

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the contribution made by children to the improvement of sanitary practice in Bangladesh. [171698]

Hilary Benn

An estimated 110,000 children under five die each year from diarrhoeal disease in Bangladesh. In 1990 the figure was much higher at 260,000.

There are a number of reasons for this improvement; access to improved water supplies increased from 94 per cent. to 97 per cent. and access to improved sanitation rose from 41 per cent. to 48 per cent. Improved hygiene behaviour also makes as important contribution but one which is more difficult to assess. One indicator is the use of soap or ash for hand washing after defecation—surveys suggest a current figure of 26 per cent. for Bangladesh.

The individual contribution made by children in achieving the above improvements cannot be separated out. However, the DFID Bangladesh Water and Sanitation programme explicitly recognises their important role in promoting improvements in sanitary practice. For instance:

(i) DFID'sprogramme with UNICEF and the Bangladesh Department of Public Health Engineering includes a School Sanitation and Hygiene Education component, through which children are encouraged to monitor sanitary practices in their immediate neighbourhoods, and

(ii) DFID has been supporting an NGO (PHULKI) through our programme with WaterAid, which works explicitly with the children of garment workers, using child-to-child approaches for hygiene promotion.