HC Deb 07 November 1988 vol 140 c6W
Mr. Michael Brown

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will increase the amount of aid spent on projects which restore, protect and improve the ecological basis for development including those which build up the environmental capability of Ministries and personnel in small countries.

Mr. Chris Patten

Allocations to particular projects and sectors within our country programmes are agreed with recipient Governments and this involves weighing up competing priorities. I aim to agree with these Governments more support to the forestry sector and the institutions responsible for it; this will help ecologically in a number of ways, including the protection of watersheds and halting of desertification.