§ Mr. HaywardTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to increase the financial support available to voluntary agencies for their long-term development work.
§ Mr. Christ PattenSubject to parliamentary approval, I propose to make a total of £16 million available to British voluntary agencies in 1989–90 under our joint funding scheme. This represents an increase of 43 per cent. on this year's allocation of £11.2 million. Our total support for the voluntary agencies last year came to more than £42 million, approximately half of which was spent on long-term development work. The increases I am announcing today are in recognition of the important role that many voluntary agencies play in promoting economic and social development at a grassroots level amongst some of the poorest communities in developing countries.