Ethiopia

Baroness Rawlings asked Her Majesty’sGovernment:

What proposals they have regarding the provision

of aid to Ethiopia.

Lord Tunnicliffe: My Lords, over 30 million people in Ethiopia live in extreme poverty, of whom more than 6 million are dependent on emergency food aid. The Department for International Development expects to spend £130 million this year on improving governance and accountability, promoting human development, supporting sustainable growth and providing humanitarian assistance, as well as an additional £35 million in response to the humanitarian crisis.

Baroness Rawlings: My Lords, I thank the Minister for his Answer. Ethiopia has received £4.7 billion in aid between 2001 and 2005 and the £130 million from DfID, but that mainly contributes to the protection of basic-services programmes, to help the Ethiopian Government implement their own poverty reduction plan. Does the Minister agree that it is disgraceful that aid agencies are unable to conduct surveys into the scale of need in the region because they require government permission and military escorts which the Government are failing to provide? How are HMG monitoring this situation and the very worthy projects that are, after all, funded by taxpayers’ money?

Lord Tunnicliffe: My Lords, the issue raised by the noble Baroness was one of the key concerns raised with the Ethiopian Government by the Secretary of State at recent talks.Whether it is related or not, in the past few weeks we have seen encouraging signs that humanitarian access and delivery in the Somali region, in particular, is improving. The military has begun discussions, theUNWorld Food Programme has begun to operate, and, key to the process, the Government have agreed to nutritional surveys and needs assessment to ensure that a humanitarian response is based on the most up-to-date numbers.

Baroness Northover: My Lords, a few weeks ago, when the Secretary of State visited Ethiopia, did he not threaten to cut aid to Ethiopia because he found on his visit that children seemed to have been thrown out of a hospital on the border with Somalia because it would have looked bad if he had discovered as many children in difficulty as therewere? Is thatwhat happened? Did he threaten to cut aid? What happened to those children, and how was the episode resolved?

Lord Tunnicliffe: My Lords, I do not have the specifics of the incident, but I can assure your Lordships that the Secretary of State was not driven by that incident. He visited Ethiopia on 16 and 17 October and, at the end of his visit, he raised two particular UKconcerns: the humanitarian situation in the Somali region, which we have already discussed, and the likely impact of the proposed legislation to regulate civil society funding and activities.Mr Alexander explained that because of those concerns, he was unable to announce multiyear DfID funding for Ethiopia at the current time. He indicated that he would follow progress on those issues closely. Forthcoming DfID programme decisions will be informed by developments on the ground and consultation with international partners.

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: My Lords, arising from that answer, willmy noble friend confirmthat it remains the position of Her Majesty’s Government that development assistance will be provided only to democracies or to countries that are seen to be moving towards democracy, and that we give no funds whatever to dictatorships?

Lord Tunnicliffe: My Lords, I wish the world were that simple. The simple DfID commitment is to reduce poverty. We of course then caveat that in a series of ways. We caveat against the effectiveness of the Government, whether they are straight and honest and what is their attitude to issues such as human rights. Ethiopia is a poor country trying to make good in a very tough neighbourhood. The case for aid is extremely strong. Comparatively speaking, Ethiopia is stable and has a capable Government who have demonstrated commitment to addressing poverty with an impressive record of pro-poor spending, sound financial management and low levels of corruption.

The Countess of Mar: My Lords, as Ethiopia is such a poor country, do we know where it is getting the money to purchase theweapons and other armaments to pursue battles in Somalia and Eritrea?

Lord Tunnicliffe: My Lords, I did not entirely hear the question, but in our aid programmes, we have withdrawn from budget aid—five years ago, I believe.The money targeted for Ethiopia goes through a programme of budget support tied to local government delivery. It is checked all the way. We make sure that the money goes into those programmes and we believe that we are having a positive impact on poverty in Ethiopia as a result.

Lord Dholakia: My Lords, my noble friend Lady Northover raised an important issue about aid agency reports of children being thrown out of hospital. If the Minister does not have the answer, will he look into the matter and place a reply in the Library so that she can have a proper reply to the question?

Lord Tunnicliffe: I am sorry, my Lords, but I feelthat I have answered the question. We strongly audit all our programmes. Ethiopia, of all the countries that we give to, has some of the strongest governance systems. We have high levels of confidence that aid going to Ethiopia goes to the purposes for which we have agreed it.We have strong co-operation with other donors; hence, right across the board, we believe that the aid is going to the hospitals, the educational establishments and the programmes. I do not believe that there is any doubt that the aid is going where we intend it or that it is properly monitored.

LordWallace of Saltaire: My Lords, perhaps I may followon fromthe question asked by the noble Countess, Lady Mar. Ethiopia is currently engaged in military operations in Somalia and in Eritrea. Its operations in Somalia have, as I understand it, been substantially funded by the US Administration of President Bush. Does the Minister join me in hoping that the change in Administration in the United States may change some of the priorities of the Ethiopian Government in this respect?

Lord Tunnicliffe: My Lords, my understanding is that there is no military activity in Eritrea and that the Ethiopian operations in Somalia were intended to achieve a particular objective which has largely been de-scaled.We keep pressing the Ethiopian Government to withdraw their troops from those operations. They want to do so but need an appropriate African force to fill the vacuum. It is not a simple matter of “these are the bad guys”; these people are trying to do their best We do not approve of the original incursion, but we see that there is a real problem of just how quickly they can withdraw.

Lord Avebury: My Lords, while the Ethiopians may not be engaged in any military activities in Eritrea, would it not be possible for Britain and the European Union to increase aid to Ethiopia if it would finally settle its dispute with Eritrea on the frontier, on the lines of the recommendations made by the Lauterpacht commission?

Departmental Buildings

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend East of 6 October 2008, Official Report, columns 101-102W, on departmental buildings, what the cost of each refurbishment was. [233419]

12 Nov 2008 : Column 1233W

Mr. Douglas Alexander: The information requested is as follows:

Ethiopia

5 Nov 2008

 Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid his Department is providing to Ethiopia; and if he will make a statement. [233032]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department for International Development's (DFID) programme in Ethiopia is focused on: improving governance and accountability; promoting human development, including better health, education, water and sanitation; supporting sustainable growth; and providing humanitarian support. We expect to spend £165 million in Ethiopia this year, including at least £35 million in response to the humanitarian crisis.

The Secretary of State visited Ethiopia last month to assess the impact of UK support. He commended the good progress made on expanding access to basic services and raised concerns at the humanitarian situation in the Somali region of the country, and the expected impact of proposed legislation to regulate civil society funding and activities.

Ethiopia: Eritrea

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Ethiopian authorities to accept the final and binding verdict of the International Ethiopian Eritrean Boundary Commission and withdraw its forces from the disputed areas. [222672]

Gillian Merron: The UK's policy towards the Ethiopia-Eritrea border dispute is based on three principles: to avoid any return to war, which would be unacceptable; for the border to be demarcated; and for the parties to normalise their relations. Ethiopia and Eritrea should agree a way forward to allow demarcation to proceed and for a normalisation process to begin, as set out in the Algiers Agreements of June and December 2000, to which both Ethiopia and Eritrea are signatories.

We have set out this policy to both Ethiopia and Eritrea, including in November 2007 when my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met with Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin. The former Minister for the Middle East most recently discussed the border situation when he met Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in June and the Eritrean ambassador in July. In addition, Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials continually reiterate these messages to both the Ethiopian and Eritrean ambassadors to London and to their interlocutors in the Governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea in Addis Ababa and Asmara respectively.

Even with the termination of the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) on 31 July the UNSC made clear the Algiers Agreements remain in force. The UN Secretary-General will continue to monitor the situation and consult both parties in an effort to (1) achieve a comprehensive and lasting settlement of their border dispute, and (2) help the countries to normalise their relations.

We will continue to pursue the policy above with our international partners, including through the efforts of the United Nations with the parties, to which UK efforts are closely aligned and to which we give our support.

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the reasons are for the amount of development aid and assistance allocated to (a) Ethiopia and (b) Eritrea in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08 and (iii) 2008-09. [222664]

Gillian Merron: UK Aid to Ethiopia was: £90.5 million in 2006-07 and £139.5 million in 2007-08 and is budgeted to be £140 million in 2008-09. These allocations have been made in recognition of the needs of the large poor population and the Government of Ethiopia's commitment to poverty reduction, strong financial management capacity and programmes to improve capacity. The UK Government have been able to establish a strong development partnership that is delivering real impact in terms of better service delivery and poverty reduction.

UK Aid to Eritrea was £3.49 million in 2006-07 and £3.37 million in 2007-08 and is budgeted to be £2.1 million in 2008-09. UK Government assistance is limited to a humanitarian programme, which is channelled through international relief agencies. The UK Government do not have a development programme in Eritrea because it has not been possible to establish a development partnership with the Eritrean Government.