Written question asked by Ken Purchase (Labour) on Thursday, 5 April 2001, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 6 April 2001. It was answered by Clare Short (Labour) on Friday, 6 April 2001 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Dept for International Development

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she has recently reviewed the effectiveness of United Kingdom development efforts in Zimbabwe.

Answer: Mr. Purchase: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she has recently reviewed the effectiveness of United Kingdom development efforts in Zimbabwe. [157802] Clare Short: I have since 1997 kept our development programme in Zimbabwe under regular review. We remain committed to helping the poorest in Zimbabwe who are suffering the combined effect of economic mismanagement and the HIV/AIDS pandemic. But the situation in Zimbabwe is difficult and we continue to work only where we are confident our support can be effective. For this reason we have today written to the Zimbabwe Government informing them that we are ending our support to the Privatisation Agency of Zimbabwe and to a Trade Policy Capacity Building Programme. In the continued absence of Government policies likely to reverse current economic decline and reduce poverty, I concluded that these projects were likely to have little beneficial impact for the people of Zimbabwe.

Secondary information