§ Dame Judith Hartasked the Lord Privy Seal if he will give details of the conclusions reached on the guidelines for aiding non-associated developing countries in 1982 at the recent Development Council of the European Economic Community.
§ Mr. Neil MartenAs I said on 10 November to my hon. Friend the Member for Romford (Mr. Neubert)—[Vol. 12, c. 47–48]—the Council confirmed that the aid programme for non-associated countries should be directed towards assisting the poorest countries and the most needy sections of the population. It also confirmed that priority should continue to be given to projects for agricultural and rural development, in particular those designed to improve the food situation, with a view to helping to combat hunger in the world. The opinion of the European Parliament is awaited before the guidelines are finally adopted. A copy of the draft guidelines is available at the Vote Office.