§ 36. Mr. OttawayTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the percentage of the overseas aid budget allocated to population policies.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydSome £26.5 million, or 1.5 per cent. of the aid programme, was spent on direct support for population programmes in 1991.
§ Mr. OttawayI thank my hon Friend for that answer and congratulate him on the story so far, but, in view of the growing concern about population, will he support the proposal that the G7 countries allocate at least 4 per cent. of their aid programmes to population policies? Can he confirm that his Department will be leading for the Government in the run-up to the United Nations conference in Cairo next year?
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydI can confirm that the Overseas Development Administration will be leading for the Government at the Cairo conference. I am afraid that I cannot agree with my hon. Friend on the question of a target for population matters in the aid programme, although I congratulate him on his interest and on pressing the point. We are not happy with financial targets, but the Government are happy and the Department is keen to have targets for the number of countries and for the projects that we can initiate in the next two years. We hope to have 15 projects over two years and to double the number of countries involved.
§ Sir David SteelIn view of the alarming forecast given at the Rio summit of the trends in world population growth and their effect on the environment, should not these policies have a much higher priority in the Government's budget at home and abroad?
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydOf course, rapid population growth of the type to which the right hon. Gentleman refers will cause environmental problems, but the links between population growth and the environment are complex. The ODA is funding research to enhance understanding of that subject.
§ Mr. WinnickOn a point of order, Madam Speaker.
§ Madam SpeakerWe have a statement. As the hon. Gentleman knows, I can hear his point of order after that.