§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the statement in the Official Report, column 18,19 May, what action he has taken as a result of accepting the FAO tropical forest action plan; what response he has had from the president of the World Bank to his representations stressing Her Majesty's Government's belief in the importance of giving proper regard to the environmental factors in respect of other aid programmes; and what discussions he has had with fellow donors on means of donor co-ordination in protecting the rain forest.
§ Mr. Chris PattenWe have given practical effect to the tropical forestry action plan by joining the World Bank and other bilateral donors for forestry sector reviews in Ghana and Kenya. Similarly, we have supported initiatives of the European Community and the International Union of Forest Research Organisations to establish priority areas for research projects and networks.
The president of the World Bank has indicated that he shares fully the views of the Government on the relation between environmental and development issues. This was reflected in his speech to the annual meeting of the World Bank in September.