§ 31. Dame Judith Hartasked the Lord Privy Seal if he proposes to maintain the aid policies of Cmnd. 6270, "Aid to the Poorest" or if he proposes to produce a new White Paper.
§ Mr. Neil MartenA review of the aid policy is well advanced and I hope to make a statement shortly.
§ Dame Judith HartCan the Minister be a shade more informative? Is he proposing to change the priorities of the White Paper, which were accepted by the Conservatives when in opposition? He must come clean a little more.
§ Mr. MartenThat is precisely what I propose to do. I intend to make a statement to the House.
§ Mr. John TownendWhen reviewing the aid programme, will my hon. Friend recognise that anger has been caused to a large proportion of the population by the continuous attacks on Britain by Presidents Nyerere and Kaunda?
§ Mr. MartenI recognise that but it is not a factor that one can take into account when considering a development programme.
§ Mr. DeakinsWhy are we giving so much aid to Turkey, which is one of the richest of the developing countries?
§ Mr. MartenTurkey is still very much a developing country, particularly in rural areas. It has had balance of payments problems and we have offered Turkey £15 million programme aid, which I think is quite right.