§ Mrs. Rosie BarnesTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will propose to the World Bank that all funds from the International Development Association should be free rather than loans.
§ Mr. Chris PattenNo. The International Development Association lends at no interest on highly concessional terms for 35 to 40 years and repayments are recycled to increase the funding available for new lending. Moreover, agreement on the present lending terms for IDA was an essential element in achieving the last replenishment level of well over $12 billion.