§ Mr. Sutcliffeasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of total United Kingdom aid in each beneficiary country was given to promote population control in each of the last three years.
§ Mr. WoodIn the Dominican Republic, expenditure under United Kingdom bilateral assistance for family planning150W and population activities was nearly 90 per cent. of total United Kingdom bilateral aid disbursements to that country in 1970. In the Gilbert and Ellice Islands it was a little over 1 per cent. in 1970. Other countries to which United Kingdom bilateral assistance in this field has been less than 1 per cent. of their total United Kingdom aid in recent years were listed in a reply given to the right hon. Member for Lanark (Mrs. Hart) on 15th March, 1971.
The scale of British aid in this field in any particular country depends on that country's policy in relation to population questions and the extent to which it decides to seek assistance from this country.
British aid for these activities has so far been overwhelmingly given through multilateral agencies such as the United Nations Fund for Population Activities and the International Planned Parenthood Federation, but I should be glad to consider a substantial increase in bilateral aid if developing countries want it.—[Vol. 813, c. 206.]