§ Mr. Trotterasked the Minister of Overseas Development what is the Government's current annual spending on aid to underdeveloped countries; how it compares with the aid given in recent years and the aid given by other countries in total and as a percentage of gross national product; in what form it is being given; and to which countries.
§ Mr. PrenticeDetails of our own annual expenditure on aid up to and including 1974, the last complete year for which figures are available, as as follows:
Official Development Assistance (Net) £ million Per cent. of GNP 1970 186 0.36 1971 231 0.41 1972 243 0.39 1973 246 0.34 1974 309 0.38 The following table gives comparable information for other donor countries in 1974:
Official Development Assistance in 1974 (Net) £ million Per cent. of GNP Australia 184 0.55 Austria 25 0.18 Belgium 113 0.49 Canada 305 0.50 Denmark 72 0.54 Finland 16 0.18 France 700 0.60 Germany 613 0.37 Italy 87 0.14 Japan 481 0.25 Netherlands 183 0.62 New Zealand 16 0.30 Norway 56 0.57 Sweden 172 0.72 Switzerland 29 0.14 USA 1,470 0.25 Further information, including information on the forms in which our aid is given, is contained in "British Aid Statistics", copies of which are available in the Library of the House.