HC Deb 12 March 1998 vol 308 cc305-7W
22. Helen Jones

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has had from Church leaders concerning the problem of international debt. [32514]

25. Mr. Edwards

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from Church leaders about Government policy to reduce third world debt. [32517]

Mr. Gordon Brown

Since my Mauritius Mandate statement to Commonwealth Finance Ministers last September, I have held a number of meetings with religious leaders, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardinal Hume, the Moderator of the Church of Scotland and many others. The UK firmly supports debt relief for the poorest, most indebted countries and is seeking an early solution to many of the problems experienced by them, not least at the moment in finding a solution to the debt problems of Mozambique. The Government take seriously their responsibilities to debt reduction internationally.

26. Mr. John Smith

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with his European Union counterparts on the Mauritius mandate. [32518]

Mr. Gordon Brown

In September, I wrote to all EU Finance Ministers with the text of my Mauritius Mandate speech, and again in January following the seminar on debt issues that I held at No. 11 Downing Street in December with religious leaders and Non Governmental Organisations' directors. I discussed debt issues with three of my EU colleagues at the G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting last month.

27. Mr. McNulty

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his policy on reducing the debt burden of the poorest countries. [32519]

37. Kali Mountford

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his policy on reducing the debt burden of the poorest countries. [32529]

Mr. Gordon Brown

The Government are fully committed to the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative that was launched by the IMF and World Bank in September 1996. In my speech to Commonwealth Finance Ministers in Mauritius last year, I called on the international community to commit itself to dealing with the problem of unsustainable debt burdens faced by the world's poorest countries once and for all. I urged creditors and debtors to undertake concrete action in order to ensure that at least three-quarters of the twenty countries, initially identified by the World Bank and IMF as probably needing debt relief under the HIPC initiative, have had decisions on the size and timing of their relief by the year 2000. I also encouraged all countries identified under the initiative to embark on the process of securing debt relief by the millennium. The Government propose to continue their efforts to ensure that these targets are met.

In the IMF and World Bank Executive Boards, we have actively supported debt relief under the HIPC initiative for the four countries that have so far had decisions—Uganda, Bolivia, Burkina Faso and Guyana. The Government have also taken a lead in pressing for action to help another indebted country, Mozambique. We have offered to provide up to $10 million to help Mozambique achieve debt sustainability on top of the debt relief and assistance that the UK has already committed.

28. Mr. Ben Chapman

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on his policy to reduce the debt burden of the poorest countries. [32520]

Mr. Gordon Brown

I have received support for the targets that I set out for dealing with the unsustainable debt burdens of the world's poorest countries in the Mauritius Mandate from a number of sources, including the President of the World Bank, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardinal Basil Hume and other religious leaders.

Mr. Gorrie

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total debt owed to (i) the Government and (ii) Export Credits Guarantee Department, by developing countries, excluding Eastern European countries and the countries of the former Soviet Union. [33202]

Mrs. Liddell

(i) The total debt owed to the government at the end of 1997, by all low income countries (excluding Eastern European countries and the countries of the former Soviet Union), as listed in the World Bank BookGlobal Development Finance, is £4.71 billion.

(ii) ECGD is owed £4.69 billion of this money. The rest is owed to DFID.

Mr. Gorrie

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list for each developing country the total stock of its outstanding debt owed to the United Kingdom on 31 December 1997. [33205]

Mrs. Liddell

The debt stock owed to ECGD at the end of 1997, by each of the low income countries (excluding Eastern European countries and the countries of the former Soviet Union), as listed in the World Bank BookGlobal Development Finance, is as follows:

£
Country Debt owed to ECGD
Afghanistan nil
Albania nil
Angola 91.2 million
Bangladesh nil
Benin 2.7 million
Bhutan nil
Bolivia 17.5 million
Burkina Faso 1 million
Burundi nil
Cambodia nil
Cameroon 61.5 million
C.A.R. 0.5 million
Chad nil
China nil
Comoros 0.04 million
Congo-Brazzaville 123 million
Cote d'lvoire 30.5 million
DR Congo (ex Zaire) 129.4 million
Equitorial Guinea nil
Eritrea nil
Ethiopia 11.7 million
Gambia nil
Ghana 3.5 million
Guinea 5.1 million
Guinea Bissau nil
Guyana 44.2 million
Haiti nil
Honduras 0.36 million
India 1.6 million
Kenya 43.5 million
Lao PDR 1400
Liberia 14.5 million
Madagascar 27 million
Malawi 0.7 million
Mali 4.1 million
Mauritania 7.1 million
Mongolia nil
Mozambique 86.3 million
Myanmar 25 million
Nepal nil
Nicaragua 1 million
Niger 10.8 million
Nigeria 3,100 million
Pakistan 0.68 million
Rwanda nil
Sao Tome et Principe nil
Senegal 2.9 million
Sierra Leone 3.5 million
Somalia 27.5 million
Sri Lanka 4000
Sudan 404.8 million
Tanzania 125.7 million
Togo 14.2 million
Uganda 14 million
Vietnam 10.4 million
Yemen 6.2 million
Zambia 234.1 million
Zimbabwe 0.1 million