Written question asked by Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 14 December 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 21 December 2004. It was answered by Gareth Thomas (Labour) on Tuesday, 21 December 2004 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Dept for International Development

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what training his Department has provided to partner country staff regarding aid delivery via poverty reduction budget support in the last year.

Answer: Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what training his Department has provided to partner country staff regarding aid delivery via poverty reduction budget support in the last year. [205878] Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID works with other donors to provide training and support to partner country staff at all stages of the Poverty Reduction Budget Support (PRBS) cycle (planning, implementation, monitoring and review). As PRBS relies on partner government public financial management systems, training is focussed particularly on these systems. Where countries are considering new programmes of PRBS, DFID will provide partner country staff with examples of international best practice and discuss alternative forms of aid delivery. As PRBS proposals are prepared, we have detailed dialogue with governments about budget systems, budget allocations and the effectiveness of budget spending. DFID procedures require careful assessment and monitoring of the public--finance management systems, and we aim to conduct these assessments jointly with partner governments. Where appropriate, we accompany PRBS grants with targeted technical assistance and project support. This can include training or other support on planning, budgeting, procurement and audit. Training is often shared amongst donors participating in multi- donor budget support (MDBS) programmes.

Secondary information