World Population Growth (Hansard, 9 May 1990)

§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Brabazon of Tara)
My Lords, we give high priority to population-related activities within the overseas aid programme. We are major contributors to the main population multilateral organisations. We also work through our bilateral aid programmes and support relevant research and teaching and the work of British charities. Our spending in this sector has increased from £6.5 million in 1988 to over £17 million in 1989.

§ Lord Dormand of Easington
My Lords, does the Minister accept that the population explosion, and all that follows therefrom, is the biggest problem facing mankind at present? Is he aware that the laudable attempts being made by many countries are simply not solving the problem? Is it not now time—indeed, it is long overdue—for a fundamental rethink of policies? How can we not be concerned about the situation when the latest United Nations report on population growth states that the present world population of 5 billion people will increase to 8 billion in the year 2024? I must tell the Minister that I am rather disappointed in the reply he has given today.

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, I am sorry that the noble Lord is disappointed with my reply. We do give priority to the issue. We support the major multilateral organisations; that is, the United Nations Population Fund, the International Planned Parenthood Federation and the World Health Organisation's human reproduction programme. I agree with the noble Lord that it is indeed one of the biggest problems facing the world at present. I also agree with the figures he quoted in his supplementary question.

§ Baroness Robson of Kiddington
My Lords, will the noble Lord agree that, apart from an increase in the aid we give towards population services in under-developed countries, perhaps the greatest service we could provide would be to increase our aid towards the education and training of women in third world countries?

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, we already have a substantial aid programme. Much of it indirectly helps slow population growth because it improves economic and social prospects for the poorest which in turn reinforces the desire for smaller families. We are ready to do more. Bilateral spending is of course dependent upon recipient governments giving population growth a high priority in their own plans. We are encouraging them to do so.

§ Baroness Seear
My Lords, perhaps I may support what my noble friend Lady Robson said and ask the Government to view the matter as one of great urgency. Undoubtedly one of the best ways to reduce the population is to increase the education of women. Support earmarked for that purpose through government aid and the voluntary organisations which can give it is in the long run probably one of the best ways of doing so. Cannot the Government attach a much greater priority to giving of that kind?

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, we give the matter a high priority. We take account of the role of women in all parts of our aid programme and shall continue to do so. As I have said, we are ready to do more bilaterally if we can persuade, as we are trying to do, recipient governments to give the problem a high priority.

§ Lord Rea
My Lords, is the Minister aware of the close relationship between poverty, especially rural poverty, and the rapid population increase? Is he 1365 further aware that the burden of external debt in relation to GNP is greatest in the poorest countries, especially in Africa where the population increases most rapidly? Are the Government planning to take active steps to break the vicious spiral of debt, which leads to poverty and increased population, which in turn lead back again to poverty and more failure to repay the debt? Is it not time to cancel the external debts of the poorest countries?

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, we are involved multilaterally in the problem of overseas debt, which is a subject different from the one we are discussing today. As I said earlier, through our aid programme we seek to improve the economic and social prospects of the poorest, which helps with the population problem.

§ Lord Vernon
My Lords, is the Minister aware that the whole House should be indebted to the noble Lord, Lord Dormand, for asking this Question on a vital topic which is so often ignored? On a practical level, is the Minister aware that the Reagan Administration cancelled all United States Government funding to the International Planned Parenthood Federation as a result of pressure from the so-called "Life Lobby" and that the United States' funding was at that time the main source of the IPPF's income? Will the Government use their influence with the Bush Administration to have that decision reversed?

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, I was not aware of the United States position with regard to the IPPF. I shall take note of what the noble Lord said. The IPPF is the largest single recipient of the funds that I have described this afternoon.

§ Baroness Ewart-Biggs
My Lords, does the Minister agree with UNICEF that the only way to decrease world population growth is by reducing the level of infant mortality, which, as the noble Baroness said, is a reason for women having bigger families? Does he believe that more aid should go towards improving the health of small children and babies as well as towards the education of women? Are Her Majesty's Government currently commissioning any research into population growth and the means of reducing it?

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, I am sure that the noble Baroness makes a good point in her first question. Part of our funding goes towards research. In 1988 we spent £80,000 directly on research and a further £296,000 on training awards.

§ Lord Dormand of Easington
My Lords, is the Minister aware that by the time we have Question Time in the House tomorrow there will be another 250,000 people on the planet? Does not that kind of frightening statistic show how inadequate—I realise the difficulties facing this Government and other governments—present policies are?

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, it is of course a difficult problem. We recognise that it is a sensitive issue in many countries. Fortunately, it is probably 1366 a less sensitive issue now than it was a little while ago. We must continue to work to educate people along those lines.

§ Lord Hatch of Lusby
My Lords, further to the question asked by my noble friend Lord Rea, does the Minister agree that history shows that a deceleration of population growth only comes with an increase in standard of living and that that is especially the case in countries where a large percentage of children die before the age of five? Is there not a case for the Government to increase their overseas aid instead of decreasing it by something like 40 per cent. as they have done over the past 10 years?

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, our aid programme, currently standing at £I -65 billion, has not been decreased in cash terms over the past few years. It is a substantial programme which is extremely well targeted and well spent.