§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Minister for Overseas Development (1) what proportion of the proposed reduction in existing commitments will fall directly or indirectly on countries with GNP per head of less than (a) $150, (b) $250 and (c) $500, respectively.;
(2) what proportion of the proposed cuts will fall on multinational aid and upon which particular agencies and projects;
(3) which existing aid programmes he estimates will fall in real value as a result of the cuts; and in which countries;
(4) by what proportion and numbers the number of civil servants at home and abroad employed by his Department, the number of experts or advisers in the field, the number of citizens of donee countries will be reduced as a result of the proposed cuts; and whether it will be in proportion to the percentage reduction in aid.
§ Mr. JuddAs I said at Question Time on 17th January, the effect on specific allocations will have to be determined after the detailed review of the entire programme and of our priorities within it, which is now in hand.
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Minister for Overseas Development what proportion of the British aid budget is spent directly in the United Kingdom; and by what amount percentage and as a prime figure the amount is expected to rise or fall as a result of the cuts.
§ Mr. Judd60 per cent. of our bilateral aid budget, excluding expenditure under technical co-operation, was spent in the United Kingdom in 1975. It is not possible to say what effect the cuts will have on this percentage in 1977 or 1978.
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Minister for Overseas Development on present estimates what percentage of GNP the United Kingdom will be spending on aid in 1979.
815W
§ Mr. JuddI should explain to my hon. Friend that it has never been our practice to give such estimates, which would have limited value in view of variation in both GNP and total official aid flows.
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Minister for Overseas Development what discussions he has had with donee nation Governments about the cuts in the British aid programme; if he will list them; and which projects he has indicated to them will have to be curtailed, cancelled or additional sources of finance obtained.
§ Mr. JuddNone. As I explained to the House and in my joint answer to some of my hon. Friend's earlier Questions today, a detailed review of the whole programme is in hand, and it would not be appropriate to discuss the cuts with recipient Governments at this stage.