HL Deb 05 June 1985 vol 464 cc839-40WA
Lord Brockway

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What was their attitude at the Rome Conference to the fund proposed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development to encourage African farmers to grow more food and why; and how British emergency aid to Africa in the current financial year compares with last year's spending.

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Young)

At the meeting of the International Fund for Agricultural Development held in Rome on 18th May, the United Kingdom joined in the unanimous approval of the fund's special programme for sub-Saharan African countries affected by drought. The purpose of the fund is to try to raise funds for sub-Saharan Africa additional to those already pledged bilaterally or multilaterally.

Last year the Government spent £95 million on emergency aid for Africa, a good deal more than first expected. For this year the Minister for Overseas Development announced at the United Nations Conference in Geneva on 11th March that we expected to spend at least £60 million.