§ Mr. Andrew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what pressure the Government intend to bring to bear on the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to address the environmental and ecological implications of their loans and other transactions.
§ Mr. Chris PattenThe World Bank has substantially increased the emphasis it gives to the environmental and ecological aspects of its lending operations. An environmental department and regional units have been reinforced to ensure that these considerations are properly reflected in the bank's overall lending and policy objectives. We are in regular contact with the bank on its policies in this area through our executive director's office and his participation in board discussions of policy and specific lending proposals. To the extent that environmental considerations arise in IMF programmes, we adopt a similar approach. The IMF and the World Bank do, of course, co-operate closely.