Bangladesh (Hansard, 29 January 1990)

§ 76. Mr. Kirkhope
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Minister for Overseas Development's forthcoming visit to Bangladesh.

§ 79. Mr. Paice
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, further to the reply given on 8 January, Official Report, column 552, what subjects will be discussed during the Minister for Overseas Development's forthcoming visit to Bangladesh.

§ Mrs. Chalker
I shall pay my first visit to Bangladesh from 6 to 9 February and will have general discussions on our aid programme with a number of Bangladesh Government Ministers. I expect to discuss the follow-up to the successful flood control conference which Her Majesty's Government hosted in London last month. I look forward to visiting some of our current aid projects.

§ Mr. Kirkhope
Will my right hon. Friend say a little more about the progress that has been made with flood control projects in Bangladesh, and in particular what role the United Kingdom is playing in those projects?

§ Mrs. Chalker
The British Government were one of the first to respond to the worst floods in living memory in Bangladesh in August 1988. We provided £8 million in emergency relief and a further £17 million for rehabilitation. We have now embarked on establishing a longer-term flood control strategy. That began at last month's international conference in London. I am glad to say that all the projects have had donor pledges. There will be a full programme of flood prevention measures.

§ Mr. Paice
Will my right hon. Friend talk to the Bangladeshis about the role of the non-governmental organisations? Will she also consider providing help to Bangladesh for reforestation to create the soil stability that is needed to prevent flood damage and improve food production?

§ Mrs. Chalker
To my knowledge, we are supporting CARE, Save the Children Fund, Action Aid, Oxfam and especially a local Bangladeshi non-governmental organisation. I shall consider further possible roles for non-governmental organisations through our joint funding scheme. We are already considering the possibility of providing help for reforestation. We have carried out a study in the Sundarbans area on the coast. That is essential if we are to prevent cyclones from causing damage inland.