Kosovo: Overseas Aid

Mr. Moore
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of his Department’s spending in Kosovo is assigned to conflict prevention, particularly small arms eradication; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Douglas Alexander
Although no DFID spending in Kosovo has been assigned to conflict prevention the UK has allocated funding through the joint DFID, FCO and MOD Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP).

In 2007-08 £3 million was allocated from the GCPP for conflict prevention in Kosovo, mainly for the return of refugees, demobilisation of former Kosovan combatants, improvements in Kosovo’s Ministries of Justice and Internal Affairs, and resolving property rights in Kosovo.

In 2007 the UK Government, working with the Provisional Institutions of Self Government and the United Nations Development Programme, provided £73,000 for the collection and destruction of seized small arms. DFID, the FCO and the MOD are actively considering future funding of programmes in this area for 2008.