§ 64. Mr. Kennedyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of gross domestic product the United Kingdom devotes to overseas aid; and what information he has about the equivalent figure for other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.
§ Mr. Chris PattenIn 1985, the latest year for which figures are available, Britain's net official development assistance represented 0.34 per cent. of gross national product. The equivalent figure for OECD aid donors as a whole was 0.35 per cent.
§ 72. Mr. Deakinsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has about total aid to the 29 poorest African countries and their total repayments of debt and interest in 1985; what were the comparable figures for United Kingdom aid and for repayments of debt and interest to public and private sources in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Chris PattenThe total gross aid flow to the poorest 29 countries of sub-Saharan Africa in 1985 is estimated by the OECD to have been $7.8 billion. The 3W OECD also estimates that actual repayments of principal and interest on debt, including interest on short-term debt but excluding IMF repurchases, was $3 billion.
British gross public expenditure on aid to these countries in 1985, through both bilateral and multilateral channels, is estimated to have been some £380 million. Figures on total debt service payments to Britain alone are not available. British aid debt repayments in 1985–86 amounted to only £2.3 million.