§ Mr. Onslowasked the Minister of Overseas Development what is the current total of firm forward commitments of public funds under the overseas aid programme; and what were the corresponding amounts 12 months, two years, and three years ago, respectively.
§ Mrs. HartComparative information on firm commitments relates to those outstanding at the end of each year. The most recent information available is as follows:
£ million 1975 449.8 1976 460.3 1977 489.4 1978* 756.2 *Provisional estimate. Our multilateral obligations are not included because they are assessed each year as a proportion of the estimated requirements of the international organisations concerned, on the basis of a general commitment.