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Departmental Public Expenditure

Volume 490: debated on Monday 23 March 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2009, Official Report, columns 1523-6W, on departmental public expenditure, in what areas of expenditure the administration budget overspends in relation to (a) Afghanistan, (b) Australia, (c) Brazil, (d) Spain and (e) the United States were incurred in 2007-08. (260246)

The main areas of overspend in administration budgets were:

(a) Afghanistan

Subsistence and allowances

Other purchased goods and services

Telecommunications costs

Freight and courier costs

Other costs, including embassy catering services

Other external/contract services

(b) Australia

Subsistence and allowances

Training costs

IT costs

Agency and casual staff

Other external/contract services

Maintenance and running costs

Locally engaged staff salaries

(c) Brazil

Freight and courier costs

Vehicle costs

Other purchased goods and services

Medical costs

Subsistence and allowances

Locally engaged staff salaries

Agency and casual staff

Maintenance and running costs

(d) Spain

Other purchased goods and services

Other costs

Training costs

Locally engaged staff salaries

Subsistence and allowances

Telecommunications costs

Other external/contract services

Agency and casual staff

(e) US

Consultancy and professional fees

Freight and courier costs

Hire of plant and machinery

IT Costs

Financial charges

Stationery

Agency and casual Staff

Subsistence and allowances

Maintenance and running costs

Telecommunications costs

Other purchased goods and services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2009, Official Report, column 1240W, on departmental public expenditure, what the cost to his Department of each UK contribution to peacekeeping operations overseas (a) was in 2007-08 and (b) has been in 2008-09. (261942)

Peacekeeping costs—both assessed costs to international missions and UK discretionary support to international and bilateral missions—have been met through the Peacekeeping Budget which is an annual claim on the Treasury Reserve and has been managed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on behalf of the FCO, Department for International Development and the Ministry of Defence (MOD). In 2007-08 and 2008-09, £374 million was allocated from the Treasury Reserve for Peacekeeping.

Pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2009, Official Report, column 1240W, as a claim on the Treasury Reserve, the Peacekeeping Budget did not benefit from the Overseas Prices Mechanism. However, from the Peacekeeping Budget, assessed contributions to peacekeeping missions paid in foreign currencies by the FCO in 2007-08 were:

£

UN Integrated Office in Burundi (BINUB)

366,011

UN Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT)

5,771,218

UN_Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI)

15,184,311

UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC)

39,728,447

UN_Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE)

3,135,316

UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL)

25,403,196

UN African Union—United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID)

37,228,728

UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS)

28,920,533

UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP)

960,793

UN Integrated Mission in East Timor(UNMIT)

4,727,871

UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG)

1,140,559

UN Disengagement Observer Force Zone (UNDOF)

1,393,431

UN Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)

19,062,884

UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK)

7,816,007

UN Interim Force in Lebanon(UNIFIL)

25,003,407

UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO)

1,557,670

UN International Criminal Court

6,429,102

UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda

4,813,809

UN International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia

6,252,619

Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe field missions

8,377,220

Total

243,273,132

At current exchange rates, estimated assessed contributions to peacekeeping missions paid in foreign currencies in 2008-09 are:

£

UN Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT)

18,297,738

UN_Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI)

19,968,022

UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC)

49,272,772

UN_Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE)

1,334,652

UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL)

25,323,581

UN African Union—United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID)

64,197,346

UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS)

30,070,770

UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus

1,392,357

UN Integrated Mission in East Timor(UNMIT)

6,008,093

UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG)

1,462,365

UN Disengagement Observer Force Zone (UNDOF)

1,834,559

UN Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)

24,201,172

UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK)

7,480,504

UN Interim Force in Lebanon(UNIFIL)

28,307,578

UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO)

1,764,832

UN International Criminal Court

5,463,876

UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda

5,403,725

UN International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia

7,145,468

UN/AU UN Logistical Support to African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM)

1,960,880

Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe field missions

9,633,681

Total

310,523,971

The 2008-09 costs will be reduced by a transfer of £29.4 million from the FCO which includes gains from the benefits of the advanced purchase of foreign currency costs, based on estimated costs at the time of spring supplementary. Further assessed costs are attributed to the Peacekeeping Budget by the Treasury or paid in the relevant foreign currency by the MOD.