Wednesday Volume 504 20 January 2010 No. 27 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Wednesday 20 January 2010 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2010 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Parliamentary Click-Use Licence, available online through the Office of Public Sector Information website at www.opsi.gov.uk/click-use/ Enquiries to the Office of Public Sector Information, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU; e-mail: [email protected] 281 20 JANUARY 2010 282 give the House some more details on the flash appeal House of Commons for funding from the United Nations? How much will it be and when does he expect the money to be delivered? Wednesday 20 January 2010 Exactly how does he expect the money to be used and how does his Department intend to evaluate the funds raised? The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock Mr. Alexander: My recollection is that towards the end of last week—last Friday, I believe—the Secretary- PRAYERS General mentioned the figure of $550 million. We have already responded in the sense that for some time we have argued for use of the Central Emergency Response [MR.SPEAKER in the Chair] Fund, so that funds are available to the UN to disburse immediately rather than having to rely on money coming BUSINESS BEFORE QUESTIONS in through a flash appeal. The Secretary-General also indicated that $10 million would be spent directly from LONDON LOCAL AUTHORITIES BILL [LORDS] the CERF, which was, as I have said, originally a British (BY ORDER) idea. Secondly, we have made it clear that our funding Motion made, That the Bill be now read a Second envelope has been extended to $30 million—approximately time. £20 million. Within that allocation, we expect funding to go to the UN. We are already committing support to Hon. Members: Object. the logistics work of the Office for the Co-ordination of Bill to be read a Second time on Wednesday 27 January. Humanitarian Affairs, as well as supporting the work of the International Red Cross and a range of other British agencies. Oral Answers to Questions Hugh Bayley (City of York) (Lab): It is at times like this that we see the importance of our working together with other countries through multilateral agencies. Can the Secretary of State tell us how quickly the millions of INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT pounds raised by the Disasters Emergency Committee will get into the country to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake? The Secretary of State was asked— Mr. Alexander: First, let me express the sentiment of Multilateral Aid Agencies the whole House, I am sure, in commending and feeling immense pride in the generosity of the British people in 1. Stephen Hammond (Wimbledon) (Con): What responding so overwhelmingly and so compassionately recent steps he has taken to link his Department’s to the terrible scenes that we have seen on our television allocation of funding to multilateral aid agencies to screens. We held our first meeting with non-governmental evidence of their effectiveness in reducing poverty. organisations last week and my hon. Friend the Under- [311675] Secretary of State for International Development has The Secretary of State for International Development since had a second meeting with those NGOs, some of (Mr. Douglas Alexander): With your permission, which have partners on the ground and some of which Mr. Speaker, I want to preface my answer by extending—on have long track records of working in Haiti. There will behalf of the whole House, I am sure—our sympathy to be a challenge in getting aid supplies into the country, the victims of the Haitian earthquake and our great which is why I am pleased to inform the House this collective pride in the actions of British search and morning that my right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary rescue professionals who are still on the ground working has kindly agreed to send to Haiti the Royal Fleet in Port-au-Prince. Even since I arrived at the House this Auxiliary supply ship, Largs Bay, which will carry urgent morning, there has been a significant aftershock, registering relief supplies from UK NGOs and UN agencies. Following 6.1 on the Richter scale. The word that I have received is a direct request from the UN, it may stay on to assist in that our search and rescue team is safe and is continuing distributing supplies around Haiti. its work. Malcolm Bruce (Gordon) (LD): Save the Children Multilateral organisations are vital to the task of reports today that questions regarding who is in charge global poverty reduction and humanitarian responses of Haiti are causing tension. Does the Secretary of of the kind that we have witnessed in recent days in State agree that Haiti urgently needs a single Government Haiti. My Department allocates its multilateral budget entity, comprising the Government of Haiti, the United to maximise poverty reduction. At the last spending Nations and perhaps lead donors such as the United review, we increased funding to agencies working effectively States, France and Canada? How will he use his good in the poorest countries. As our White Paper set out last offices to bring that about as early as possible? July, we are considering evidence of effectiveness and focus on the millennium development goals in making Mr. Alexander: I assure the right hon. Gentleman further allocations. that we have been working on these issues with our international partners for some time. Soon after the Mr. Hammond: I am sure that the whole House will earthquake, I received a call from Dr. Rajiv Shah, the join the Secretary of State in what he says about the new head of the United States Agency for International plight of the victims of the Haitian earthquake. Will he Development, whose opening question to me was, “How 283 Oral Answers20 JANUARY 2010 Oral Answers 284 can we help you help?” That is a fair indication of the Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh, North and Leith) (Lab/ true spirit of working together that characterises the Co-op): My right hon. Friend’s White Paper talks about international response. While, of course, the Haitian increasing funding for multilateral agencies. Will he tell Government are central, it is fair to recognise both the us how he intends to ensure that such funding would depleted capacity of that Government before the earthquake result in improved effectiveness in the delivery of the and the very severe damage done to them as a result of work of agencies on the ground? it. Similarly, the UN, of course, leads the international co-operation, but its own compound in Port-au-Prince Mr. Alexander: As I sought to reflect in my initial was devastated. The UN continues to co-ordinate the answer, we are examining specific criteria, be that in international relief effort, but I am glad to say that it is relation to the work that can be done on the millennium able to rely heavily on the generous and immediate development goals, the capability of these multilateral response offered by the United States, which has more organisations to work in fragile and conflict-affected logistical capability and a greater ability to respond states and, of course, the record of effectiveness of immediately than any other partner that the UN could those particular agencies. That is the basis on which look to. It is in that spirit of co-operation that I hope allocation decisions will be made, as a result of the matters will be taken forward. White Paper that my hon. Friend has mentioned. Mr. Tom Clarke (Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill) Sir Patrick Cormack (South Staffordshire) (Con): I (Lab): I welcome what my right hon. Friend had to say, thank the Secretary of State for what he has said. Does particularly about the British Navy. Is he in a position he accept that when Haiti has disappeared from the to tell us about the reaction of—and whether he has headlines, there will still be a country in total wreckage been involved in discussions with—the European Union? and a society that has been destroyed? Will he assure the House that we will do all we can to help in the rebuilding Mr. Alexander: I can give my right hon. Friend the of this terribly devastated country? assurance that he seeks. I have been in regular touch with Cathy Ashton, the new High Representative, and Mr. Alexander: The hon. Gentleman’s question reminded the Under-Secretary of State for International me of a comment made yesterday by Paul Collier, the Development, my hon. Friend the Member for Worcester, distinguished development economist. When he was attended a meeting of European Development Ministers asked how the Government of Haiti could get back on in Brussels on Monday. I participated in a conference their feet, he said that they were not on their feet before call on Sunday afternoon with Bernard Kouchner, the this crisis. We need to recognise that that country has a French Foreign Minister, and Miguel Moratinos, the traumatic history. The principal funders of development Spanish Foreign Minister—the Spanish hold the presidency support to Haiti have been the United States, France of the European Union at the moment. Since then, my and Canada. We expect them to continue to take a right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has been engaged leading role in the rebuilding phase, but a conference in the discussions as well. All that is in addition to the has been organised for Monday by Stephen Harper, the operational work being undertaken with ECHO, the Canadian Prime Minister, which I believe will focus on institution that is co-ordinating the humanitarian response the challenge of how we take the relief effort forward of the European Union.