§ 75. Mr. Alex CarlileTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's contribution to the combating of desertification in north Africa.
§ Mr. Chris PattenWe contribute to the fight against desertification through our participation in the work of a number of multilateral institutions. We also support measures to combat desertification in countries bordering the Sahara through our contribution to the European development fund; our share of projects that have been approved so far under the sixth EDF amounts to some £24 million.