§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance the United Kingdom is giving to international efforts to halt the destruction of Brazilian rain forests; and what information he has on their effectiveness.
§ Mr. Chris PattenWe are among those who have raised this issue with the Government of Brazil. There have been reports that President Sarney is to seek international assistance on environmental matters; if these are correct. that would be a welcome development. The World bank already has under discussion a loan of up to ․150 million to strengthen the Brazilian Government's national environmental programme. Environmental conditions attached to earlier World Bank and Inter-American Development bank loans have helped to increase awareness of the issues. As signatories of the international tropical timber agreement, both Brazil and the United Kingdom are pledged to encourage the development of international policies aimed at sustainable utilisation and conservation of tropical forests.