§ Mr. Miscampbellasked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the United Kingdom's participation in the bridging arrangements for the sixth replenishment of the International Development Association.
§ Mr. Neil MartenOn 4 March the House approved an order enabling the Government to advance the first annual instalment of the United Kingdom contribution as part of a collective "bridging" arrangement by contributors other than the United States, to enable the association's operation to continue. Fifty per cent. of that amount was thereupon made available to the association, as foreshadowed by my Hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Oxon (Mr. Hurd) in his statement to the House on 4 March.—[Vol. 1000, c. 374–375.]
As further advance contributions totalling over $250 million have subsequently been made or promised by other contributing governments, whose total contributions to the replenishment will exceed $1 billion, the remaining 50 per cent. of our first annual instalment will now be made available to the association.
All the major contributors apart from the United States have now agreed to advance all or part of their first instalments under the bridging arrangement.