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Written question asked by Baroness Tonge (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 25 February 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 4 March 2003. It was answered by Clare Short (Labour) on Tuesday, 4 March 2003 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Dept for International Development

Question
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much was spent on (a) humanitarian mine clearance, (b) commercial mine clearance (c) military initiatives, (d) mine awareness, (e) victim assistance and (f) research and development for mine clearance in 2002. - Inc figures.
Answer

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was spent on (a) humanitarian mine clearance, (b) commercial mine clearance (c) military initiatives, (d) mine awareness, (e) victim assistance and (f) research and development for mine clearance in 2002. [100011] Clare Short: The information is as follows: (a) DFID estimates that it will spend approximately £9 million on Humanitarian Mine Clearance in 2002-03. This figures also includes some integrated mine awareness activities. As programmes are often integrated separate costs of awareness are not available. (b) DFID has not funded commercial mine clearance. There are no records of UK commercial demining activities currently available in Department of Trade and Industry. (c) Military mine clearance has taken place in the Balkans since 1992. This is not funded by DFID. UK military advisers have been attached to UN Mine Action Centres assisting in the development of mine action programmes. They have also supervised the mine clearance carried out by the Entity Armed Forces and provided mine awareness to local populations. The Mine Information Training Centre (MITC) has provided mine awareness training to over 30,000 people. The MOD has also continued to monitor minefields in the Falkland Islands. This work is part of the wider responsibilities of those involved and is impossible to cost accurately. (d) DFID has contributed £300,000 to UNICEF for specific mine awareness activities. (e) Assistance to landmine victims is additional to our mine programme. Mine victims benefit from our mainstream health and population and social development programmes, as well as specific humanitarian programmes assisting the disabled. It is not possible to disaggregate expenditure figures for landmine victims. (f) DFID estimates that it will spend £1,400,000 on research and development in 2002-03 in connection with Humanitarian Mine Action.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
100011; 400 c955-6W;400 c947-8W
Session
2002-03
Subjects
Armed forces Development aid Bomb disposal Expenditure Landmines Research Victim support schemes
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk