§ 14. Mr. Bidwellasked the Minister of Overseas Development why representatives of Great Britain, as a donor country, did not commit the Government to a date for the provision of 0.75 per cent. of the gross national product to aid develop- 254W ing countries when the recent meeting of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development was held in New Delhi.
§ Mr. PrenticeThe general agreement at U.N.C.T.A.D. was to endeavour to provide 1 per cent. of gross national product in official and private transfers; as our first priority must be to strengthen the balance of payments, we did not feel able to accept a specific time limit, but we shall do our best to achieve the target in due course.
We already provide in the region of 0.9 per cent. The statement of several countries at U.N.C.T.A.D. that they would attempt to provide 0.75 per cent. of gross national product in official financial transfers was put on record but the majority of developed countries preferred a target for public and private flows combined.