Child Labour (Hansard, 24 June 1996)

§ 30. Mr. MacShane
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what financial assistance he is providing in 1996–97 to organisations working to eradicate child labour in developing countries. [32637]

§ Mr. Hanley
We give considerable assistance to organisations that adopt an integrated approach to children's issues, but it is not possible to provide the exact amounts spent on the problem of child labour. However, we encourage a range of initiatives and engage in policy exchange.

§ Mr. MacShane
I thank the Minister for his answer. I find it quite appalling that the British Government are the only Government who cannot put a figure on the help that they provide to eradicate child labour around the world. Is the Minister aware that child labour is increasing and that it is a major international issue? Other countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development want the issue to be raised at the International Labour Organisation and to be banned. Will he ask the Prime Minister—who gave a disgraceful reply to a question on this issue last Thursday—not to turn a 16 Nelsonian blind eye to child labour, but to instruct out officials everywhere to join the campaign to eradicate this monstrous practice?

§ Mr. Hanley
The hon. Gentlemen is being extremely unfair in saying that we are the only nation that cannot identify how much we spend on the problem of child labour. He has made a wicked suggestion. He knows full well that when we give money to non-governmental organisations we do not necessarily know exactly how much they will choose to spend on the problem of child labour. Under our aid programme, we give generously to a number of organisations. What I have said is accurate: we cannot disaggregate the figures, so I cannot give him an accurate answer about the exact amount that is spent on child labour. I can tell him, however, that we deplore child labour. We deplore any form of child labour, whether the type of labour is bonded—

§ Mr. Campbell-Savours
Come on.

§ Mr. Hanley
The hon. Gentleman is becoming impatient to reach his question, which appears later on the Order Paper. He has been badgering me throughout this Question Time because he wants to ask his question. I hope that I may be allowed to answer the other questions; we will then reach his question.
We urge Governments to take all necessary measures to eliminate all extreme forms of child labour, including forced and bonded labour. The UK has urged all countries to ratify the international covenant on civil and political rights, which provides that slavery and the slave trade in all their forms shall be prohibited. I am proud of what the Government are doing about this issue.

§ Mr. Jacques Arnold
Far from turning a Nelsonian blind eye to the problems of child labour and of street children, did not my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, when in Rio de Janeiro for the earth summit, specifically visit a home that takes street children off the streets and educates and trains them for a constructive future? [Interruption.] If the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner) did not know that, he should have done so.

§ Mr. Hanley
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The Government's record on trying to eradicate child labour in its extreme forms is well known. I am grateful to my hon. Friend for making that point.