§ 36. Mr. Bowen Wellsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent visit to Nepal by the Minister for Overseas Development.
§ Mr. RaisonI visited Nepal from 17 to 23 April. I had discussions with Nepalese Ministers and was able to visit many of our aid projects. I found that our aid programme is well directed towards tackling Nepal's most urgent problems and that it is well appreciated. I reaffirmed that Britain planned to continue to make a significant contribution to Nepal's development.
§ Mr. WellsWill my right hon. Friend confirm that Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world and that our programme is directed to supporting the poorest in that nation? Will he also tell us more about how he has gone about it?
§ Mr. RaisonMy hon. Friend is right in saying that Nepal is an extremely poor country. Our programme is very much designed to assist its poorest people. We have concentrated especially on the communities in the eastern hills. The schemes on which we have embarked, many of which I saw, cover agriculture, livestock, combating environmental degradation, and the development of re-afforestation and road communications. All these schemes are progressing successfully.