§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the ratio of the amount supplied as British overseas aid to the amount generated in extra trade; and if he will set out the basis for the estimate.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydIn 1991, 74 per cent—£934 million—of our bilateral aid commitments were tied to British goods and services. We estimate that for every £1 we commit to multilateral agencies—£918 million in 1991— an average of £1.40 is spent on British goods and services. More widely our aid supports economic growth and liberalisation in developing countries, helping to provide a better climate for trade and investment.