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Written question asked by Baroness Northover (Liberal Democrat), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Tunnicliffe (Labour) on Monday, 9 March 2009.

Department for International Development: DEL

Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Statement by Lord Tunnicliffe on 12 February on the Department for International Development's departmental expenditure limit (WS 82-83), which projects have been targeted for the transfer of funds from the Department for International Development to the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Answer

£300,000 has been transferred to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in respect of payments to locally engaged staff in Iraq to cover the costs of DfID's locally engaged (LE) Iraqi staff under the HMG assistance scheme outlined by the Foreign Secretary in a Written Ministerial Statement on 30 October 2007. As an employer, DfID has approximately 40 former Iraqi staff who may be eligible under this scheme. We have judged that the best way for DfID to make payments to these staff is through the system the MoD has set up to do this. £1,000,000 has been transferred to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in respect of the returns and reintegration fund (RRF). The primary aim of the RRF is to increase the number of foreign national prisoners and failed asylum seekers who return to their countries of origin, while ensuring that those who return are effectively reintegrated. DfID has agreed to transfer funds to the FCO budget to contribute to this cross-government fund (alongside the FCO, UKBA, and the MoJ). £6,716,000 has been transferred to the FCO, and £18,899,000 has been transferred to the MoD, in respect of projects funded from the Conflict Prevention Pool (CPP). CPP resources are voted in the first instance to DfID as the financial manager for the overall CPP, but management of the specific projects is shared between departments. The spring supplementaries are used to transfer funds to the MoD and FCO in line with their project spend. Of a budget of £112 million in 2008-09, the MoD will spend approximately 40 per cent, the FCO 30 per cent, and DfID 30 per cent. £216,000 has been transferred to the FCO in respect of a Conflict Prevention Pool project in Ghana relating to the observation of a run-off election held on 29 December. £917,000 has been transferred to the MoD in respect of stabilisation aid fund projects in Iraq, representing the partial return of funds transferred to DfID from the MoD earlier in 2008-09, due to changes in forecasted spend on the projects. £1,000,000 has been transferred to the FCO in respect of a police reform project in Pakistan.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
1590; 708 c201-2WA
Session
2008-09
Related items
Department for International Development: DEL
Thursday, 12 February 2009
Written statements
House of Lords
Subjects
Department for International Development Public expenditure Ministry of Defence Foreign and Commonwealth Office Departmental expenditure limits
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk