§ Viscount Waverleyto ask Her Majesty's Government:
What are the means by which United Kingdom companies are informed of procurement contracts arising out of United Kingdom bilateral and multilateral aid programmes; what advance notice is given; and what was the total annual value of both types of contract; and what proportion of this was awarded to United Kingdom companies for the past five years for which figures are available.
§ Baroness Chalker of WallaseyInformation about bilateral and multilateral aid financed procurement opportunities is made available to UK companies through the Export Intelligence Service. Advance notice varies and it is not possible to indicate the average advance notice given. ODA expenditure in the last five years on bilateral and multilateral aid for developing countries was:
Multilateral Bilateral £million £million 1988–89 596 832 1989–90 608 925 1990–91 620 1020 1991–92 825 983 1992–93 860 1036 We estimate that in this period approximately 70 per cent. bilateral aid was tied and that, on a 10-year average 130WA to 1991, multilateral agencies procured about £1.20-worth of goods and services from the UK for every £1 of UK multilateral contributions.