HC Deb 21 March 2002 vol 382 cc455-6W
25. Mr. Dalyell

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her statement of 15 November 2001,Official Report, column 1000, on the WTO, what progress has been made in consultations with the Philippines on trade issues in relation to Mindanao. [42876]

Ms Hewitt

Although the Government do not have a bilateral aid programme with the Philippines, the Philippines does receive considerable support from other donors and from multilateral organisations, including the World bank and the Asian Development bank, both of which receive funds from the Government. These multilateral resources should enable the Government of the Philippines to tackle poverty and achieve faster growth, provided that a sound policy environment can be maintained.

If the Mindanao train project is sound and requires concessional resources, multilateral finance should be available.